Louis XIII

(1601-1643)

   king of France

   Born in Fontainebleau, the son of henry iv, first of the Bourbon kings, and marie de' medici, Louis, who reigned from 1610 to 1643, became king at nine years of age. During his minority (1610-17), his mother served as regent. She allied France with Spain and arranged the marriage (1615) of Louis to Princess anne of Austria, daughter of Philip III of Spain. There was a struggle for power between Louis and his mother during the period of the regency (Louis, aided by charles de luynes, had the adventurer concino concini assassinated), but finally both were reconciled to each other. For most of his reign, Louis's policies were determined by Cardinal richelieu, who joined the Council of Ministers (1624) through the efforts of Marie de' Medici, and served as prime minister until his death in 1642. Under Richelieu's anti-Hapsburg policy, France entered the thirty years' war as an ally of Sweden and the German Protestant princes. Louis's reign was also marked by occasional strife between Catholics and huguenots, whom he sometimes persecuted. There many conspiracies against Richelieu, often instigated by the king's brother, gaston of orléans. Louis was not, however, the puppet king as he has sometimes been portrayed. No decisions were made by Richelieu without the king's consent, and Louis took strong actions against conspiracies. Also, during his reign, Artois was taken from Burgundy and added to France. Moreover, he was a patron of the arts and had important additions made to the palace at Fontainebleau. Louis XIII was succeeded by his son, the future louis XIV.