Marie de' Medici was Queen of France as the second wife of King Henry IV of France, of the House of Bourbon. As regent during the minority of her son Louis XIII, Marie de Medici entered into a rebellion against him, seized power, and later died in exile.
Background
Marie de' Medici was born on April 26, 1575, at the Palazzo Pitti of Florence, Italy. She was the daughter of Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Archduchess Joanna of Austria.
Her childhood in Italy was far from happy. The youngest of four children, she was five years old when her mother Joanna of Austria died, and she was sent along with her brother and sisters to live at the grandiose Pitti Palace in Florence. Soon after her mother's death, her father, then the grand duke, married his mistress, Bianca Cappello.
Education
Marie de' Medici was educated by tutors appointed by her father, she proved to be good at mathematics, and to excel at lapidary, or the evaluation of precious stones, which would prove to be an expensive hobby. She also did well in drawing, engraving, architecture, and sculpture, and acquired a lifelong love of art that would lead her to become an important patron for artists. She was not taught French and seemed uninterested in learning the language even after she moved to France. Raised as she was in guarded isolation, she also had limited knowledge of the social workings of the world.
Career
In 1610 Marie de' Medici became the regent for her son after her husband's assassination, in which some believe she played a role. In embracing many policies directly opposite to those of the late king she was at least able to avert foreign wars. Domestically she had to deal with the unrest of the Protestants and with demonstrations of discontent by the "Great Ones." In 1614 she led the expedition of Nantes, where she obtained, at the head of 20,000 men, the submission of the duke of Vendome, the bastard son of Henry IV. In 1615 she was again at the head of a small army, always fearful of a coup by the Protestants. When Marie de' Medici went Bordeaux to celebrate "the Spanish marriages" of her son Louis XIII and of her daughter Elisabeth, Conde took advantage of her absence to attempt to raise part of the country against her. Although he formally submitted in May 1616, his continued plotting caused Marie to imprison him.
As queen mother, Marie was reproached for allowing herself to be exploited by her favorites, Concini and his wife. In 1617, when her son Louis XIII was sixteen, he seized power; he had Concini arrested and assassinated, then locked his mother up in the castle at Blois. In a famous incident Marie escaped in 1619 in the middle of the night by climbing out of a high window down to a terrace by a rope ladder; then, tied up in a coat, she was helped to slide along a wall to safety. It was about 130 feet of very risky descent considering her age (forty-six was regarded as old at that time) and her stoutness, evident in her full-length portraits and representations.
After her escape, Marie alternated between open fighting and attempts at reconciliation with Louis XIII. Having taken refuge at Angouleme, she once approached her son as he headed threatening royal armies. Then, allying herself with the "Great Ones" in revolt, she took arms and entrenched herself in Anger; her army was beaten in battle at Ponts-de-Ce. During a reconciliation, she sought to overthrow Cardinal Richelieu, whom she accused of wanting to come between herself and her son. Following her failure to secure.
Richelieu's dismissal on the Day of Dupes and her refusal to renounce her schemes, she was locked up again, this time in the castle at Compiegne. She escaped in 1631 under less fantastic circumstances than twelve years earlier and left France for good. During eleven years in Brussels, The Hague, and London she found other sworn enemies of the cardinal, including Madame de Chevreuse and Madame de Cologne, and she continued to plot against the government of Louis XIII. Marie de' Medici supported the attempted invasions of her second son, Gaston d'Orleans, also exiled, and financed his expedition at the time of the rising of Languedoc. In May 1642 she believed that she could reenter France on the occasion of the plot of Saint-Mars, but the plan failed.
Achievements
Marie de' Medici was a member of the powerful Florentine family who became a queen of France, hungered for power in the tradition of her blood, and achieved it but only fleetingly, more for lack of wisdom than of spirit.
Marie de' Medici was noted for her remarkable artistic patronage, lavish and capacious building constructions that till date rank among some of the finest works in Paris.
