Son of Henri IV and Marie de Médicis, Louis XIII was only 9 years old when his father was assassinated. He therefore grew up under the regency of his mother and of Concini, his favourite. Forced to marry Anne of Austria, Louis XIII did not have children until later, fueling desires for succession. Under the advice of Duke Luynes, the King's State Counselor, Louis XIII had Concini assassinated, his mother exiled and seized power. In fragile health, preferring the art of war to that of governing, he surrounded himself with Cardinal Richelieu. Together, they reinforce the royal authority. The surrender of La Rochelle (a Protestant city) in 1628 and the Peace of Alès on June 28, 1629 reduced the Protestant gains. On Dupes' Day (1630), they disavowed Catholic devotees and joined forces with Protestants to fight against the Habsburgs (Spain, Austria) during the Thirty Years' War. To finance this, taxes increased (size, gabelle) causing peasant revolts (Croquants in 1636-37, and Va-nu-pieds, 1639-40). The first Louis d'Or was minted in 1640. Louis XIII put an end to feudalism by forging the premises of absolutism.
September 27, 1601 - May 14, 1643
Status
King of France