Different marriage for Marie Antoinette?

Well, the obvious if a bit silly answer is that, at one point, it was considered that both she and Maria Carolina would marry Frenchwards: Maria Carolina to the future Louis XVI and Maria Antonia to either the Comte of Provence or the Comte of Artois. Alternatively, a match with José, Prince of Brazil, the grandson of her godparents and heir to Portugal, would be something that might be considered. It would probably go better than his OTL marriage to his aunt.
 
The only problem with Jose of Portugal is age - he was 6 years younger than Antoinette which might have given the Portuguese pause - though then again perhaps not as he was a good younger than his actual wife and aunt!

If Marie Antoinette was never in the running for France then another possibility is the Duke of Parma (who in OTL married her sister Amalia). She was only about four years younger than him so it would have worked age wise.
 
The electoral prince of Saxony is also an option. As is the prince of Piemonte. Both aimed for French princesses OTL, only one got one. If Antoinette goes to Turin, it could be to smooth ruffled feathers over the breaking of the match between her older sister and the duke of Chablais, as well as preventing a French preponderance in Savoy.
 
Maria therisa the Emperess of the H.R.E and Archduchess of Austria queen of Hungary and a slew of other titles preferred a French marrige as she saw it as a way to get back at the Prussians who she was salty at for the whole "War of Austrian succession" and thought that the only way to regain Selisa was to ally with a powerful force on the continent so maybe Russia Spain if you want to stretch it you could sell her to the swedes or Danes.
 
Russia Spain if you want to stretch it you could sell her to the swedes or Danes.

Russia won't accept a Catholic czarina, and Maria Theresia won't let her daughter convert.
Spain - off chance (Josef II marries Luisa Maria of Parma as he wanted (boy was he in for a rude awakening when the honeymoon's over), and Antoinette gets Carlos IV. Spain goes down the toilet even faster?
Sweden and Denmark - same reason as Russia, plus Christian VII is already married, his son is too young, and by the time his wife dies, he's insane. Plus, Maria Theresia's not going to marry her daughter to a second son (Hereditary Prince Frederik (b.1753)) if there's no chance he's gonna rule the country (which the existence of Christian VI precludes for the foreseeable future). Same goes for Sweden, the first (Gustaf III) in line is already married; the Queen is already trying to get the Hohenzollern daughter-in-law for her second son she originally wanted for her first, and Maria Theresia will have no interest in a third landless son.
 
Russia won't accept a Catholic czarina, and Maria Theresia won't let her daughter convert.
Spain - off chance (Josef II marries Luisa Maria of Parma as he wanted (boy was he in for a rude awakening when the honeymoon's over), and Antoinette gets Carlos IV. Spain goes down the toilet even faster?
Sweden and Denmark - same reason as Russia, plus Christian VII is already married, his son is too young, and by the time his wife dies, he's insane. Plus, Maria Theresia's not going to marry her daughter to a second son (Hereditary Prince Frederik (b.1753)) if there's no chance he's gonna rule the country (which the existence of Christian VI precludes for the foreseeable future). Same goes for Sweden, the first (Gustaf III) in line is already married; the Queen is already trying to get the Hohenzollern daughter-in-law for her second son she originally wanted for her first, and Maria Theresia will have no interest in a third landless son.
Hard to see how Spain goes down the drain faster without María Louisa. She and her lover Godoy were absolutely disastrous for Spain, not to mention her wretched son Ferdinand. Daughter Carlotta was pretty horrible for Portugal, too. Preventing the union of C4 and ML changes up a lot. Not automatically for the better, but I would bet in that direction before I went with worse.

Did you mean Maria Louisa for Joseph II? If so, J2 is a strong enough personality to handle her, unlike C4, and she gets marginalized. Plus, she’s a child producing factory, so J2 gets a heir.
 
Hard to see how Spain goes down the drain faster without María Louisa. She and her lover Godoy were absolutely disastrous for Spain, not to mention her wretched son Ferdinand. Daughter Carlotta was pretty horrible for Portugal, too. Preventing the union of C4 and ML changes up a lot. Not automatically for the better, but I would bet in that direction before I went with worse.

Did you mean Maria Louisa for Joseph II? If so, J2 is a strong enough personality to handle her, unlike C4, and she gets marginalized. Plus, she’s a child producing factory, so J2 gets a heir.

I meant Maria Luisa. Although alternately Maria Luisa can marry the duc de Bourgogne (as was proposed) and Antoinette can marry Carlos IV
 
Maria Luisa as Queen of France would be interesting! I can't imagine poor Louis XVI coping very well with her!

Antoinette as Queen of Spain would also have been interesting. Though Carlos IV seems to have been a less intellectual version of Louis, at least he was more effective at fathering children. Also, as Carlos III didn't die until 1788 there was more time to prepare them both to rule. I suspect Carlos III probably would have become very fond of Antoinette and in turn, with his help, it might have helped turn her husband into a slightly more effective ruler.
 
suspect Carlos III probably would have become very fond of Antoinette and in turn, with his help, it might have helped turn her husband into a slightly more effective ruler.

