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Louis XIII Timeline

(September 27, 1601 – May 14, 1643)

Louis XIII was King of France from 1610 to 1643. His reign saw the consolidation of royal power through the leadership of Cardinal Richelieu, France's involvement in the Thirty Years' War, and the strengthening of absolute monarchy. Less

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Personal Life and Legacy

Birth of Louis XIII

Sep 27, 1601

Louis XIII, sometimes called the Just, was born on 27 September 1601. He would become King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643.

Image source: Louis XIII

Birth of Louis XIII

Young Louis plays the lute for his mother

1604

One of Louis's first toys was a lute. His personal doctor, Jean Héroard, reported him playing it for his mother in 1604 at the age of three.

Marriage to Anne of Austria

Nov 24, 1615

On 24 November 1615, Louis XIII married Anne of Austria, daughter of Philip III of Spain.

Image source: Anne of Austria

Marriage to Anne of Austria

Louis helps introduce men's wigs

1624

In the sphere of men's fashion, Louis helped introduce the wearing of wigs among men in 1624. This fashion spread across Europe in the 1660s and dominated men's style for about 140 years until the change of dress affected by the French Revolution.

Image source: Wig

Louis helps introduce men's wigs

Ballet de la Merlaison

1635

In 1635, Louis XIII composed the music, wrote the libretto and designed the costumes for the "Ballet de la Merlaison".

Image source: Ballet de la Merlaison

Ballet de la Merlaison

Birth of the future Louis XIV

Sep 5, 1638

After 23 years of marriage and four stillbirths, Anne finally gave birth to a son on 5 September 1638, the future Louis XIV.

Image source: Louis XIV

Birth of the future Louis XIV

Louis falls ill during winter

1642 - 1643

Louis XIII was unwell during the winter of 1642–1643.

Death of Louis XIII

May 14, 1643

He died in Paris on 14 May 1643, the 33rd anniversary of his father's death.

Reign and Regency

Louis ascends the throne upon Henry IV's assassination

1610

Louis XIII ascended the throne in 1610 upon the assassination of his father Henry IV, the first French king of the House of Bourbon, who had succeeded his second cousin Henry III in application of Salic law. Louis's mother Marie de' Medici acted as his Regent.

Louis comes of age

1614

Although Louis XIII came of age at thirteen (1614), his mother did not give up her position as Regent until 1617, when he was 16.

Concini becomes Marie's favourite

1615

Beginning in 1615, Marie came to rely increasingly on Concino Concini, an Italian who assumed the role of her favourite, and was widely unpopular because he was a foreigner.

Image source: Concino Concini

Concini becomes Marie's favourite

Louis takes power and Concini is killed

Apr 24, 1617

Mismanagement of the kingdom and ceaseless political intrigues by Marie and her Italian favourites led the young king to take power in 1617 by exiling his mother and executing her followers. On 24 April 1617, during the attempted arrest, Concini, the most influential Italian at the French court, was killed.

Galigaï executed and Marie exiled to Blois

Jul 8, 1617

Concini's widow Leonora Dori Galigaï was tried for witchcraft, condemned, beheaded, and burned on 8 July 1617, and Marie was sent into exile in Blois.

Image source: Leonora Dori

Galigaï executed and Marie exiled to Blois

Louis reconciled with his mother

1621

In 1621 Louis XIII was formally reconciled with his mother.

Death of Luynes

Dec 1621

One of the victims of camp fever was Luynes, who died in December 1621.

Image source: Charles d'Albert, 1st Duke of Luynes

Death of Luynes

Marie enters the royal council

1622

His mother returned from exile and, in 1622, entered the council, where Condé recommended violent suppression of the Huguenots.

Richelieu becomes a cardinal and adviser

1622

The Bishop of Luçon (who became Cardinal Richelieu in 1622) acted as Marie's chief adviser, serving as a go-between Marie and the King.

Image source: Cardinal Richelieu

Richelieu becomes a cardinal and adviser

Dismissal of Sillery and Brûlart

1624

Louis ultimately dismissed Noël Brûlart de Sillery and Pierre Brûlart in 1624 because of his displeasure with how they handled the diplomatic situation over the Valtellina with Spain.

Image source: Noël Brûlart de Sillery

Dismissal of Sillery and Brûlart

Dismissal of La Vieuville

1624

La Vieuville was dismissed by the middle of 1624, partly due to his bad behaviour (during his tenure as superintendent he was arrogant and incompetent) and because of a well-organized pamphlet campaign by Cardinal Richelieu against his council rival.

Richelieu begins dominating the reign

1624 - 1643

Cardinal Richelieu played a major role in Louis XIII's reign from 1624, determining France's direction over the course of the next eighteen years.

Gaston becomes lieutenant-general of the kingdom

1643

In 1643, on the death of Louis XIII, Gaston became lieutenant-general of the kingdom and fought against Spain on the northern frontiers of France.

Image source: Gaston, Duke of Orléans

Gaston becomes lieutenant-general of the kingdom

Conflicts and Rebellions

Condé squabbles with Marie de' Medici

1614

Marie was not able to prevent rebellion by nobles such as Henri, Prince of Condé, second in line to the throne after Gaston, Duke of Orléans. Condé squabbled with Marie in 1614 and briefly raised an army, but found little support in the country, while Marie raised her own army.

