Alternate Endings Blog Hop: What If the French Royal Family escaped?
Today, I'm delighted to welcome Elizabeth K. Corbett to Ruins & Reading. Her What If short story in Alternate Endings is about Marie Thérèse of France.
But what if the French Royal family escaped the wrath of the revolutionists?
Over to Elizabeth!
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Alternate Endings: Elizabeth K. Corbett and Marie Thérèse of France
My Fascination with the Royal Family of France
Since a teenager, I was always drawn to Ancien Régime France and the fascinating stories of the Court of Versailles. I distinctly remember two particular instances that cemented my love of this period in time. In 2005, Carolly Erickson’s The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette debuted and, from the moment that I picked it up, I just couldn’t put it down. I was engrossed with the lavish descriptions of Versailles and the beautiful writing of the historical fiction novel. Another occurrence was in 2006, when Sophia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette starring Kirsten Dunst premiered. Although it was quite a loose adaptation, I always felt that it did a great job introducing modern audiences to the splendors and dramas of Versailles.
Over the years I read other books like The Sisters of Versailles by Sally Christie and The Queen’s Dressmaker by Meghan Masterson. These books did a great job fleshing out different perspectives of courtiers and servants during that era. I just couldn’t get enough of the French royal family and the lives of the courtiers who lived at such an august place.
Marie Thérèse’s Story
When it came time to write my short story, I always knew that this would be Marie Thérèse’s story. It has to be about her and told in her own words. For as long as I have been reading historical fiction, I have not come across many books that focused on Marie Thérèse herself. Most of the books I encountered focused on her ill-fated mother, Marie Antoinette. As an author and a historian, I have often loved hearing women’s stories. In their own time periods, women’s stories were often downplayed or thought to be inconsequential.
Marie Thérèse, named after her remarkable maternal grandmother - Maria Teresa of Austria, was the eldest child of King Louis XVI and his Austrian bride, Marie Antoinette (called Maria Antonia in her native country). Throughout her childhood, she was doted upon by her mother and instructed by an army of dedicated governesses. As she grew into her preteen and teenage years, the French Revolution began and she experienced the horrors of it. Like her family members, she suffered all kinds of privations. She was locked away in the Temple Prison in 1792 and wasn’t released until 1795. The frightening thing is that she never knew about the death of her younger brother, Louis Charles (Louis XVII), her mother, or her aunt, Madame Élisabeth. She was acquainted with the fact that her father was guillotined.
Marie Thérèse’s extant writings are haunting on their own. We have two accounts from her: “The Flight to Varennes” and “The Imprisonment of the Royal Family in the Temple.” We learn so much about her and all that she has suffered. She as a young woman had experienced so much loss at so young an age. I feel like she often gets lost in the footnotes of history. This is why this had to be Marie Thérèse’s story. One final note, I relied upon Susan Nagel’s Marie Thérèse, Child of Terror: The Fate of Marie Antoinette’s Daughter to learn the specifics about her life. This well-researched book is a treasure trove of information.
Telling a Different Story
What if? It is such a haunting question. What if the French royal family escaped? What if King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette had lived? What if Louis XVII had lived? What if Marie Thérèse had children? What if Louis XVII married? What would their lives has been like?
These questions all guided me in my writing. The Marie Thérèse of my story, while strong like the real historical figure, is such a different person. The real Marie Thérèse was quite forgiving and there was a kindness about her. Firsthand accounts often referred to her as angelic or saintly. Another thing I should also mention is her intensity. Napoleon Bonaparte famously referred to her as “the only man in the family” after she refused to abandon Bordeaux when it was surrounded. She replied to Bertrand Clauzel, one of Napoleon’s greatest generals, thus: “I will never surrender.” She only left the city when she realized that she would be putting the people of Bordeaux in great danger.
When I started envisioning Marie Thérèse in this alternate reality, I took to heart the intensity in which she wasn’t afraid of Napoleon. I envisioned a young woman who lives at the royal court in exile at Hartwell House, in Buckinghamshire, Great Britain. I did substantial research into their lifestyle, the etiquette of the French royal court (which was upheld), and the people that surrounded them. I was fascinated by the idea of the House of Bourbon being safe in Great Britain, the best place for them as Napoleon wages war across the Continent and creates chaos.
The Marie Thérèse of this story is a young woman who never forgets for a moment who she is and where she comes from. To her, being Madame Royale and the Duchess of Angoulême are her vocation. She is an active member of the House of Bourbon and her duty in life is to help her brother, Louis XVII regain the throne of France. Her father died in 1804, bitter and broken after losing France. It was something that destroyed him. Louis XVII, who has been king since then, is eager to retake the throne. He is overwhelmed by the burden of being king and is afraid he will suffocate under the weight of it all. Marie Antoinette is a loving mother who is often unwell and haunted by her time at the Court of Versailles. Alongside her mother is her uncle, Louis Stanislaus, Count of Provence and his wife, Marie Joséphine, Countess of Provence, who she helps to take care of.
While everyone is ensconced in their lives in great Britain, Marie Thérèse grows restless and impatient. How will the House of Bourbon regain the French throne from Napoleon Bonaparte?
Source:
Nagel, Susan. Marie Thérèse, Child of Terror: The Fate of Marie Antoinette’s Daughter. New York: Bloomsbury, 2010, pp. 264, 267.
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About the Author:
Elizabeth K. Corbett
Elizabeth K. Corbett is an author, book reviewer, and historian who has recently published a short story, “Marie Thérèse Remembers.” She is currently working on her debut novel, a gothic romance set in Jacksonian America.
When she is not writing, she teaches academic writing, something she is very passionate about. She believes in empowering students to express themselves and speak their truth through writing. Additionally, she is a women’s historian who studies the lives of women in eighteenth and nineteenth century North America. Mostly, she is fascinated by the lives of the lesser known women in history.
A resident of gorgeous coastal New Jersey, she takes inspiration from the local history to write her historical fiction. She is an avid reader who adores tea and coffee
Follow Elizabeth:
Blog www.elizabethkcorbett.com
Twitter https://twitter.com/thequeenreview
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/ElizabethKCorbett/
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/queenofheartsreview
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/author/elizabethkcorbett
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Blurb:
We asked eight historical authors to set aside the facts and rewrite the history they love. The results couldn’t be more tantalizing.
What if Julius Caesar never conquered Gaul?
What if Arthur Tudor lived and his little brother never became King Henry VIII?
What if Abigail Adams persuaded the Continental Congress in 1776 to give women the right to vote and to own property?
Dive in to our collection of eight short stories as we explore the alternate endings of events set in ancient Rome, Britain, the United States, and France.
An anthology of the Historical Writers Forum.
Buy Links:
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