Queen consort of Louis XVI of France, Marie Antoinette was bee headd on October 16, 1793, during the Reign of Terror following the French Revolution. Accused of treason, she had become the symbol of the Revolution's hatred for the old regime due to her extravagance and frivolity. Her husband had been executed earlier on the guillotine. Preparing for her execution, she was denied wearing black but was forced into a plain white dress, white being the color worn by widowed queens of France. Her hair was shorn, her hands bound painfully behind her back and she was put on a rope leash. Unlike her husband, who had been taken to his execution in a carriage, she had to sit in an open cart and paraded through the city, maintaining her composure despite the insults of the jeering crowd. On her way to the guillotine, she accidently stepped on the foot of her executioner, apologizing: "Monsieur, I beg your pardon. I did not do it on purpose." Some say she then uttered, "Make haste," before the blade fell. --- #marieantoinette #frenchrevolution #reignofterror #quotes #history #france #tragedy #lastwords #onthisday #todayinhistory #royalcore #classicalmusic