Marie de' Medici 76037 225327246 2008-07-13T03:00:49Z 68.33.2.234 /* Children */ {{Infobox Monarch|royal|consort | name =Marie de' Medici | title =Queen of France and Navarre | image =[[Image:MariadeMedici.jpg|200px]] | caption =Portrait of Marie de' Medici by Peter Paul Rubens | consortreign =[[17 December]] [[1600]] - [[14 May]] [[1610]] | spouse =[[Henry IV of France|Henry IV]] | royal house =House of [[Medici]] | othertitles =''HMCM'' The Queen Mother of France <br> ''HMCM'' The Queen of France <br> | father =[[Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany|Francesco I de' Medici]] | mother =[[Johanna of Austria|Johanna, Archduchess of Austria]] | date of birth =[[April 26]], [[1575]] | place of birth =[[Florence, Italy|Florence]] | date of death =[[July 3]], [[1642]] | place of death =[[Cologne, Germany|Cologne]] | place of burial =[[Cologne Cathedral]] |}} '''Marie de' Medici'''<ref>[http://realmofvenus.renaissancewoman.net/mygarb/MarieDeMedici.JPG renaissancewoman.net<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ([[April 26]], [[1575]] &ndash; [[July 3]], [[1642]]), was [[queen consort]] of [[France]]. She was the second wife of King [[Henry IV of France]], of the [[House of Bourbon|Bourbon]] branch of the kings of France. Following his assassination in 1610, she was the [[regent]] for her son King [[Louis XIII of France]]. == Early life, marriage to King Henry IV == Born in Florence, [[Italy]], she was the daughter of [[Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany]] and of [[Johanna of Austria|Johanna, Archduchess of Austria]]. Her maternal grandparents were [[Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor]] and [[Anna of Bohemia and Hungary|Anne of Bohemia]]. Anne was a daughter of [[Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary]] and his wife [[Anne de Foix]]. She was one of seven children but only she and a sister [[Eleonora de' Medici]] made it to adult hood. Uncommonly pretty in her youth, in October [[1600]] she married [[Henry IV of France]], following the annulment of his marriage to [[Marguerite de Valois]]. She brought as part of her dowry 600,000 crowns. Her eldest son, the future King [[Louis XIII of France|Louis XIII]], was born at [[Fontainebleau]] the following year. == Infighting, unhappy marriage == The marriage was not a successful one. The queen feuded with Henry's mistresses, in language that shocked French courtiers. Her largest infighting was with her husband's leading mistress, [[Catherine Henriette de Balzac d'Entragues]], whom he had promised he would marry following the death of his former ''official mistress'', [[Gabrielle d'Estrées]]. When he failed to do so, and instead married Marie, the result was constant bickering and political intrigues behind the scenes. Although the king could have easily banished his mistress, supporting his queen, he never did so. She, in turn, showed great sympathy and support to her husband's banished ex-wife, [[Marguerite de Valois]], prompting Henry to allow her back into the realm. During her husband's lifetime Marie showed little sign of political taste or ability. Hours after Henry's assassination in [[1610]] she was confirmed as Regent by the Parlement of Paris. She banished from the court his mistress, Catherine Henriette de Balzac d'Entragues. However, not very bright, extremely stubborn, and growing [[obese]], she was soon entirely under the influence of her maid Leonora "Galigai" and her unscrupulous Italian husband, [[Concino Concini]], who was created Marquis d'Ancre and [[Marshal of France]], despite never having fought a battle. They dismissed Henry IV's able minister the [[Maximilien de Bethune, duc de Sully|duc de Sully]]. Through Concini and the Regent, Italian representatives of the [[Roman Catholic Church]] hoped to force the suppression of [[Protestantism]] in France. Half Habsburg herself, she abandoned the traditional anti-Habsburg French policy. Throwing her support with [[Spain]], she arranged the marriage of both the future king Louis and his sister [[Elisabeth of Bourbon|Elisabeth]] to members of the [[List of Spanish monarchs|Spanish Habsburg royal family]]. The construction and furnishing of the [[Palais du Luxembourg]],which she referred to as her ''Palais Médicis'', formed her major artistic project. The site was purchased in 1612 and construction began in 1615, to designs of [[Salomon de Brosse]]. Her court painter was [[Peter Paul Rubens]]. == Politics == Under the regent's lax and capricious rule, the princes of the blood and the great nobles of the kingdom revolted, and the queen, too weak to assert her authority, consented ([[15 May]] [[1614]]) to buy off the discontented princes. The opposition was led by [[Henry II de Bourbon, prince de