Isabella I of Castile

Lore & Background

Marie de' Medici was born at the Palazzo Pitti of Florence on 26 April 1575, the sixth daughter of Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Archduchess Joanna of Austria. After her father and stepmother died in 1587—possibly poisoned, though some historians believe they were killed by malarial fever—Marie was considered the richest heiress in Europe. Her uncle Ferdinando I de' Medici became the new Grand Duke and gave her a good education. Marie was interested in science, mathematics, philosophy, astronomy, and the arts. She was also passionate about jewelry and precious stones. Very devout, she was known to keep an open mind and to depend on those around her for support. Close to the artists of her native Florence, she was trained in drawing by Jacopo Ligozzi and was reportedly very talented; she also played music, singing and practicing the guitar and the lute, and enjoyed theater, dance, and comedy.

In Their Own Story

The marriage of Henry IV with Marie de' Medici represented, for France, a solution to dynastic and financial concerns. The French king owed the bride's father, Francesco de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, who had helped support his war effort, a whopping 1,174,000 écus, and this was the only means Henry could find to pay back the debt. The Medici family promised a dowry of 600,000 écus d'or (2 million livres including 1 million paid in cash to cancel the debt contracted by France with the Medici bank), which earned Marie the nickname 'the big banker' from her jealous rival, Catherine Henriette de Balzac d'Entragues. The marriage by proxy took place at the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore on 5 October 1600 with Henry IV's favorite the Duc de Bellegarde representing the French sovereign. The celebrations were attended by 4,000 guests with lavish entertainment, including examples of the newly invented musical genre of opera, such as Jacopo Peri's Euridice. Marie gave birth to her first child, a son named Louis, on 27 September 1601 at the Palace of Fontainebleau, to the great satisfaction of the King and France, which had been waiting for the birth of a Dauphin for more than 40 years.

Reader's Guide

Marie de' Medici appears as a historical figure central to the regency mechanics of France in the early 17th century. After Henry IV's assassination on 14 May 1610—the day after her coronation—Marie was confirmed as Regent by the Parliament of Paris on behalf of her son, eight-year-old Louis XIII. She immediately banished her late husband's mistress, Catherine de Balzac d'Entragues, from the court. At first, she kept the closest advisers of Henry IV in the key court positions and took for herself the title of Governess of the Bastille in 1611. Her regency was marked by ceaseless political intrigues, her extensive artistic patronage, and her favourites, the most famous being Concino Concini and Leonora Dori. Her mandate as regent legally expired in 1614 when Louis XIII reached the age of majority, but she refused to resign and continued as regent until she was removed by a coup in 1617. She ended up being banished from the country by her son and died in the city of Cologne, in the Holy Roman Empire, on 3 July 1642.

Did You Know?

• Marie de' Medici was a descendant of Lorenzo the Elder, a branch of the Medici family sometimes referred to as the 'cadet' branch, and was also a Habsburg through her mother, who was a direct descendant of Joanna of Castile and Philip I of Castile.
• Her stepmother Bianca Cappello was her father's longtime mistress; the marriage was officially revealed one year after the death of Marie's mother, on 12 June 1579.
• Marie was trained in drawing by Jacopo Ligozzi and was reportedly very talented; she also played music, singing and practicing the guitar and the lute.
• The marriage contract with Henry IV was signed in Paris in March 1600, and the marriage by proxy took place at the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore on 5 October 1600.
• Henry IV was assassinated by François Ravaillac on 14 May 1610, the day after Marie's coronation, which immediately raised suspicions of a conspiracy.