The Fatal Ailment Of Anne Of Austria

Anne of Austria was the eldest daughter of King Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria. In 1615, she married Louis XIII, who was just 14 years old at the time. Their marriage was a political alliance, and Louis is said to have treated Anne with disdain, refusing to sleep with her for years after their wedding night. Despite this, Anne gave birth to two sons, the future Louis XIV and Philippe, duc d’Orléans. When Louis XIII died in 1643, Anne became sole regent to her four-year-old son, Louis XIV. However, her time as regent was marked by a major revolt by the French nobility, known as the Fronde. Anne's life was filled with political intrigue and scandal, and she was often kept under surveillance by Richelieu's spies. She eventually retired from active politics and died of breast cancer in 1661.

Anne's husband, Louis XIII, treated her with disdain and ignored her

Anne of Austria's husband, Louis XIII, treated her with disdain and ignored her. After consummating their marriage to protect a political alliance, Louis continued to ignore Anne, choosing to live separately from her for many years. This made it difficult to conceive an heir to the throne. Louis' disdain took a serious toll on Anne, and she could not seem to remedy the distance between them.

Louis had a distaste for Spaniards, and immediately fired most of Anne's Spanish servants, making her feel even more isolated in a foreign land. He refused to sleep with her for years after their wedding night, only caving when pressured by the court when they were both 17 years old.

Louis' mother, Marie de' Medici, refused to give Anne any deference as the new Queen of France. Anne surrounded herself with nearly 100 Spanish ladies, continued to follow Spanish etiquette, and made little effort to learn French, which may have contributed to the distance between her and Louis.

Anne's plight worsened when the powerful Cardinal de Richelieu, Louis' chief minister from 1624 to 1642, sought to prevent her from having any influence over her husband. Richelieu's spies kept her under surveillance, and in 1637, he humiliated her by proving that she had been conducting treasonable correspondence.

Despite eventually producing two heirs for Louis and the French monarchy, there remained a high level of distrust between husband and wife, and they could not get along.

Louis fired Anne's Spanish servants, isolating her further

Anne of Austria was the eldest daughter of King Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria. In 1615, she married Louis XIII of France, who was just 14 years old at the time. Louis treated Anne with disdain and ignored her for many years, making it difficult for the couple to conceive an heir.

Louis had a particular distaste for Spaniards and, after their marriage, immediately fired most of Anne's Spanish servants, isolating her further in a foreign land. Despite consummating their marriage on their wedding night, Louis refused to sleep with Anne for years afterward. It was only when they were pressured by the court that the couple produced an heir, the future Louis XIV, in 1638.

Anne's status at court was enhanced by the birth of her two sons, but she continued to face challenges. Richelieu's spies kept her under surveillance, and in 1637, the Cardinal humiliated her by revealing that she had been conducting treasonable correspondence. Despite these difficulties, Anne outmaneuvered her opponents to become sole regent to her son after Louis XIII's death in 1643.

Anne was spied on by Richelieu, who proved she was conducting treasonable correspondence

Anne of Austria was spied on by Cardinal Richelieu, who proved she was conducting treasonable correspondence. Richelieu was Louis XIII's chief minister from 1624 to 1642, and he sought to prevent Anne from exercising any influence over her husband. Richelieu's spies kept Anne under surveillance, and in 1637, the Cardinal humiliated her by proving that she had been visiting the nunnery of Val-de-Grâce to conduct treasonable correspondence with Philip. It is not clear who Philip was, but it is possible that he was a relative of Anne's, as she was the daughter of King Philip III of Spain.

Despite this scandal, Anne's status at court was enhanced by the birth of her two sons: the dauphin Louis (the future Louis XIV) in 1638, and Philippe (later duc d’Orléans) in 1640. When Louis XIII died in 1643, Anne outmanoeuvred her opponents to become the sole regent to her four-year-old son, Louis XIV, and appointed Cardinal Mazarin as chief minister.

Anne's husband refused to sleep with her for years, only caving when pressured by the court

Anne of Austria married Louis XIII when she was 14 and he was 14 years old. Louis treated Anne with disdain and refused to sleep with her for years after their marriage was consummated on their wedding night. He even fired most of her Spanish servants, further isolating her.

Louis only caved to pressure from the court when he and Anne were both 17 years old. They were pressured to definitively consummate their marriage and produce an heir. Anne gave birth to two sons, the dauphin Louis (the future Louis XIV) in 1638, and Philippe (later duc d’Orléans) in 1640.

Despite the birth of their children, Louis continued to treat Anne with a cool reserve throughout his life. When Louis died in 1643, Anne outmanoeuvred her opponents to become the sole regent to her four-year-old son, Louis XIV. She appointed Cardinal Mazarin as chief minister, but the French nobility revolted against their government. Anne retired from active politics in 1661 and moved to a convent, where she died of breast cancer five years later.

Anne outmanoeuvred her opponents to become sole regent to her son, Louis XIV

Anne of Austria was married to Louis XIII when she was 14 years old. Throughout his life, Louis treated Anne with disdain, refusing to sleep with her for years after their wedding night. He also fired most of her Spanish servants, making her feel even more isolated in a foreign land.

Despite this, Anne gave birth to two sons, the future Louis XIV in 1638, and Philippe in 1640. When Louis XIII died in 1643, he attempted to deprive Anne of her right to be sole regent for Louis XIV through his will. However, Anne outmanoeuvred her opponents by having the will annulled by the Parlement of Paris. She then appointed herself as sole regent and named Cardinal Mazarin as chief minister.

Anne's regency was marked by a major revolt, known as the Fronde, led by the French nobility against her and Mazarin's government. Despite this, she successfully suppressed the revolt and remained in power until 1651 when Louis was declared of age. Accounts of French court life during her era emphasise her closeness to her son and her disapproval of his infidelity to her niece and daughter-in-law, Maria Theresa.

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