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1610: Marie de Medici's regency
1610: Marie de Medici's regency

Marie de Medici was impatient to be crowned Queen of France. Henri IV finally yielded and crowned his wife on 13 May 1610 in the Basilica of Saint Denis. The very next day, the King was assassinated by Ravaillac, and Marie de Medici's regency began and would last for seven chaotic years until her son Louis VIII came of age. 
Most importantly, the Queen enjoyed her newfound power and became intimately involved in political affairs in France, dealing with them in a more or less adept manner. She sent away her deceased husband's ministers and followed the advice of the Concini couple; she was at odds with important figures in the kingdom who were no longer participating in affairs of state and were demanding financial compensation. The situation was critical and the atmosphere increasingly strained. She was in disagreement with her son and saw her power being usurped by a new figure in the government, a certain Richelieu, in whom she had formerly placed her trust. She was stripped of her title and ended her life wandering in exile, seeking in vain to regain her place as the queen mother. 
13-508991
Pourbus Frans, le Jeune (1569-1622)
Paris, musée du Louvre
Louis XIII, roi de France et de Navarre (1601-1643) au moment de son mariage en 1616
Louis XIII, roi de France et de Navarre (1601-1643) au moment de son mariage en 1616
C2R175846
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