Born in Vienna, Austria in 1755, Marie Antoinette was the youngest daughter of Emperor Francis I and Empress Maria Theresa. She was raised in a strict and traditional royal household, where etiquette and protocol played a significant role in daily life. In 1770, at the age of 15, Marie Antoinette married Louis XVI, the future King of France, by proxy. The marriage was arranged to secure an alliance between Austria and France, and it marked the beginning of Marie Antoinette's life as the Queen of France.