Anna von Österreich

Anna Maria Mauricia of Austria, known in French as Anne d’Autriche, was born on 22 September 1601 as the daughter of Philip III, King of Spain, and Margaret of Austria. Although she was a Spanish princess, her Habsburg ancestry entitled her to use the name “of Austria.” She was educated by the royal governess Leonor de Sandoval y Rojas. Anna grew up first in Valladolid and, from 1608, in Madrid. Unlike many royal children of her time, she was particularly close to her mother, who personally oversaw her children’s religious education. Contemporary reports described Anna as healthy, attractive, and quick-witted. As early as 1602, a double marriage alliance between the Spanish and French ruling houses was proposed: Anna was to marry the future King Louis XIII of France, while his sister Elisabeth was to marry Anna’s brother. The plans primarily served to bring the Catholic monarchies closer together, but also represented a socially equal alliance. Anna’s engagement and the marriage contracts were concluded on 22 August 1612. In 1613 she survived smallpox without scarring. On 18 October 1615, she married Louis XIII symbolically by proxy in Burgos; on 9 November, she was exchanged for her sister-in-law Elisabeth at the border between Spain and France. Three days later, Anna and Louis were married in Bordeaux. The marriage began badly. Although it was consummated on the wedding night, the couple’s marital relationship then ceased for several years. Anna received her own household at the Louvre, while her mother-in-law, Marie de Medici, remained the most influential woman at court and the effective regent until 1617. After Marie’s fall, Anna’s Spanish ladies-in-waiting were sent back to Spain and replaced with Frenchwomen. Anna adapted more closely to French court life, adopted French clothing, and took part in a livelier social world. In 1619, she and Louis resumed their marital relationship, which thereafter became regular. Even so, the royal couple’s relationship remained unstable. Anna served as regent on several occasions while Louis was away: in Paris in 1620, during his campaign against the revolt of Marie de Medici, and in 1622, while he was campaigning against Protestant rebels. These experiences revealed her limited political experience, but also her interest in the affairs of the kingdom. On one occasion, she ordered the arrest of a Protestant agent whom she suspected of plotting against the king, but had to release him when she learned that he was acting on royal orders. Over time, Anna developed her own French connections and regularly visited convents. She remained especially attached to the Benedictine convent of Val-de-Grâce in Paris, which she supported throughout her life and where she maintained her own apartment. Her encounter in 1625 with the English Duke of Buckingham, who was accompanying her sister-in-law Henrietta Maria to England, attracted considerable attention. A mutual attraction between Anna and Buckingham was noticed. During a stay in Amiens, a much-discussed incident took place, and Buckingham later declared his love for Anna. The two began a secret correspondence, but in 1626 Buckingham abandoned his plan to become her lover. Whether their relationship became physical remained unknown. The episode was later embellished in literature and became part of Alexandre Dumas’s novel The Three Musketeers. From 1626 to 1637, tensions between Anna and Cardinal Richelieu intensified, and these tensions also deepened her conflict with Louis XIII. Anna opposed Richelieu’s anti-Spanish foreign policy and became an important figure in the opposition to him. Her friend Marie de Rohan supported this political faction and repeatedly drew Anna into intrigues. In 1626, Anna was questioned in connection with a plan to overthrow Richelieu, replace Louis with his brother Gaston, and then marry Gaston to Anna. She denied involvement. In 1632, she was again questioned over correspondence with Richelieu’s opponents, but was released for lack of evidence. An open crisis erupted in 1637, when Anna’s messenger La Porte was arrested carrying a letter to Marie de Rohan. Anna had maintained secret correspondence with exiled friends, the Spanish ambassador, and her brother. After lengthy interrogations, she was forced to admit to unauthorized political contacts. Her correspondence was then monitored, her convent visits were restricted, and she was no longer permitted to be alone. Anna became unexpectedly pregnant in January 1638. In August, she gave birth to the future King Louis XIV, an event regarded as extraordinary after the royal couple’s long estrangement. A second son, Philip, the future Duke of Orléans, was born in 1640. The births improved Anna’s relationship with Louis only to a limited extent. In 1642, she was also involved in the conspiracy organized by the Marquis de Cinq-Mars against Richelieu. After Richelieu’s death, Anna became the most important political figure at court. Louis XIII died on 14 May 1643, and his five-year-old son succeeded him as Louis XIV. Although Louis XIII had sought to restrict Anna and Gaston through a regency council, Anna overturned the king’s testament with the support of the Condé family and secured sole authority as regent. From the beginning, she relied on Cardinal Mazarin, whom she valued as an independent adviser not tied to any French faction. Their daily private consultations led to rumors of a love affair and even a secret marriage. There was no evidence of a wedding, and it also remained uncertain whether Mazarin was her lover. Anna told a confidante that she loved him, but that their relationship was not physical. During her regency, Anna largely maintained Richelieu’s political course. She pursued Mazarin’s opponents and, in 1643, had the Duke of Beaufort arrested after he planned an attack on Mazarin. In 1648, the Fronde began, first as a movement by the Paris Parlement and later involving much of the nobility against royal authority. Anna was temporarily forced to withdraw to Saint-Germain, release prisoners, and make political concessions. In 1650, however, she had the Prince of Condé arrested, prompting uprisings in several provinces. Anna, Mazarin, and Louis traveled through the country to suppress the rebellions. Mazarin eventually had to leave France, but remained closely connected to Anna through secret correspondence. On 5 September 1651, Anna granted Condé an amnesty and banished Mazarin from France and from all political offices for life. On 7 September 1651, Louis XIV was declared of age at thirteen. Anna thereby lost the regency, but remained president of his council and continued to participate in political life. In 1652, she welcomed Mazarin’s return to France together with her son. Even after the Fronde and Louis’s accession to full authority, Anna remained a central figure at court. She continued to serve as the court’s first lady, hosting festivities and theatrical performances, and maintained her visits to convents. She was especially close to Louis XIV as a mother and accompanied him on some military expeditions. She supported his planned marriage to Maria Theresa of Spain and helped persuade him to abandon his relationship with Marie Mancini. His marriage to Maria Theresa took place in 1660. After Mazarin’s death on 9 March 1661, Anna withdrew completely from affairs of state, though she retained the office of governor-general of Brittany. She had a good relationship with Louis XIV and could admonish him on religious and moral matters. In 1663, she became seriously ill, and in 1664 she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She continued to participate in court life until 1665, when she became bedridden at the Louvre. Anna died on 20 January 1666 surrounded by her family. Her life was later documented in the memoirs of her lady-in-waiting Madame de Motteville and through her portrayal in The Three Musketeers.