This series explores the lives of often-ignored and forgotten royal women who are left to languish in the background of books, documentaries, and more. It is rare for a queen or an empress to have no effect on her husband’s reign, yet we rarely hear about them. This queen played a supporting role to both her husband and son for decades, and absolutely deserves far more attention. Onto our August Consort of the Month: Anne of Austria!
Consort of the Month: Anne of Austria
Birth Date: 22 September 1601
Death Date: 20 January 1666
Tenure: 24 November 1615 – 14 May 1643
Birth Name: Ana María Mauricia
Spouse: King Louis XIII of France
House: Habsburg
Father: King Philip III of Spain
Mother: Margaret of Austria, Queen of Spain
Why Do We Know Anne of Austria?
This consort is certainly another case of “most people don’t know her and can’t name her”, which is unfortunate. (I would be interested to know if anyone who was educated in France or lives there is more familiar with her.) Anne was the wife of King Louis XIII, who quite honestly lives in the shadow of his son, King Louis XIV. Anne was not only Louis XIII’s consort, she was also Queen Regent for King Louis XIV.
She is part of the Habsburg dynasty, meaning that her family tree was somewhat more complex than most of ours, but it’s also not as bad as it could be. (Meaning she isn’t know for being a major example of continual inbreeding.)
Anne of Austria’s early life
Anne was born to King Philip of Spain and Queen Margaret of Austria at the Benavente Palace in 1601. She had a number of titles from birth, including Infanta of Spain, Infanta of Portugal (Philip was also King of Portugal), and Archduchess of Austria. Although it does seem odd that a Spanish princess born to the Spanish monarch in Spain would have “of Austria” in her name, the Austria denotes the all-important Habsburg title.
Anne spent most of her childhood at the palace in Madrid (not the current Royal Palace but the previous. She was raised to be incredibly religious. Her family was very close, and after her mother’s passing in 1611, she took on somewhat of a parental role for her siblings.
A young bride for a young groom
Anne was betrothed to the young King Louis XIII of Spain in 1612, making her only eleven years old- Louis was also eleven, as they were only born five days apart. Her father offered a large dowry and outfitted his daughter in the manner of a queen. Notably, should Louis young, the dowry, jewels, and possessions would all return to Spain with Anne. (This isn’t a guarantee.)
In October of 1615, the fourteen year old couple was married by proxy and in November, they were married in person. Anne was considered to be a beautiful teenager. However, historians believe that the marriage was not consummated for several years (which would be odd in the period but to our modern selves, sounds fairly realistic).
It was a rough start for Anne, as Louis largely ignored her. Marie de Medici, his mother and Queen Regent, also had little time for Anne and continued to carry one as queen.
An evolving relationship
In 1617, Marie de Medici was ousted and replaced by Charles d’Albert de Luynes as Louis’ chief advisor, and then Cardinal Richelieu in the early 1620s. Anne’s Spanish ladies-in-waiting were replaced with French ladies, and the couple became somewhat closer. Or at least close enough for Anne to become pregnant a few times, but sadly had miscarriages.
In 1635, the Franco-Spanish War began, and the Spanish Anne was put in a not-so-great position. She continued to write to her brother, the King of Spain, as well as other high-ranking Spanish officials. Although she claimed for quite some time that she was not, she eventually admitted to the correspondence.
In 1638, things did change in a big way, though- Anne gave birth to the future King Louis XIV. Yes, at 37, after several unsuccessful pregnancies, she gave birth to the long-awaited heir. And in 1640, she gave birth to their second son, Philippe.
Queen Regent
Louis died in 1643, leaving Anne a widow. And given that the now-King Louis XIV was not even five years old, she also became the Queen Regent. She challenged her husband’s will and was able to seize more power than she should have been able to. However, she entrusted much of the running of the government to Cardinal Mazarin. There were rumours that Mazarin was Anne’s lover, or possibly even her second husband, but that has not been confirmed.
The regency ended in 1651 when Louis reached the age of thirteen and could rule in his own right. (Yes, it seems crazy that a thirteen year old would be allowed to rule but it was the seventeenth century.)
Anne ended up moving to a convent in 1661 to “retire” and lived a relatively quiet life. She died of breast cancer on 20 January 1666.
Anne of Austria: Interesting Facts
– The Duke of Buckingham, aka King James I’s favourite, was one of Anne’s admirers.
– Interestingly, Anne’s brother and Louis’s sister were married by proxy- it’s not overly common to see the opposite gender.
– Anne never had a coronation; her mother-in-law, Marie de Medici, was the last Queen of France to have a coronation.
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Further Readings/Listenings on Anne of Austria
Battle Royale: French Monarchs podcast. “59.5 Anne of Austria” episode.
Kleinman, Ruth. Anne of Austria: Queen of France. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1985.
Looking for my earlier Consort of the Month posts? Read about:
Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Queen Marie Antoinette
Catherine de Medici
Queen Adelaide
Catherine de Valois
Marie de Guise
Queen Alexandra of Denmark
Empress Josephine of France
Queen Elizabeth of York
Queen Elisabeth de Valois
Queen Catherine of Braganza
Queen Caroline of Brunswick
Queen Josephine of Leuchtenberg
Elizabeth Stuart
Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians
Saint Margaret of Scotland
Queen Maud of Wales
Empress Sisi of Austria
Queen Marie of Romania
Queen Astrid of Belgium
Queen Maria Eleanora of Brandenburg
Queen Ena of Spain
Queen Mary of Modena
Sophia Dorothea of Celle
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I hope you have enjoyed Consort of the Month: Anne of Austria!
Cheers,
The Historian
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