Image source: Henri II, Prince of Condé

Condé squabbles with Marie de' Medici

Condé launches another rebellion

1616

The growing influence of Concini further antagonised Condé, who launched another rebellion in the early months of 1616.

Thirty Years' War breaks out

1618

The Thirty Years' War broke out in 1618, reshaping the European political landscape during Louis XIII's reign.

Image source: Thirty Years' War

Thirty Years' War breaks out

Revocation of the paulette tax antagonises nobles

1618

The French nobles were further antagonised against Luynes by the 1618 revocation of the paulette tax and by the sale of offices in 1620.

Noble rebellion routed at Battle of Ponts-de-Cé

Jul 2, 1620 - Aug 7, 1620

From her exile in Blois, Marie de' Medici became the obvious rallying point for noble discontent. French nobles launched a rebellion on 2 July 1620, but their forces were easily routed by royal forces at the Battle of Ponts-de-Cé on 7 August 1620.

Image source: Les Ponts-de-Cé

Noble rebellion routed at Battle of Ponts-de-Cé

Siege of Montpellier fails

1622

The 1622 campaign followed the pattern of the previous year: royal forces won some early victories but were unable to complete a siege, this time at the fortress of Montpellier.

Image source: Siege of Montpellier

Siege of Montpellier fails

Treaty of Montpellier ends rebellion

Oct 1622

The rebellion was ended by the Treaty of Montpellier, signed by Louis XIII and the Duke of Rohan in October 1622.

Colonial and Foreign Relations

Hasekura Tsunenaga lands at Saint-Tropez

1615

France-Japan relations started under Louis XIII in 1615 when Hasekura Tsunenaga, a Japanese samurai and ambassador sent to Rome by Date Masamune, landed at Saint-Tropez for a few days.

Image source: France–Japan relations

Hasekura Tsunenaga lands at Saint-Tropez

Company of the Moluccas founded

1615

Also in 1615, Marie de' Medici incorporated the merchants of Dieppe and other harbours to found the Company of the Moluccas.

Fleet of Montmorency sent to fight the Dutch

1619

In 1619, an armed expedition composed of three ships (275 crew, 106 cannon) called the "Fleet of Montmorency" under General Augustin de Beaulieu was sent from Honfleur to fight the Dutch in the Far East.

Image source: Augustin de Beaulieu

Fleet of Montmorency sent to fight the Dutch

Expedition to Morocco under Isaac de Razilly

1619

In order to continue the exploration efforts of his predecessor Henry IV, Louis XIII considered a colonial venture in Morocco, and sent a fleet under Isaac de Razilly in 1619.

Image source: Isaac de Razilly

Expedition to Morocco under Isaac de Razilly

Razilly embassy to Salé over the Zaydani Library

1624

In 1624 Razilly was given charge of an embassy to the pirate harbour of Salé in Morocco, in order to solve the affair of the Zaydani Library of Mulay Zidan.

Image source: Zaydani Library

Razilly embassy to Salé over the Zaydani Library

Treaty of Compiègne halts Dutch-French warfare

1624

In 1624, with the Treaty of Compiègne, Cardinal Richelieu obtained an agreement to halt the Dutch–French warfare in the Far East.

Image source: Compiègne

Treaty of Compiègne halts Dutch-French warfare

Razilly negotiates purchase of French slaves

1630

In 1630, Razilly was able to negotiate the purchase of French slaves from the Moroccans.

Franco-Moroccan Treaty negotiated

1631

Razilly visited Morocco again in 1631, and helped negotiate the Franco-Moroccan Treaty (1631).

Colonization of Acadia and Port-Royal

1632

In 1632, Isaac de Razilly became involved, at the request of Cardinal Richelieu, in the colonization of Acadia, by taking possession of Port-Royal (now Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia) and developing it into a French colony.

Image source: Port-Royal (Acadia)

Colonization of Acadia and Port-Royal

Guillaume Courtet arrives in Japan

1636

In 1636, Guillaume Courtet, a French Dominican priest, reciprocated France-Japan relations when he set foot in Japan.

Image source: Guillaume Courtet

Guillaume Courtet arrives in Japan

Authorisation of Atlantic slave trade

1642

In 1642, Louis XIII authorised French subjects to engage in the Atlantic slave trade provided those they enslaved were converted to Christianity.

Image source: Atlantic slave trade

Authorisation of Atlantic slave trade

Key Facts

  1. Louis XIII became king of France at age nine following the assassination of his father, Henry IV, in 1610.
  2. He appointed Cardinal Richelieu as his chief minister in 1624, who dominated French policy for nearly two decades.
  3. Under Louis XIII, France entered the Thirty Years' War against the Habsburg powers in 1635.
  4. His reign strengthened royal authority by curbing the power of the nobility and Protestant Huguenots, notably with the Siege of La Rochelle (1627-1628).
  5. Louis XIII was married to Anne of Austria, but their son and heir, the future Louis XIV, was not born until 1638.

Source

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