Louis XIII

Louis XIII
King of France and Navarre
Reign14 May 1610 – 14 May 1643
Coronation17 October 1610
PredecessorHenry IV and III
SuccessorLouis XIV
RegentMarie de' Medici (1610–1614)
Born(1601-09-27)27 September 1601
Château de Fontainebleau, France
Died14 May 1643(1643-05-14) (aged 41)
Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
Burial
SpouseAnne of Austria
IssueLouis XIV, King of France
Philippe, Duke of Orléans
HouseHouse of Bourbon
FatherHenry IV of France
MotherMarie de' Medici
ReligionRoman Catholicism

Louis XIII (27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 to 1643. He was the son of Henry IV and Marie de' Medici.[1] He lived during the time of the Thirty Years War and had to deal with many rebellions. He was proud of his country, and tried to encourage French artists to stay in France instead of going off to Italy. He did this by giving them work in the Louvre.

His chief minister, Armand Jean du Plessis (known as cardinal Richelieu), helped with consolidating royal power to help Louis XIII, stopping new domestic factions from gaining much power, and shaping French foreign policy at the time. Cardinal Richelieu was consort until his death in 1642. The year which he became King Louis XIII's chief minister was 1624. He remained in office for 18 years. King Louis XIII, with the help of his cardinal, affected the 30 years war and its outcome, even though most of Louis XIII's actions were indirect.

Although he was married, many people thought that he would never produce a heir. Then, after 23 years of marriage, his wife Anne gave birth to a baby boy. He was to become King Louis XIV of France.

He died in 1643 (possibly of tuberculosis[2][3]) and was later buried at the Royal Basilica of Saint Denis, France. His oldest son would succeed him on the throne.

Children

  1. King Louis XIV of France (5 September 1638–1 September 1715) married Marie Thérèse of Austria.
  2. Philippe of France, Duke of Orléans (21 September 1640 – 9 June 1701) married Henrietta of England then Elisabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate.

References

  1. "Louis XIII". NNDB. 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-09-01. Retrieved 2009-09-11.
  2. "Louis XIII | King of France & Cardinal Richelieu's Patron | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2025-05-10. Retrieved 2025-05-16.
  3. Moote, Alanson Lloyd (1991). Louis XIII, the Just (1. paperback print ed.). Berkeley London: Univ. of Calif. Press. ISBN 978-0-520-07546-7.

Further reading

  • Jean-Christian Petitfils, Louis XIII, Perrin, 2008, p. 849
  • "Louis XIII, the Just (King of France, 1601–1643)". histoire-pour-tous. Archived (April 2025). Retrieved 28 January 2012. (Original).[1]
  1. "Louis XIII, the Just (King of France, 1601-1643)". Archived from the original on 2012-03-24. Retrieved 2025-04-24.