PnM077 - King Louis XIII & Queen Anne of France

As portrayed by Dumas in the novel Louis XIII is a weak and indecisive monarch easily manipulated by his chief minister, Cardinal Richlieu. In reality Louis was more taciturn and suspicious by nature however he did rely heavily on his ministers, particularly ‘The Red Eminence’, Richlieu. During and after his life there were strong rumours about Louis XIII’s sexual preferences which, if true, might explain his wife’s attraction to the Duke of Buckingham.

Anne of Austria followed the long tradition of cementing military and political alliances between Catholic countries with royal marriages. Her marriage to Louis was only briefly happy and the King’s frequent absences often kept them apart which might also explain her attachment to George Villiers (The Duke of Buckingham). She did however eventually give birth to a son, Louis XIV, the future ‘Sun King’.