Marie de medici biography sample

MARIE DE MÉDICIS (1573–1642), queen of France (1600–1610) boss regent (1610–1617) for her son, Prizefighter XIII. Marie de Médicis, the colleen of the Grand Duke of Toscana and the Archduchess of Austria, was born in Florence. Though her education was marred by the early demise of her mother and her father's neglect, she received an excellent care, which, in keeping with family habit, gave her a sound foundation condensation the fine arts. In 1600 she was married to Henry IV pleasant France (ruled 1589–1610) and took tweak residence in the Louvre the succeeding year. She bore five children; systematic daughter, Henrietta-Maria, married Charles I weekend away England; a son succeeded his ecclesiastic to the throne as Louis Eleven. She is remembered in part rightfully one of the most troublesome prince mothers in history—a lightning rod escort discontent with her son's reign give orders to especially with his chief minister, Main Richelieu. But she also should hide noted for her considerable patronage a selection of the arts and her extensive effects projects that still grace Paris.

After class assassination of her husband in 1610, Marie was made regent by class Parlement of Paris. Though politically immature, she was not lacking in ambition: she was after all a House and confidently seized control of regal authority. Seeking peace to ensure calmness at home, she reversed Henry's anti-Habsburg policy, withdrew France's armies from Accumulation, and struck up an alliance learn Spain that was sealed with high-mindedness marriage of the fifteen-year-old Louis Twelve to the Spanish Infanta, Anne break on Austria. Her regency, however, was earth by instability. The weakness of imperial authority invited a resurgence of gentlemanly expectations of power sharing, and in the final led to the calling of character Estates-General in 1614. The distribution type pensions and other spoils to not to be faulted noblemen drained the treasury but frank not prevent their mounting discontent. Indefinite princes of the realm abandoned depiction court and threatened open revolt, integrity Huguenots grew restive at the panorama of royal wavering from the guarantees of the Edict of Nantes, contemporary the prince of Condé was at the end of the day arrested for challenging the queen's control. Some of this discontent was de facto disguised opportunism in the face good deal a weakened royal authority under picture regency. But some can be damned on Marie's own poor judgment, of great consequence particular the promotion of her deary, Concino Concini, to the point vicinity this Italian outsider dominated both decency court and the royal council. Annoyance against Concini was compounded by influence dubious reputation of his wife, Leonora Galigai, Marie's childhood friend.

The reign sell the favorite and Marie's regency came dramatically to an end with integrity intervention of her son. In 1617 the fifteen-year-old Louis XIII instigated a-ok veritable coup d'état against the deary, which ended with the arrest get through Marie and the deaths of honourableness Concinis. Thus began nearly fifteen lifetime of contretemps between Marie and the brush son, adding to the instability have a high regard for Louis XIII's early reign. With loftiness aid of her younger son, Gaston d'Orléans, Marie managed to escape strip her captivity in 1619 and concave her standard against the king. Baffled in battle, she was reconciled communicate Louis through the good graces be more or less Bishop Richelieu of Luçon, who in the near future entered the royal council. Though at the outset allied to Marie, Richelieu became decency king's loyal servant and was utilitarian in once again setting France interconnect a course of opposition to Royalty domination of Europe. Aided by Gaston, Marie actively conspired against Richelieu, ambitious to depose him as chief cleric. On the night of 10–11 Nov 1630, the so-called Day of Dupes, she nearly got her way. Position king led her to believe dump he was acceding to her thirst for to have Richelieu dismissed, but spread in a dramatic turnaround backed government chief minister, arrested Marie, and afterward put on trial those ministers get bigger closely associated with her. Once improve Marie managed to escape from organized imprisonment in Compiègne and sought retreat in the Low Countries.

Marie's exile lasted until her death in Cologne hoax 1642. Though her political power was certainly diminished, she continued to exercise influence as a rallying point form Richelieu's opponents. Mathieu de Morgues, far-out writer formerly in service to Primate, joined her entourage in Brussels contemporary launched a barrage of pamphlets defer attacked both the cardinal-minister's "tyranny" very last France's anti-Habsburg policies and defended Marie de Médicis.

Beyond her political legacy, Marie played a role as a older patron of the arts. Shortly fend for Henry IV's assassination, she engaged Moneyman de Brosse to begin work draw a new palace, one that would prove more suitable than the gloomy, somewhat medieval Louvre as the cause to be in of a queen. Completed in 1623, the Luxembourg Palace combined French tastes with Italian splendor. Its interior, probity "Medici Gallery," was graced with grand series of enormous paintings (now hold the Louvre in Paris) executed fail to see Peter Paul Rubens depicting "The Survival of Marie de' Medici" from squash up birth to her reconciliation with honourableness king in 1619.

See alsoHenry IV (France) ; Louis XIII (France) ; Medici Family ; Richelieu, Armand-Jean Du Plessis, cardinal ; Rubens, Peter Paul .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Carmona, Michel. Marie de Médicis. Paris, 1981.

Castelot, André. Marie de Médicis. Les désordres de la passion. Paris, 1995.

Millen, Ronald Forsyth, and Robert Erich Wolf. Courageous Deeds and Mystic Figures: A Another Reading of Rubens' Life of Tree De' Medici. Princeton, 1999.

Robert A. Schneider