Maria Carolina of Austria was Marie Antoinette's favorite sister, and the women shared similar fates. They accepted arranged marriages orchestrated by their mother, Empress Maria Theresa, and the public imperiled their respective thrones. The sisters were the only ones among their siblings to reign as queens, but those crowns forced them apart. Marie Antoinette went to France, while Maria Carolina voyaged to Naples.
The French populace blamed Marie Antoinette for their problems, and her sister faced opposition in Naples. Viewed as a power-hungry outsider, Maria Carolina was reluctan to accept the title at first.
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