Condé|Henry de Bourbon-Condé]], [[Duc d'Enghien]], who pressured Marie into convoking the [[French States-General|Estates General]] (1614-15), the last time they would meet in France until the opening events of the [[French Revolution]]. In 1616 her policy was strengthened by the accession to her councils of [[Armand Jean du Plessis, Cardinal Richelieu|Richelieu]], who had come to the fore at the meeting of the Estates General. However, in [[1617]] her son [[Louis XIII of France|Louis XIII]], already several years into his legal majority, asserted his authority. The king effectively overturned the pro-Hapsburg, pro-Spanish policy by ordering the assassination of Concini, exiling the Queen to the [[Château de Blois]] and appointing Richelieu to his bishopric. After two years of virtual imprisonment "in the wilderness" as she put it, she escaped from Blois in the night of 21/[[22 February]] [[1619]] and became the figurehead of a new aristocratic revolt headed by Louis's brother [[Gaston, Duke of Orleans|Gaston d'Orleans]], which Louis's forces easily dispersed. Through the mediation of Richelieu the king was reconciled with his mother, who was allowed to hold a small court at Angers. She resumed her place in the royal council in 1621. [[Image:Peter Paul Rubens 050.jpg|thumb|left|250px|''Coronation of Marie de' Medici in St. Denis ''(detail), by [[Peter Paul Rubens]], 1622-1625.]] The portrait by Rubens (''above right'') was painted at this time. Marie rebuilt the [[Luxembourg Palace]] (''Palais du Luxembourg'') in Paris, with an extravagantly flattering cycle of paintings by Rubens as part of the luxurious decor, called The [[Marie de' Medici Cycle]] (''detail from one painting on left''). After the death of his favorite, the duke of Luynes, Louis turned increasingly for guidance to Richelieu. Marie de Medici's attempts to displace Richelieu ultimately led to her attempted coup; for a single day, the ''[[Day of the Dupes]]'', in November [[1630]], she seemed to have succeeded; but the triumph of Richelieu was followed by her exile to [[Compiègne]] in [[1630]], from where she escaped to [[Brussels]] in [[1631]] and [[Amsterdam]] in [[1638]]. Her visit to Amsterdam was considered a diplomatic triumph by the Dutch, as her visit lent official recognition to the newly formed [[Dutch Republic]]; accordingly she was given an elaborate ceremonial [[royal entry]], of the sort the Republic avoided for its own rulers. Spectacular displays (by [[Claes Cornelisz. Moeyaert]]) and water pageants took place in the city’s harbor in celebration of her visit. There was a procession led by two mounted [[trumpet]]ers; a large temporary structure erected on an artificial island in the [[Amstel River]] was built especially for the festival. The structure was designed to display a series of dramatic [[tableau vivant|tableaux]] in tribute to her once she set foot on the floating island and entered its [[Pavilion (structure)|pavilion]]. Afterwards she was offered an [[Indonesian rice table]] by the burgomaster [[Albert Burgh]]. He also sold her a famous [[rosary]], captured in Brazil. The visit prompted [[Caspar Barlaeus]] to write his ''Medicea hospes'' ("The Medicean Guest") ([[1638]]). Marie subsequently travelled to [[Cologne]], where she died in [[1642]], scheming against Richelieu to the end. [[Honoré de Balzac]] encapsulated the Romantic generation's negative view: :"Marie de' Medici, all of whose actions were prejudicial to France, has escaped the shame which ought to cover her name. Marie de' Medici wasted the wealth amassed by Henry IV; she never purged herself of the charge of having known of the king's assassination; her ''intimate'' was [[Jean Louis de Nogaret de La Valette|d'Épernon]], who did not ward off Ravaillac's blow, and who was proved to have known the murderer personally for a long time. Marie's conduct was such that she forced her son to banish her from France, where she was encouraging her other son, Gaston, to rebel; and the victory Richelieu at last won over her (on the Day of the Dupes) was due solely to the discovery the cardinal made, and imparted to Louis XIII, of secret documents relating to the death of Henry IV." – Essay ''Catherine de Medicis''. ==Children== {| class="wikitable" |- !Name!!Birth!!Death!!Notes |- |[[Louis XIII of France|Louis XIII, King of France]]||[[September 27]], [[1601]]||[[May 14]], [[1643]]||Married [[Anne of Austria]] ([[1601]] - [[1666]]) in [[1615]]. Had issue. |- |[[Elisabeth of Bourbon|Elisabeth, Queen of Spain]]||[[November 22]], [[1602]]||[[October 6]], [[1644]]|| Married [[Philip IV of Spain|Philip IV, King of Spain]] ([[1605]] - [[1665]]) in [[1615]]. Had issue. |- |[[Christine Marie of France|Christine Marie, Duchess of Savoy]]||[[February 12]], [[1606]]||[[December 