What where examples of the excesses of Marie Antoinette?

Answer 1

I would like to point out that Marie Antoinette spent even less money during her time in Versailles than all other French queens before her. Also she gave a lot of money to charities and helped out financially as much as she could.

Some cases which caused tongues to waggle, were: * Her Petit Trianon, her personal Hameau de la Reine, chateau Rambouillet and her personal laiterie (milk farm) there; * Her exquisite taste in fashion; * Her need for entertainment, she gave a lot of feasts and balls; * Her gambling habits. The only reason people judged her spending so cruelly is because she was not just foreign, but Austrian. France had been in and out of war with Austria for several years and therefore the French never wanted an Austrian Queen. Also, most gossip was caused by jealousy. She was remarkably beautiful and seemed to have a lot of power over her husband (he also never had a mistress, which was considered very odd at the time) and was goodhearted and naive. This made her an easy target. France was in a financial crisis at the time, and even though she and Louis XVI spent less money than any other French monarch before them, especially Marie Antoinette was being condemned for it.