Classic Book Reader
Cover of Memoirs of the Court of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, Volume 1

Memoirs of the Court of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, Volume 1

by Mme. Campan (1752–1822)

  • Free to read
  • 55 min read
  • 4 chapters
  • Reading level: 8th & 9th grade

"Memoirs of the Court of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, Volume 1" by Mme. Campan is a historical memoir that provides a firsthand account of life at the French court during the reign of Louis XVI and the tumultuous period preceding the French Revolution. Written in the early 19th century, the book offers insight into the personal experiences and observations of its author, who served as the First Lady in Waiting to Marie Antoinette. The memoir covers key events surrounding the queen and highlights the intricacies of court life, the political environment, and societal issues of the time. In her memoir, Mme. Campan narrates her experiences at the court and provides a detailed depiction of Marie Antoinette, portraying her both as a queen and an individual facing immense challenges. The book presents anecdotes about various notable figures of the time, such as Louis XVI, and recounts events from the queen's marriage to the Dauphin up to the tensions leading to the revolution. Mme. Campan reflects on the misinterpretations and false narratives surrounding Marie Antoinette, who often struggled with the rigid etiquette and public scrutiny of the court. Through her personal observations, Campan seeks to humanize the queen, depicting her as kind-hearted yet vulnerable, while also illustrating the broader historical context of the monarchy's decline and the emerging revolutionary fervor in France.

Read free now No app, no sign-up. Your place is saved automatically. Or download for your e-reader ↓
  • France · Court and courtiers
  • Marie Antoinette, Queen, consort of Louis XVI, King of France, 1755-1793

Read the opening

Madame Campan

My father, who was employed in the department of Foreign Affairs, enjoyed the reputation due to his talents and to his useful labours. He had travelled much. Frenchmen, on their return home from foreign countries, bring with them a love for their own, increased in warmth; and no man was more penetrated with this feeling, which ought to be the first virtue of every placeman, than my father. Men of high title, academicians, and learned men, both natives and foreigners, sought my father's acquaintance, and were gratified by being admitted into his house.

Twenty years before the Revolution I often heard it remarked that the imposing character of the power of Louis XIV. was no longer to be found in the Palace of Versailles; that the institutions of the ancient monarchy were rapidly sinking; and that the people, crushed beneath the weight of taxes, were miserable, though silent; but that they began to give ear to the bold speeches of the philosophers, who loudly proclaimed their sufferings and their rights; and, in short, that the age would not pass away without the occurrence of some great outburst, which would unsettle France, and change the course of its progress.

Keep reading Memoirs of the Court of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, Volume 1 →

Contents

  1. Preface by the Author
  2. Madame Campan
  3. Memoir of Madame Campan
  4. Etext Editor's Bookmarks

Download for your e-reader

Files are provided by Project Gutenberg. On a Kindle, the simplest route is to send the EPUB with Amazon’s Send to Kindle. Downloaded copies don’t sync with your place on Classic Book Reader.

About this edition

This free edition of Memoirs of the Court of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, Volume 1 by Mme. Campan comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #3884, released 2004-12-04. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Biographies, French Literature, History - European, History - Modern (1750+), History - Royalty.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

More by Mme. Campan