27]], [[1663]]||Married [[Victor Amadeus I of Savoy|Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy]] ([[1587]] - [[1637]]) in [[1619]]. Had issue. |- |[[Nicholas Henri, Duke of Orléans]]||[[April 16]], [[1607]]||[[November 17]], [[1611]]||Died young. |- |[[Gaston, Duke of Orleans]]||[[April 25]], [[1608]]||[[February 2]], [[1660]]||Married (1) [[Marie de Bourbon, Duchess of Montpensier]] ([[1605]] - [[1627]]) in [[1626]]. Had issue. <br>Married (2) Margaret of Lorraine ([[1615]] - [[1672]]) in [[1632]]. Had issue. |- |[[Henrietta Maria|Henrietta Maria, Queen of England]]||[[November 25]], [[1609]]||[[September 10]], [[1669]]||Married [[Charles I of England|Charles I, King of England]] ([[1600]] - [[1649]]) in [[1625]]. Had issue. |- |} See also [[Descendants of Marie de Medici|Descendants of Marie de' Medici]] which maps how the [[Medici]] became part of the European Royal families, eventually leading to [[Prince William of Wales]]. ==Ancestors== {| class="wikitable" |+'''Marie's ancestors in three generations''' |- |- | rowspan="8" align="center"| '''Marie de Medici''' | rowspan="4" align="center"| '''Father:'''<br>[[Francesco I de' Medici]] | rowspan="2" align="center"| '''Paternal Grandfather:'''<br>[[Cosimo I de' Medici]] | align="center"| '''Paternal Great-Grandfather:'''<br>[[Giovanni dalle Bande Nere]] |- | align="center"| '''Paternal Great-grandmother:'''<br>[[Maria Salviati]] |- | rowspan="2" align="center"| '''Paternal Grandmother:'''<br>[[Eleonora di Toledo]] | align="center"| '''Paternal Great-Grandfather:'''<br>[[Pedro Alvarez de Toledo]] |- | align="center"| '''Paternal Great-Grandmother:'''<br>[[Maria Osorio]] |- | rowspan="4" align="center"| '''Mother:'''<br>[[Johanna of Austria|Johanna of Austria]] | rowspan="2" align="center"| '''Maternal Grandfather:'''<br>[[Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor]] | align="center"| '''Maternal Great-Grandfather:'''<br>[[Philip I of Castile]] |- | align="center"| '''Maternal Great-Grandmother:'''<br>[[Joanna of Castile]] |- | rowspan="2" align="center"| '''Maternal Grandmother:'''<br>[[Anna of Bohemia and Hungary]] | align="center"| '''Maternal Great-grandfather:'''<br>[[Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary]] |- | align="center"| '''Maternal Great-Grandmother:'''<br>[[Anna of Foix-Candale]] |} [[Image:Fouquet et henri IV.jpg|right|thumb|Marie de Medici and her family]] ==See also== *[[Henry IV of France's wives and mistresses]] *[[House of Medici]] <BR> {{start box}} {{succession box two to two | before=[[Marguerite de Valois]] | title1=[[List of Navarrese Queen Consorts|Queen consort of Navarre]] | years1=[[1600]]&ndash;[[1610]] | title2=[[List of Queens and Empresses of France|Queen of France]] | years2=[[December 17]], [[1600]]&ndash;[[May 14]], [[1610]] | after=[[Anne of Austria]]}} {{end box}} ==External links== {{Commons|Maria de' Medici}} *[http://www.students.sbc.edu/vandergriff04/mariedemedici.html Rubens cycle of paintings apotheosizing Marie de Medici] Definitive statements of [[Baroque]] art. *[http://www.nmm.ac.uk/searchbin/searchs.pl?exhibit=it3322z&axis=1118004862&flash=true&dev= National Maritime Museum] * [http://www.mfa.org/collections/search_art.asp?recview=true&id=718&coll_keywords=Moeyaert&coll_accession=&coll_name=&coll_artist=&coll_place=&coll_medium=&coll_culture=&coll_classification=&coll_credit=&coll_provenance=&coll_location=&coll_has_images=1&coll_on_view=&coll_sort=0&coll_sort_order=0&coll_package=0&coll_start=1, Drawing by [[Claes Cornelisz. Moeyaert]] the entrance of Maria de Medici in Amsterdam] *[http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/news/04/10_festival_books.shtml Festival Books] *{{CathEncy|wstitle=Maria de' Medici}} == Notes == <references /> [[Category:1575 births|Medici, Marie de']] [[Category:1642 deaths|Medici, Marie de']] [[Category:People from Florence|Medici, Marie de']] [[Category:French queens consort]] [[Category:Navarrese royal consorts]] [[Category:Queen mothers]] [[Category:Female regents]] [[Category:Regents of France|Medici, Mary of]] [[Category:House of Medici]] [[bs:Marija de' Medici]] [[br:Maria de' Medici]] [[bg:Мария Медичи]] [[ca:Maria de Mèdici]] [[da:Marie af Medici]] [[de:Maria de’ Medici]] [[el:Μαρία των Μεδίκων]] [[es:María de Médici]] [[eo:Maria de Mediĉo]] [[fa:ماری مدیچی]] [[fr:Marie de Médicis]] [[ko:마리 드 메디시스]] [[hr:Marija de' Medici]] [[is:Maria de'Medici]] [[it:Maria de' Medici]] [[he:מארי דה מדיצ'י]] [[ka:მარია მედიჩი]] [[lt:Marie de' Medici]] [[hu:Medici Mária]] [[nl:Maria de' Medici]] [[ja:マリー・ド・メディシス]] [[oc:Maria de Medici]] [[pl:Maria Medycejska]] [[pt:Maria de Médici]] [[ro:Maria de Medici]] [[ru:Мария Медичи]] [[sr:Марија Медичи]] [[fi:Maria de' Medici]] [[sv:Maria av Medici]] [[zh:玛丽·德·美第奇]]