When the Dauphin died Louis XV, Bearne states paid very little attention to the children, but the Comte d' Artois was his favorite. The Comte de Provence was the favorite of Madame Victoire but Madame Adalaide's attention went to the future Louis XVI. Especially after this telling story! Apparently even as a Child, he was slow, plain, dull and not very popular. After the Death of his Parents he found himself lonely in the crowd of Persons who served him with respect, but without affection, and one day, shedding tears, he said " Eh, whom shall I love here,where nobody loves me!" I think this childhood remark is very indicative of the reason he forged strong bonds to his Family after the Children came.
Marie Antoinette certainly came into a volatile situation. Madame Adalaide and the Aunts hated Prime Minister Choiseul violently and he arranged the Marriage to an Austrian. Unable to prevent the marriage Madame Adalaide and Madame Victoire bitterly opposed it. When M. Campan before starting out with the household of the Dauphine to meet her at the frontier came to Madame Adalaide for orders she said "She entirely disapproved of her nephew's marriage and that if she had any orders to give it would be to not fetch an Austrian." if Marie Antoinette had been treated like Marie Adalaide protected and sheltered, she would have been protected from evil influences but according to Bearne She was thrown into the most licentious Court in Europe; at which like her predecessor she had to occupy the most exalted place; but instead of being under the guidance of powerful protectors, she had no one to control her and the only members of the Royal Family that she could have one to for advice were the ones who were most hostile to her." When Madame Victoire realized this and tried to give several fetes in her honor. But Mme de Noailles and the Dauphine's Confessor the Abbe de Vermond must needs interfere and raise objections. Madame Victoire yielded to the influence of her stronger Sisters and retreated.
Those who wished to injure the Dauphine and those who wished to help her but gave her bad advice seem to surround her. The Empress told her not to identify herself with her Husband's Aunts but to conciliate Madame Du Barry whose assistance she thought more important. Although M.A. became fond of Madmae Victoire to whom she would go sometimes as high as three times a day for advice she could not like Madame Adalaide who She was a little afraid of or Madame Sophie who was incredibly stupid Bearne states. Marie Antoinette had begun by showing great affection for her sister-in-laws but even there was mischief. She showed a preference for the little Elizabeth although She liked Clotilde a lot also. And then the Governess Mme Marsan pointed out to Clotilde that the Dauphine cared less for her than Elizabeth. The Abbe de Vermond mixed himself up in the petty gossips and quarrels, every trifle that happened even the childish games were turned into Evil. Prince Louis de Rohan, Ambassador to Vienna spread stories against her. The fall of the Duc de Choiseul was a triumph of Madame Adalaide and her party but a disadvantage apparently to M.A.
Sometimes it was a question of the grandeur and antiquity of their respective Houses that caused the folly! The disputes would among the young Princesses and their Husbands would take their part. Sometimes the problem would start over the attitude to be shown to Du Barry. The Comte de Provence took care to be on good terms with her, the Dauphin hated her as his Father and Aunts hated all the King's Mistresses. Two different Schools of Music were in vogue and even there were disputes. The Dauphine was a passionate advocate of Gluck, Madame du Barry patronized Piccini. the Court and City were rent by their factions, literary Persons mixed themselves up in the dispute; pamphlets, epigrams, sons and caricatures abounded on both sides.
This Book Royal Quartet gives a really vivid impression of how intricate and double dealing the French court was to maneuver through at this time. Very complicated for a fifteen year old. Many Historians blame Louis XV for not protecting her as Louis XIV did Marie Adalaide...it would still have been a problem with the unmarried Aunts supporting their own faction..aggressively too. I have seen pamphlets of Marie Antoinette...horrible caricatures of her, even sexually explicit before the Revolution but I have not seen any of the Pamphlets mentioned above. Anyone that has access to this please post...Paris Archives maybe? Worth seeing a caricature of a fight between Gluck and Piccini!
