Beloved, reviled, cherished, scorned, Marie-Antoinette was queen of France during the time which ushered in the French Revolution. Half of her biographers denounce her as a wanton woman who was the cause of France’s economic collapse. The other half lovingly adores her and calls her a scapegoat and victim of a corrupt beaurocracy. She was a loving mother whom above all loved her children fiercely until the end of her life. Marie-Antoinette’s appreciation for fashion set trends which were the mode for many years after her death. Her last words “I did not do it on purpose”, can be taken out of context. She said these final words not as a lament to her reign…but as she mounted the stand of the guillotine, she stepped upon her executioner’s toes and wanted to make apologies.