Louis XIII of France

Louis XIII was born on 27 September 1601 at the Palace of Fontainebleau. He was the eldest son of King Henry IV of France and his second wife Marie de' Medici. He became king of France and Navarre at the age of eight, after his father was assassinated by a fanatic in 1610. His mother acted as regent during his minority, but her mismanagement and favoritism towards her Italian courtiers provoked the young king to take power in 1617. He exiled his mother and executed her chief minister, Concino Concini. Louis XIII was a taciturn and suspicious monarch, who relied heavily on his chief ministers to govern the kingdom. He first appointed Charles d'Albert, duc de Luynes, as his favorite and chief minister, but after his death in 1621, he chose Cardinal Richelieu to be his principal advisor. Richelieu was a shrewd and ambitious statesman, who sought to strengthen the royal authority and make France a leading European power. He suppressed the revolts of the nobility and the Huguenots, who challenged the king's absolutism. He also waged war against the Habsburgs of Spain and Austria, who were the rivals of France in Europe. Louis XIII was also a patron of arts and culture. He founded the Académie française in 1635, to regulate the French language and literature. He supported the development of the French navy and the exploration of New France. He also initiated the construction of the Palace of Versailles, which would become the symbol of the French monarchy. He was interested in music and hunting, and composed several ballets and hunting songs. Louis XIII married Anne of Austria, the daughter of King Philip III of Spain, in 1615. The marriage was arranged for political reasons, but it was unhappy and childless for many years. Louis XIII had several mistresses, and was rumored to have homosexual relationships with some of his favorites, such as Luynes and Henri Coiffier de Ruzé, Marquis de Cinq-Mars. Anne of Austria was also suspected of having affairs with some of her courtiers, such as George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham and Cardinal Mazarin. After 23 years of marriage, Anne finally gave birth to two sons: Louis XIV in 1638 and Philippe in 1640. Louis XIII died on 14 May 1643 at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, from intestinal tuberculosis. He was 41 years old. He was buried at the Basilica of St Denis, where most of the French kings were laid to rest. He was succeeded by his four-year-old son Louis XIV, who would become one of the most famous and powerful monarchs in history.