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Louis XIII "le Juste", King
of France and Navarre 1610-1614-1643
Born 27 September 1601 Fontainebleau
Died 14 May 1643 St.Germain-en-Laye
Married 18 October 1615 Burgos (by Proxy)
Anna of Austria, Infanta of Spain,
daughter of Felipe III, King of Spain 1598-1621
and Archduchess Margaretha of Austria
Born 22 September 1601 Valladolid
Died 20 January 1666 Paris
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He was only nine when he became King of France. Sadly, his relations
with his mother had never been good and there was no natural affection
between them. He had been a morose and backward child, probably because
of a speech impediment caused by the fact that he had to have the frenum
of his tongue cut before he could speak at all. All his daily activities
were chronicled by his physician, Jean Herouard. At fifteen he was apparently
plump though not unattractive; but as he grew older he became thinner and
anxious looking. In November 1615, when only fifteen years old, he married
Anne of Austria. However, he resisted his mother's urgings to have the
marriage consummated and, as Anne was no keener, for over twenty years
they led separate lives.
Louis XIII was regarded handsome, even though he had inherited the
'Austrian lip' from his mother. He had black, shoulder-length hair. Having
become king at the age of nine, he was declared to be of age at thirteen.
He was not robust yet feared no physical danger; nearly all
his life was spent as a soldier fighting France's enemies: Spain, Austria,
the Huguenots, ambitious noblemen, his father's bastards, his brother Gaston's
plots and his mother's intrigues. However, he was sensitive, quiet, not
intelligent, inclined to suspicion and loved working with his hands. He
could make a pair of shoes better than most cobblers and had his own forge,
gunroom, printing press and carpenter's shop. He enjoyed cooking and had
an ear for music. However, his one passion was falconry. the state's affairs
to his favourite, the Duc de Luynes, until the latter died in 1621 and
was replaced by Cardinal Richelieu. Louis XIII and Richelieu were very
close and no-one could say who was master in France. Richelieu supplied
the intelligence while the king put these ideas into action. Almost every
night the king would write to Richelieu, describing the day's events. In
1642 Cardinal Richelieu died and was replaced by Cardinal Mazarin.
While hunting in December 1637 and caught in a storm, he found shelter
at his wife's residence. Here they slept together and the result was the
birth of the future Louis XIV who became known as 'Dieudonn‚' (Given by
God). Two years later the queen again conceived
and a second son was born.
His health having always been delicate, Louis XIII died, in May 1643,
of tuberculosis, aged only forty-one.
Source: Leo van de Pas |
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