Editing Marie Antoinette (section)

==Early life (1755–1770)==
[[File:Jean-Étienne_Liotard,_L'Archiduchesse_Marie-Antoinette_d'Autriche,_future_Reine_de_France,_à_l'âge_de_7_ans_(1762)_-_01.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Archduchess Maria Antonia depicted at seven years of age, in a 1762 watercolour portrait by [[Jean-Étienne Liotard]]]]

Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna was born on 2 November 1755 at the [[Hofburg]] Palace in [[Vienna]], Archduchy of Austria.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Birth of Marie Antoinette {{!}} History Today |url=https://www.historytoday.com/archive/birth-marie-antoinette |access-date=2022-11-20 |website=historytoday.com}}</ref> She was the youngest daughter and 15th child of Empress [[Maria Theresa]], ruler of the [[Habsburg monarchy]], and her husband [[Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|2002|p=5}}</ref> Maria Theresa gave birth to all of her previous children without any problems. During the birth of her last daughter serious complications arose, and doctors feared for the life of the mother. Her godparents were [[Joseph I of Portugal|Joseph I]] and [[Mariana Victoria of Spain|Mariana Victoria]], king and queen of Portugal; Archduke [[Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor|Joseph]] and Archduchess [[Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria (born 1738)|Maria Anna]] acted as proxies for their newborn sister.<ref name="Fraser 2002 5–6">{{Harvnb|Fraser|2002|pp=5–6}}</ref><ref name="liaisons">{{cite book|first=Michel|last=de Decker|title=Marie-Antoinette, les dangereuses liaisons de la reine|publisher=Belfond|location=Paris, France|date=2005|isbn=978-2714441416|pages=12–20}}</ref>

Maria Antonia was born on [[All Souls' Day]], a [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] day of mourning, and during her childhood her birthday was instead celebrated the day before, on [[All Saints' Day]], due to the connotations of the date. Shortly after her birth she was placed under the care of the governess of the imperial children, Countess von Brandeis.<ref name="d'Armaillé">{{cite book|first=Marie Célestine Amélie|last=de Ségur d'Armaillé |author-link=Marie Célestine Amélie d'Armaillé |title=Marie-Thérèse et Marie-Antoinette|publisher=[[Editions Didier Millet]]|date=1870|location=Paris, France|pages=34, 47}}</ref> Maria Antonia was raised together with her sister, [[Maria Carolina of Austria]], who was three years older and with whom she had a lifelong close relationship.<ref>{{Harvnb|Lever|2006|p=10}}</ref> Maria Antonia had a difficult but ultimately loving relationship with her mother,<ref name="Fraser 2001 166–170">{{Harvnb|Fraser|2001|pp=22–23, 166–70}}</ref> who referred to her as "the little Madame Antoine".

Maria Antonia spent her formative years between the Hofburg Palace and [[Schönbrunn Palace|Schönbrunn]], the imperial summer residence in Vienna,<ref name="liaisons" /> where on 13 October 1762, when she was seven, she met [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]], two months her junior and a child prodigy.<ref>{{cite book|first=Philippe|last=Delorme|author-link=Philippe Delorme|title=Marie-Antoinette. Épouse de Louis XVI, mère de Louis XVII|publisher=Pygmalion Éditions|date=1999|page=13}}</ref><ref name="liaisons" /><ref name="d'Armaillé" /><ref>{{cite book|first=Évelyne|last=Lever|author-link=Évelyne Lever|title='C'état Marie-Antoinette|publisher=[[Fayard]]|location=Paris, France|date=2006|page=14|ref=none}}</ref> Despite the private tutoring she received, the results of her schooling were less than satisfactory.<ref name="Cronin 1989 45">{{Harvnb|Cronin|1989|p=45}}</ref> At age 10 she could not write correctly in German or in any language commonly used at court, such as French or Italian,<ref name="liaisons" /> and conversations with her were stilted.<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|2002|pp=32–33}}</ref><ref name="liaisons" /> Under the teaching of [[Christoph Willibald Gluck]], Maria Antonia developed into a good musician. She learned to play the [[harp]],<ref name="Cronin 1989 45" /> the [[harpsichord]] and the [[flute]]. She sang during the family's evening gatherings, as she was known to have had a beautiful voice.<ref>{{Harvnb|Cronin|1989|p=46}}</ref> She also excelled at dancing, had "exquisite" poise, and loved dolls.<ref name="Weber2007">{{harvnb|Weber|2007|pp=13–14}}</ref>

[[File:Meister der Erzherzoginnen-Porträt - Erzherzogin Maria Antonia.jpg|thumb|Maria Antonia by [[Martin van Meytens]] c.1767–1768]]
The death of her older sister [[Archduchess Maria Josepha of Austria|Maria Josepha]] from [[smallpox]] during the epidemic in Vienna in October 1767 made an everlasting impression on the young Maria Antonia.{{Sfn|Fraser|2002|p=28}} In her later life she recalled the ailing Maria Josepha taking her in her arms. She told her that she would not be traveling to Naples to marry King [[Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies|Ferdinand IV of Naples]], to whom she was betrothed, but for the [[family vault]].{{Sfn|Fraser|2002|p=28}}

In 1768, Mathieu-Jacques de Vermond was dispatched by [[Louis XV]] to tutor Maria Antonia. De Vermond found her to be unsatisfactorily educated and lacking in important writing skills. Nonetheless, he also complimented her, stating "her character, her heart, are excellent". He found her "more intelligent than has been generally supposed," but since "she is rather lazy and extremely frivolous, she is hard to teach".<ref name="Marie Antoinette">{{cite web|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/marie-antoinette-134629573/|title=Marie Antoinette |date=November 2006|publisher=Smithsonian Magazine |first1= Richard |last1=Covington |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240124074106/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/marie-antoinette-134629573/ |archive-date= Jan 24, 2024 }}</ref>

Under the recommendation of [[Étienne François de Choiseul, Duke of Choiseul]], a strong supporter of her prospective marriage, she received a makeover to bring her more in line with the fashion of French royalty. This included the straightening of her teeth by a French dentist, the diversification of her wardrobe, and hairstyles reminiscent of [[Madame de Pompadour]].<ref>{{harvnb|Weber|2007|pp=15–16}}</ref> She was also instructed by [[Jean-Georges Noverre]] who taught her to walk in the gliding fashion characteristic of the court of Versailles.<ref>{{harvnb|Erickson|1991|pp=40–41}}</ref>