Marie de' Medici

Born in Florence, Italy in 1573, the daughter of Francis of Tuscany. In 1600 she married Henri IV of France, and her eldest son, the future king Louis XIII, was born in the following year.

After Henri’s assassination in 1610 she became regent. Not very bright, stubborn and growing obese, she was soon entirely under the influence of her unscrupulous Italian favourite, Concino Concini, who was created Marquis d'Ancre and Marshal of France. Through him, Italian representatives of the Roman Catholic Church hoped to force the suppression of Protestantism in France.

However, in 1617 her son Louis XIII asserted his authority, ordering the assassination of the Concini, and exiled the Queen to the castle at Blois. In 1619 she escaped and headed a revolt, but was reconciled to her son through the mediation of Cardinal Richelieu, who then gained royal favour. Marie de Médicis’ attempts to displace Richelieu ultimately led to her exile to Compiègne in 1630, from where she escaped to Brussels in 1631, and later to Cologne, where she died in 1642.