Marie Antoinette - Comments

From LoveToKnow 1911

Contrary to popular belief, Marie Antoinette never actually said, "Let them eat cake" when the peasants were at the palace gates asking for food. She was simply so unpopular that the French, wishing to discredit her, made up this rumour from a story by a philosopher about an evil princess who, when the peasants were starving to death because they could not buy bread, said to her servants, "Let them eat cake." This rumour caused an outrage because of course the peasants did not have enough money to buy bread, let alone cake, which was part of the reason for her unpopularity.