Louis XV was quite fond of Antoinette too, unfortunately he was too busy with the Parc aux Cerfs and Madame du Barry to do much about his grandson. Carlos III OTOH seems like the sort that would at least attempt it. Not only that, but Antoinette wouldn't be arriving in a country where the deck is stacked against her because of where she's from (and what she represents) rather than who she is.

was considered that both she and Maria Carolina would marry Frenchwards: Maria Carolina to the future Louis XVI and Maria Antonia to either the Comte of Provence or the Comte of Artois

Do you mind giving a source? Since the way I have it was that until her sister (Josefa)'s death, Caroline was intended for Parma, and Antoinette for Paris. Maria Theresia attempted to marry Amalia to the king of Naples, but Carlos III refused, and stressed either Carolina or Antoinette, so we ended up with the OTL situation.

Are you not perhaps thinking of Antoinette's second eldest sister, the family beauty Maria Elisabeth? After Marie Leszczynska died, the French ministers wished to restrain the worst excesses of Louis XV and attempted to marry him to Maria Elisabeth. Maeia Theresia broke off negotiations between Elisabeth and the duke of Chablais (where she'd taken her sister, Marie Christine's place), which sent Savoy into a huff, and started talks with France, much as she'd previously done about Elisabeth marrying the widower Carlos III of Spain. Louis XV was impressed by her beauty but dithered, his children were horrified (and disgusted) at the insult to their mother's memory, and then came the pox to make up everyone's mind for them. Elisabeth recovered, but her beauty was scarred, and Maria Theresia wrote that "if only she had not been so vain, her daughter would be married and happy".
 
Louis XV was quite fond of Antoinette too, unfortunately he was too busy with the Parc aux Cerfs and Madame du Barry to do much about his grandson. Carlos III OTOH seems like the sort that would at least attempt it. Not only that, but Antoinette wouldn't be arriving in a country where the deck is stacked against her because of where she's from (and what she represents) rather than who she is.



Do you mind giving a source? Since the way I have it was that until her sister (Josefa)'s death, Caroline was intended for Parma, and Antoinette for Paris. Maria Theresia attempted to marry Amalia to the king of Naples, but Carlos III refused, and stressed either Carolina or Antoinette, so we ended up with the OTL situation.

Are you not perhaps thinking of Antoinette's second eldest sister, the family beauty Maria Elisabeth? After Marie Leszczynska died, the French ministers wished to restrain the worst excesses of Louis XV and attempted to marry him to Maria Elisabeth. Maeia Theresia broke off negotiations between Elisabeth and the duke of Chablais (where she'd taken her sister, Marie Christine's place), which sent Savoy into a huff, and started talks with France, much as she'd previously done about Elisabeth marrying the widower Carlos III of Spain. Louis XV was impressed by her beauty but dithered, his children were horrified (and disgusted) at the insult to their mother's memory, and then came the pox to make up everyone's mind for them. Elisabeth recovered, but her beauty was scarred, and Maria Theresia wrote that "if only she had not been so vain, her daughter would be married and happy".
I also have it in the same way Kellan. Marie Antoinette was always intended for the Dauphin and the other daughter who Maria Theresia tried to marry in France was Elisabeth, offered to Louis XV himself. Elisabeth and Antonia were reputed to be the most beautiful of Maria Theresia’s daughters so were the logical choices for the French Court.
Maria Antonia as queen of Spain is interesting, likely a better choice for both her, Carlos IV and Spain than OTL.
 
Do you mind giving a source? Since the way I have it was that until her sister (Josefa)'s death, Caroline was intended for Parma, and Antoinette for Paris. Maria Theresia attempted to marry Amalia to the king of Naples, but Carlos III refused, and stressed either Carolina or Antoinette, so we ended up with the OTL situation.

Are you not perhaps thinking of Antoinette's second eldest sister, the family beauty Maria Elisabeth? After Marie Leszczynska died, the French ministers wished to restrain the worst excesses of Louis XV and attempted to marry him to Maria Elisabeth. Maeia Theresia broke off negotiations between Elisabeth and the duke of Chablais (where she'd taken her sister, Marie Christine's place), which sent Savoy into a huff, and started talks with France, much as she'd previously done about Elisabeth marrying the widower Carlos III of Spain. Louis XV was impressed by her beauty but dithered, his children were horrified (and disgusted) at the insult to their mother's memory, and then came the pox to make up everyone's mind for them. Elisabeth recovered, but her beauty was scarred, and Maria Theresia wrote that "if only she had not been so vain, her daughter would be married and happy".

I’m rereading Antonia Fraser’s biography of Marie Antoinette at the moment and she suggests it, not says it as fact. I’m sorry for stating it wrong, it’d been a few years since I’d read it and I just remembered incorrectly.
 
I’m rereading Antonia Fraser’s biography of Marie Antoinette at the moment and she suggests it, not says it as fact. I’m sorry for stating it wrong, it’d been a few years since I’d read it and I just remembered incorrectly.

No worries. Makes one wonder how Maria Carolina would've fared in Paris though. I bet Louis XVI would've been scared shitless - after all, he did refer to one of Antoinette's sisters (can't remember if it was Carolina or Amalie) as "that Messalina".
 
Her most Catholic majesty Marie Antoinette Queen of Spain has a good ring to it what affect do you think a Spanish queen from Austria will have on the Napoleonic wars assuming everything gose as otl
 
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