This was an embarrassment to a man with such an esteemed title and lineage as Rohan, who sought to enter the queen's favor so he could gain influence at court and perhaps even secure a position as one of the king's ministers. This disapproval was shared by the empress' daughter, Marie Antoinette herself, whose influence meant that the cardinal was kept at arm's length from any of the goings-on at the French royal court of Versailles. 1740-1780) as "a dreadful type.without morals" (Fraser, 63). Cardinal de Rohan, former ambassador to the Austrian court at Vienna, was a womanizing and dissolute man who was described by Empress Maria Theresa of Austria (r. To the queen's mind, that was the end of the issue, but in a roundabout way, the necklace helped bring about the abolition of France's monarchy.įollow us on Youtube! The Cardinal & the TricksterĬardinal Louis de Rohan (1734-1803) descended from a family with a history of conspiracy, who, in the words of historian Simon Schama, were "too rich for their own good" (Schama, 206). She then advised Boehmer to break up the necklace and sell the separate stones before sending him away. Such theatrics had no effect, however, and Marie Antoinette again refused him, stating that the French crown had "more need for Seventy-Fours than of necklaces" (Carlyle, 53). In either case, she refused it, even when the jeweler Boehmer, appealing to the queen's known weakness for emotional display, made a scene at court, "sobbing his eyes out, yelling, swooning and threatening to do away with himself unless the Queen took the necklace off his hands" (Schama, 204). Unfortunately, the necklace proved too much for Marie Antoinette, who, as a bitter rival of Madame Du Barry, may have disliked it due to its association with the woman, or may just have found it to be too ostentatious for her tastes. The queen was, after all, known for her indulgence in fashion. The jewelers tried to sell it to Marie Antoinette, who seemed the most obvious candidate. The necklace proved too much for Marie Antoinette she advised Boehmer to break it up & sell the separate stones.
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