Prince William
Famous Astronauts
Nelson Mandela
Kanye West
My Ghost Story
I Survived
Liberace
Leonardo DiCaprio
Annie Oakley
I Survived
1 photo
Quick Facts
- NAME: Anne of Austria
- OCCUPATION: Queen
- BIRTH DATE: September 22, 1601
- DEATH DATE: January 20, 1666
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Valladolid, Spain
- PLACE OF DEATH: Paris, France
- AKA: Anne of Austria, queen consort of France
- AKA: Queen Anne
- Full Name: Queen Anne of Austria
Best Known For
Anne of Austria, queen consort of France, was married to the 14-year-old Louis XIII and later mothered Louis XIV.
Quiz
Think you know about Biography?
Answer questions and see how you rank against other players.
Play NowAnne of Austria. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 08:47, Jun 18, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/anne-of-austria-9185816.
Anne of Austria. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/anne-of-austria-9185816 [Accessed 18 Jun 2013].
"Anne of Austria." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Jun 18 2013, 08:47 http://www.biography.com/people/anne-of-austria-9185816.
"Anne of Austria," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/anne-of-austria-9185816 [accessed Jun 18, 2013].
"Anne of Austria," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/anne-of-austria-9185816 (accessed Jun 18, 2013).
Anne of Austria [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 Jun 18] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/anne-of-austria-9185816.
Anne of Austria, http://www.biography.com/people/anne-of-austria-9185816 (last visited Jun 18, 2013).
Anne of Austria. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/anne-of-austria-9185816. Accessed Jun 18, 2013.
Synopsis
Born in Spain in 1601, Anne of Austria, queen consort of France, was married to the 14-year-old Louis XIII and later mothered Louis XIV. Anne had a difficult time with her husband and his chief minister, Cardinal de Richelieu. The tension between Anne and Richelieu worsened when the Cardinal declared war on Anne's brother and divided her loyalty. In 1651,
Quotes
"God does not pay at the end of every week, but He pays."
Louis XIV took power and Anne lost her role as sole regent. She died in 1666 in Paris, France.
Early Life
Born on September 22, 1601, in Valladolid, Spain, Anne of Austria was the oldest daughter of King Phillip III and Margaret of Austria. She was especially close to her mother who helped her develop a deep devotion to her Roman Catholic faith. Sadly Anne lost her mother to illness when she was around the age of ten.
Barely in her teens, Anne became betrothed to France's King Louis XIII in 1612. The two royals had both been born in September 1601 within days of each other—a fact some took as a sign that the pair were destined to be together. Unfortunately, in reality, the union of these two teenagers was an exercise in political matchmaking, not romantic love.
Miserable Marriage
Leaving her native Spain, Anne of Austria wed King Louis XIII in November of 1615. The beautiful young queen struggled to fit in her new homeland. Her husband paid her little attention and his chief minister, Cardinal Richelieu, questioned her loyalty to France. Anne spent much of her time visiting churches and convents. She also enjoyed going to the theater.
Anne suffered a miscarriage in 1622 (one of several she experienced), and the loss of a potential heir strained her marriage further. King Louis XIII blamed her for the loss of the baby. A few years later, he became angry at Anne again for her flirtation with England's Duke of Buckingham. Anne found herself at odds with her husband in 1635 after France declared war on Spain. During this time, she corresponded with her brother—who had become King Phillip IV—on the sly. While she apparently never gave away any secrets, Anne was accused of treason by Cardinal Richelieu in 1637. She was eventually pardoned, but King Louis XIII remained suspicious of her for the rest of his life.
Queen Regent
After nearly twenty-two years of marriage, Anne of Austria finally delivered an heir to the French throne in 1638. Her son Louis was considered a stroke of tremendous good fortune. Anne was thirty-six years old when he was born. Without an heir, her position as a queen was tenuous. But her son's arrival helped cement her place as French royalty. For that reason, he was called Louis de Dieudonne, or "Gift of God." Two years later, Anne gave birth to another son, Phillip.
Anne of Austria was a doting parent and more hands-on with her children than most royals of the time. As the boys grew, Louis XIII's health began to fail. He died in 1643, leaving a provision for the country to be ruled by a regent counsel instead by Anne herself. She had the French parliament overturn Louis XIII's attempt to temper her power.
profile name: Anne of Austria profile occupation:
Your Connections
Sign in with Facebook to see how you and your friends are connected to famous icons.
Profile Connections
Included In These Groups
-
Famous Virgoans
View groupMichael Jackson is one, so is Stephen King and Greta Garbo. Some say typical traits of Virgoans are helpful, critical, shy, and meticulous. Meet some famous people who share the astrological sign Virgo.
Famous Virgoans 567 people in this group
-
Famous Queens
View groupThey are the famous women who were born into royalty, or found their way to it by marriage, and grew up to be the ecelectic empresses who have inspired countless stories, books, plays and films. As Great Britain's Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her Diamond Jubilee in 2012, a celebration of her 60 years on the throne, the queens who have long been admired—some for thousands of years—for their grace, public charm, dedication to philanthropy, finesse and fashion sense, come back into the spotlight. Explore the lives of notable queens such as Cleopatra VII, Queen Rania and Anna Ivanovna, from the time they were crowned, to their tragedies and milestones as rulers and consorts.
Famous Queens 30 people in this group
-
Famous People Named Anne
View groupTake a look at famous people named Anne Sullivan, Anne Heche, and Anne Moody.
Famous People Named Anne 18 people in this group