Politics
Guided by Concino, Marie reversed Henry’s anti-Spanish policy. She squandered the state’s revenues and made humiliating concessions to the rebellious nobles. Although Louis XIII came of age to rule in September 1614, Marie and Ancre ignored him and continued to govern in his name. On April 24, 1617, Louis’s favorite, Charles d’Albert de Luynes, had Ancre assassinated. Marie was then exiled to Blois, but in February 1619 she escaped and raised a revolt. Her principal adviser, the future Cardinal de Richelieu, negotiated the peace by which she was allowed to set up her court at Anger. Richelieu again won favorable terms for her after the defeat of her second rebellion. Readmitted to the king’s council in 1622, Marie obtained a cardinal’s hat for Richelieu, and in August 1624 she persuaded Louis to make him chief minister. Richelieu, however, did not intend to be dominated by Marie. He enraged her by rejecting the Franco-Spanish alliance and allying France with Protestant powers. By 1628 Marie was the cardinal’s worst enemy.
Views
Quotations:
"Sire, I regret not having acted, as regent, in accordance with your wishes. But I did my best, and I beg you to consider me in future your humble and obedient mother and servant."
Personality
Marie de Medici was described as both proud and scheming.
Quotes from others about the person
"England had rejected her. France declined to receive her. Even King Philip IV of Spain now refused to allow her to settle in... the Netherlands. Her pride would not allow her to return to Tuscany as a rejected Queen and mother." - Cleugh
Interests
Drawing, engraving, architecture
Artists
Giovanni Baglione
Connections
On December 17, 1600, Marie de' Medici married Henry IV. Her groom was not actually present for the wedding, instead of marrying her by proxy. She was his second wife, and though she gave him six children their marriage was difficult and unhappy, with Marie fighting constantly with Henry’s many mistresses. Her husband was assassinated in 1610.
Father:
Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Francesco I was the second Grand Duke of Tuscany, ruling from 1574 until his death in 1587.
Mother:
Joanna of Austria
Joanna of Austria was the Grand Princess of Tuscany and the Grand Duchess of Tuscany by marriage.
Sister:
Eleonor de' Medici
Eleonor de' Medici was a family member of the famous House of Medici and the Duchess of Mantua by marriage.
Daughter:
Christine of France
Christine Marie of France was the Duchess of Savoy by marriage.
Henrietta Maria of France was queen consort of England, Scotland, and Ireland as the wife of King Charles I.
Daughter:
Elisabeth of France
Elisabeth of France was Queen consort of Spain and Portugal as the first spouse of King Philip IV of Spain.
Son:
Gaston, Duke of Orléans
Gaston Jean Baptiste was a son of the king, he was born a Fils de France. He later acquired the title Duke of Orléans, by which he was generally known during his adulthood.
Son:
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII was King of France from 1610 to 1643 and King of Navarre from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown. Shortly before his ninth birthday, Louis became king of France and Navarre after his father Henry IV was assassinated.
Son:
Nicolas Henri
The Duke of Orléans was the second son and fourth child of Henry IV of France and his Italian queen Marie de' Medici. Although he is commonly given the first name Nicolas or Nicolas Henri, he was never solemnly baptized and so never had a Christian name.
Brother:
Philip de' Medici
Filippo de' Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany was the youngest child of Francesco I de' Medici and Joanna of Austria. He was the heir to the Tuscan throne.
Henry IV was King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610 and King of France from 1589 to 1610.
advisor:
Concino Concini
Concino Concini, 1st Marquis d'Ancre, was an Italian politician, best known for being a minister of Louis XIII of France, as the favorite of Louis's mother, Marie de Medici, Queen of France.
Friend:
Leonora Dori
For years, the only bright presence in her life was Leonora Dori, a girl three years younger than Marie, with a quick wit and a desire to please, who could make the princess laugh. Lonely survivors in an unfriendly world, the two became close companions, and out of this innocent friendship formed in difficult times would develop repercussions of catastrophic proportions in later years.
