The Imperial Family. In the cradle, Marie-Antoinette
The Little Van Gogh
The Little Renoir
The Little Monet
The Little Degas
The Little Klimt
The Little Turner
The Little Bruegel
The Little Van Eyck
The Little Rubens
The Little Cézanne
The Little Waterloo
Marie-Antoinette
A History of Belgium for children
Many, many years ago – over two hundred and fifty years – in the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, there lived an Empress and an Emperor, Maria-Theresa and Francis I of Austria. They loved each other very much, and they had fourteen children together already. One night, as dusk fell over the Imperial city, bells started ringing from every church tower, announcing the good news: “A little princess has been born! Light as a feather! The baby was the fifteenth child of the empress. She was given the lovely name of Marie-Antoinette, yet no one could suspect what fate had in store for her…
Four years later, little Antoine, as she is called in the family, celebrates the birthday of her beloved father, the Emperor. She will sing in public tonight for the first time, accompanied by her brothers and sisters. In Vienna, everybody simply loves music!
Marie-Antoinette is seven years old when a little boy, just the same age, arrives at the Palace in Schönbrunn. He has come from Salzburg with his father and sister, and his name is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. When he plays the clavichord he sounds like an angel! But as he bows to his audience, the little musician slips and falls head over heels onto the wooden floor… Wham! Everyone laughs as he lies sprawling on the ground. Only Marie-Antoinette kindly helps him to get up, adjusting his clothes and his little parade sword.
“You, Mademoiselle, are much nicer than the others. When we both grow up, I shall marry you!” says the little Mozart very seriously to the smiling Princess.
“Today’s the big day!” Marie-Antoinette cries out as she wakes up. “Get up! It’s Saint Nicholas’ day morning! He certainly came down the chimney last night to bring us all gifts.”
The children run all around the palace looking. They wonder “Where is he? Where is he? Which chimney did he climb down?”