The Return From Spain To England

In early 1624, Prince Charles and his party were returning to England, after failing to secure a marriage contract for the hand of the Infanta Maria Anna, of Spain. It was decided that the Royal party should travel through France while returning to England from Spain. The royal entourage included the Duke of Buckingham George Villiers¹ and other members of the English gentry, protocol² dictated that Charles called on King Louis XIII's court³.

When Charles and his entourage arrived in France intending to open marriage negotiations with King Louis XIII, for the hand of his sister Princess Henrietta Maria. Charles and his party were accommodated at the mansion of the Duchess de near Paris. Circumstances had created a motive for the visit. After the failure to reach an agreement on the conditions for his marriage to the Spanish Infanta, the opportunity of an interview with King Louis XIII was perfect. It was Charles intention to negotiate the initial terms of a marriage contract between Charles and Princess Henrietta Maria aged 15⁴.

The negotiations were successfully concluded and although there were conditions demanded by the French, they were more reasonable and could be forced on parliament. The court of France was a maze of conflicting interests, plots and intrigue. There was a between Marie de Medici and Cardinal Richelieu, who both sought the control Louis and the throne and thereby rule France by proxy. King Louis who was influenced by, his mother and the Cardinal, Louis however was not quite weak enough to allow either to totally dominate him.

Louis his early life

King Louis XIII of France was a Catholic monarch, who came to the throne at the age of nine when his father, the Protestant Henri⁵ IV was assassinated in Paris on 14 May 1610.

Louis had a difficult childhood, it is said that he became the victim of his father Henri's sexual attentions⁶ and this was to allow his mother and others to manipulate him. In November 1615, at the age of 14 Louis married the 14 year old daughter of Philip III of Spain, Anna María Mauricia, known to history as Anne of Austria⁷.

Louis and Anne of Austria Queen of France

The wedding day was a torment for Louis was so terrified that he needed to be carried to the alter. During the ceremony Louis could hardly speak through fear. The couple’s first night was a farce, including the inspection of the sheets from their bed, on the following morning.

It was customary at this time to inspect the sheets of a newly married couple; Any stains found on sheets were normally regarded as proof of consummation. When they were displayed to the court by Marie, only a few members of the court regarded these as genuine proof. Louis found the whole thing so distasteful that the royal couple did not take meals together for months. All this was seen as a blow to Cardinal Richelieu's plans to secure a Catholic successor for the French throne.

Louis was ignored his new bride, his mother, Marie de' Medici⁸ now put great pressure on the couple to consummate the marriage, as Marie's parents could use a legal precedent and force an annulment of the marriage if the union remained unconsummated.

Because of her sons age Marie de' Medici had been declared regent until Louis was 16. Marie continued to regard herself as Queen of France and ignored Anne’s position as queen. Anne responded by creating a Spanish court at the palace and surrounded herself with high-born Spanish ladies-in-waiting.

Political intrigue worsened when Louis came under the influence of Cardinal de Richelieu* Richelieu wanted to isolate Anne and prevent her from having any effect on any of Louis political decisions. The Cardinal succeeded as Louis now merely tolerated Anne, this gave him influence over ruler of France.

Anne turned to the Duchesse de Chevreuse, Marie de Rohan-Montbazon, the one friend Anne had in the French court. The Duchesse de Chevreuse was artful in both the ways of the court and the bedroom. She was to prove a great asset to Anne.

It may have been Marie who was instrumental in persuading Anne and Marie de' Medici to unite to demand dismissal of Cardinal de Richelieu. It was in November 1630 the two women confronted Louis with their demand. Shortly after the confrontation Louis went to his hunting lodge in Versailles.

The Cardinal soon followed Louis to Versailles, where he managed to gain Louis continued support⁹. The attempt failed and has been since been recorded in history as the "Day of Dupes".

The marriage Louis XIII and Anna María Mauricia continued unhappily. Royal Louis duties kept them separated for long periods. In the little time they spent together they tried to discharge their royal duty to provide an heir. It was to take nearly 24 years¹⁰ eventually the couple finally produced an heir on 5 September 1638, Named Louis Dieudonné¹¹ the future Louis XIV.

In gratitude the devout Queen Anne decided to build the Benedictine abbey of the Val-de-Grâce in thanks. Louis was not sure of the miracle but despite his doubts he laid the cornerstone of the new building. The couple’s second child was Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, ¹²

The Marriage Of Charles and Henrietta Maria

The negotiations for the marriage of Charles and Henrietta Maria were agreed. Louis XIII consent was subject to the religious toleration of Roman Catholics in England. A dispensation from the Pope was required for this mixed faith union to proceed. The 24 year old Charles and the 15 year old Henrietta Maria were married in Canterbury at St. Augustine's Church on 13 June 1625.

As Henrietta Maria was Catholic she was officially excluded from any official participation in the coronation ceremony, and was not crowned as queen of England. The coronation of Charles Ist took place at Westminster Abbey on 18 June 1633.

The children of Charles Henrietta Maria were.

• Charles II 29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685.
• Mary, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange 4 November 1631 – 24 December 1660.
• James II and VII 14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701.
• Elizabeth Stuart 28 December 1635 - 8 September 1650 She died tragically young in a Parliamentary prison at Carisbrooke Castle, Isle of Wight .
• Anne Stuart 17 March 1637 - 8 December 1640 aged 3.
• Henry, Duke of Gloucester 8 July 1640 – 18 September 1660.
• Henrietta, Duchess of Orléans 16 June 1644 – 30 June 1670.

Postscript

There is a famous novel set in this period, by Alexandre Dumas entitled The Three Musketeers, and there is evidence to suggest that this novel might not be entirely the work of fiction. There may have been some truth in the story of the diamond studs as told in the novel, The Three Musketeers. They did exist and two may have been given to Buckingham as a gift. They had to be swiftly reproduced to hide the loss.

If his writing is anything to go by, Alexandre Dumas seems to have had some admiration for Buckingham. Not however Charles Dickens¹³ who had a different view writing of him as "that insolent upstart" and describing his war in France as being started by "that pestilent Buckingham" and the main reason was "to gratify his own wounded vanity". That view would be an accurate reflection of public opinion of England at the time.

There is also some evidence that Lady de Winter to have existed. it is possible that she was Lucy Percy the Countess of Carlisle. In the diaries of François de La Rochefoucauld, written whilst he was in the service of Queen Anne of Austria. Various aliases are mentioned Lady Clarick de Winter, Lady de Clarick and Lucy Percy or Lucy Hay the Countess of Carlisle. The activities of Lucy Percy however were more involved in the intrigues of the English Civil War. Working for the Royalist cause as the queens messenger between bands of royalists she was arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London from 21 March 1649 to 25 September 1650. Royalist handbills stated she almost put to the rack to gain information about her activities.