On Oct. 16, 1793, Marie Antoinette, the former queen of France, was put to death by guillotine in Paris, nine months after her husband, King Louis XVI, was executed, HISTORY and Britannica reported.

She was a daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Francis I and married Louis in 1770 to strengthen ties between France and Austria, the outlets said. She was born in Vienna in 1755 and was just 14 at her wedding, Britannica said.

During a time of economic trouble in France, she lived lavishly and urged her husband to resist reform, HISTORY reported. Britannica said she was always unpopular, but that her spending was only a minor cause of the country's growing debt.

In 1791, the royal family tried to flee Paris but was caught and brought back, the outlets reported. The monarchy was overthrown in 1792, and Louis was executed in January 1793, Britannica said. The queen spent the rest of her life in Paris prisons.

She was brought before the Revolutionary Tribunal on Oct. 14, 1793, and was guillotined two days later, Britannica reported. HISTORY said she was condemned for treason.

On the day of her execution, she was carried through the streets in an open cart to what is now the Place de la Concorde, Smithsonian magazine reported. The blade fell at 12:15 p.m., and thousands of spectators cheered, the magazine said.

What we know: Marie Antoinette was guillotined in Paris on Oct. 16, 1793, two days after her trial began.
What we don't: Whether she ever said "Let them eat cake"; Britannica says she probably never did.