Maria Antonia, commonly known as Marie Antoinette, was born on November 2, 1755, in Vienna, Austria. She was the fifteenth child of Empress Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I. In 1770, she married Louis XVI, the future king of France, as part of a political alliance between Austria and France. As queen, Marie Antoinette became a symbol of the excesses of the monarchy, especially during the financial crises leading up to the French Revolution. She was often criticized for her lavish lifestyle and perceived indifference to the struggles of the French people. Marie Antoinette was executed by guillotine on October 16, 1793.