Louis XIII of France (27 September 1601-14 May 1643) was King of France from 14 May 1610 to 14 May 1643, succeeding Henry IV of France and preceding Louis XIV of France. Louis relied heavily on his chief ministers, with Cardinal Richelieu running France for him, and France fought against Huguenots from 1627 to 1628 before taking part in the struggle against the Habsburgs during the Thirty Years' War and the Franco-Spanish War after 1635.
Biography[]
Louis was born in Chateau de Fontainebleau, France on 27 September 1601, the son of Henry IV of France and Marie de' Medici. He was a member of the House of Bourbon, and he succeeded his father as king in 1610, shortly after his father was assassinated. Louis took power from his mother in 1617 after her regency proved ruinous for France, and he exiled her and executed many of her Italian courtiers. Louis entrusted Cardinal Richelieu with leading his kingdom for him, and they established the French Academy before crushing the 1627-1628 Huguenot rebellion in La Rochelle. In 1635, France declared war on the Habsburgs of Spain and Germany, and Louis died in 1643 before the war came to its conclusion. His young son Louis XIV of France succeeded him.