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Affair of the Diamond Necklace
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Affair of the Diamond Necklace Article

Affair of the Diamond Necklace summary

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Find out the details on the scandalous Affair of the Diamond Necklace at the court of Louis XVI

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Below is the article summary. For the full article, see Affair of the Diamond Necklace.
Affair of the Diamond Necklace
Affair of the Diamond NecklaceReconstruction of the necklace that was at the centre of the scandal known as the Affair of the Diamond Necklace (1785).

Affair of the Diamond Necklace, (1785) Scandal at the court of Louis XVI that discredited the French monarchy on the eve of the French Revolution. An adventuress, the countess de la Motte, schemed to acquire a valuable diamond necklace by duping cardinal de Rohan into believing that Queen Marie-Antoinette wanted to obtain it surreptitiously and that he could gain her favour by facilitating its purchase. When the plot came to light, Louis XVI had the cardinal arrested. Though acquitted, the arbitrary treatment of the cardinal deepened impressions of the autocratic nature of the king’s government.

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France
France Summary
France, country of northwestern Europe. Historically and culturally among the most important nations in the Western world, France has also played a highly significant role in international affairs, with former colonies in every corner of the globe. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the
Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun: portrait of Marie-Antoinette
Marie-Antoinette Summary
Marie-Antoinette was the Austrian queen consort of King Louis XVI of France (1774–93). Her name is associated with the decline in the moral authority of the French monarchy in the closing years of the ancien régime, though her courtly extravagance was but a minor cause of the financial disorders of