vivelareine:Rules for Marie AntoinetteWhen Marie Antoinette departed from Vienna on April 21st, 1770

vivelareine:

Rules for Marie Antoinette

When Marie Antoinette departed from Vienna on April 21st, 1770, she was given several pages written by her mother, Maria Theresa–not strictly a letter, but “rules to be read once a month” that were meant to guide the dauphine in her new life, both religiously and politically.

Some of Maria Theresa’s ‘rules’ for her daughter:

• When you wake up, you will immediately upon arising go through your morning prayers on your knees and read some religious text, even if it is only for six or seven minutes without concerning yourself about anything else or speaking to anyone.
• You must always conform to French customs and never try to introduce anything new. You must not do anything unusual, nor site our customs, nor ask that they be imitated; on the contrary, you must absolutely lend yourself to what the Court is accustomed to doing.
• Read no book, even the most indifferent, until you have received your confessor’s permission: this is a particularly important point in France because books are published … which, although they are full of agreeable erudition, can nonetheless be pernicious to religion and morals.
• Ask M. and Mme de Noailles what you must do in every case, demand that they tell you how, as a foreigner who wants to please your new country, you must behave.
• Answer everyone pleasantly, with grace and dignity: you can if you want to. You must also learn how to say no.
• Do not take on any recommendations; listen to no one if you want to have peace.

Marie Antoinette, in a few years: