Marie-Antoinette and the Diamond Necklace Affair: The Scandal that Shook the Monarchy
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1785: A Scandal that Shocked Versailles
In 1785, the French court was shaken by one of the most sensational scandals of the Ancien Régime: the Diamond Necklace Affair. This daring fraud, involving Cardinal de Rohan and the adventuress Jeanne de la Motte, would irreparably damage Marie-Antoinette’s reputation and contribute to the fall of the monarchy.
A Necklace for a Queen
The necklace in question was an extraordinary jewel, made by the court jewelers Boehmer and Bassenge. It contained 647 diamonds with a total weight of 2,800 carats and was originally intended for Madame du Barry, the mistress of Louis XV. After the king’s death in 1774, the jewelers were left with this unsellable masterpiece worth 1.6 million livres – an astronomical sum at the time.
The Players in the Fraud
Cardinal de Rohan: Member of one of the most powerful families in France, the cardinal dreamed of regaining the favor of Marie-Antoinette, who despised him since his time as ambassador in Vienna.
Jeanne de la Motte: An adventuress who claimed descent from the Valois, she had access to the court and knew the cardinal’s weaknesses.
Count de Cagliostro: A famous charlatan and alchemist, friend of the cardinal, who played a role in the plot.
The Setup of the Fraud
Jeanne de la Motte convinced Cardinal de Rohan that Marie-Antoinette secretly wanted to buy the necklace but could not do so openly because of the high price. The cardinal, blinded by his desire to regain the queen’s favor, agreed to act as an intermediary.
Jeanne even arranged a nighttime meeting in the gardens of Versailles between the cardinal and a woman posing as the queen (in reality a prostitute named Nicole Leguay d'Oliva). This meeting fully convinced the cardinal of the plot’s authenticity.
The Discovery of the Fraud
In August 1785, when the first payment for the necklace was due, the jewelers discovered they had been swindled. The necklace had been dismantled and the diamonds sold across Europe. The scandal erupted when Cardinal de Rohan was arrested on August 15, 1785, on the Feast of the Assumption, in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, dressed in his ceremonial robes.
The Trial and the Consequences
The trial before the Parliament of Paris became a sensation. Marie-Antoinette, although completely innocent, was condemned by public opinion. The people believed the queen was involved in the fraud, which reinforced her reputation as a wasteful and immoral sovereign.
Cardinal de Rohan was acquitted by the Parliament, a humiliation for the royal family. Jeanne de la Motte was sentenced to whipping, branding, and life imprisonment but managed to escape to London where she published her memoirs accusing Marie-Antoinette.
The Role of Lorraine
Ironically, Marie-Antoinette’s Lorraine origin played a role in the affair. Cardinal de Rohan had insulted Marie-Antoinette during his time as ambassador in Vienna by reporting negatively about her mother, Maria Theresa of Austria. But he had also underestimated the queen’s Lorraine connections – her father Francis of Lorraine had taught her sharp political insight that helped her see through the fraud, even though she could not save her reputation.
The Road to the Revolution
The Diamond Necklace Affair was a turning point in the public perception of Marie-Antoinette. Although she was completely innocent, she was seen as the symbol of the court’s corruption and extravagance. This scandal contributed to the erosion of respect for the monarchy and accelerated the coming of the French Revolution.
Four years later, in 1789, the Revolution would break out. The cry "l'Autrichienne" (the Austrian) would haunt Marie-Antoinette all the way to the guillotine in 1793.
📖 Want to know more about Marie-Antoinette?
Discover Marie Antoinette - Queen of France by J.-J.-E. Roy, a complete biography of the last queen of France, including detailed information about the Diamond Necklace Affair and her tragic fate.
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