Which of the stories told in the famous novel was true, and what Dumas preferred to keep silent about
Despite their royal dignity, the spouses Anne of Austria and Louis XIII did not become the most notable characters in French history. The best they did was to give birth to the famous Louis XIV, later nicknamed the "Sun King". And then there were various rumors about paternity, because the first-born of the monarch's couple appeared 23 years after the wedding, which took place on November 25, 1615.
Anna and the king
Louis XIII and Anne were the same age, both born in September 1601, five days apart. They married as 14-year-old children to save France and Spain from the war. Despite the "Austrian", Anna was a Spanish Infanta, although she belonged to the Habsburg dynasty. She even had a family bottom lip - bulging and moody. Her white face was framed by blonde hair, and southern blood appeared in her dark eyes.
Louis XIII, by Peter Paul Rubens
By the time of their wedding, Louis was already formally king. He lost his father early, Henry IV, who was killed by a fanatic Catholic (France was constantly shaken by religious conflicts). It is possible that the queen, the famous Maria de Medici, was in the conspiracy against her husband. Having become a widow, Maria did not bother herself with caring for her son, rarely visiting him, mainly to punish him for something. Louis knew perfectly well that his mother was living with Concini's Italian lover, and dreamed of taking revenge on her as soon as possible.
Anna of Austria, by Peter Paul Rubens
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Anna, on the contrary, grew up at court, where etiquette was brought to the point of absurdity. For example, her father Philip III died of being mad: he sat too close to the fireplace, and the one who, according to etiquette, was supposed to move the royal chair, went somewhere.
Maria Medici, by Frans Pourbus Jr.
After sunset, of the men in the female half of the palace, only the king could be. Taking crowned girls even by the hand was considered a mortal sin. Therefore, one day, two officers who saved Anna's sister by pulling her out of the saddle of an enraged horse, immediately rushed towards the border.
In general, both teenagers dreamed that the wedding and family life would change and color their hateful everyday life. At first, Louis was terribly happy that he had such a pretty bride. But then he became so intimidated that he remained silent for the entire wedding banquet. And the young spouses were completely depressed when two wet nurses led them to the marriage bed. They did not leave the royal chambers until the morning, and then they presented their relatives with evidence that the bride went to the groom immaculate. Needless to say, all this did not contribute to the feelings of the newly-made spouses. They say that Louis then did not come to his wife for the night for four years.
By the way: It is believed that it was the need for an intimate relationship with his wife that strongly "strained" Louis XIII, and even with his official favorites he was more friends. In December 1638 he wanted to visit one of them, Louise de Lafayette. From Versailles, he traveled through Paris, where a severe thunderstorm broke out. Guito, the chief of security, who had a trusting relationship with the king, hinted: you can wait out the storm in the Louvre with the queen. The king agreed with difficulty, but still spent the night at the Louvre, and nine months later, Louis XIV was born.
Gradually, the young king returned to his hobbies - he loved falconry and made jam himself. He was extremely fond of his young friends, de Luigne and Saint-Maru. Rumor painted this relationship in the most obscene shades, but, at least, friends helped the king to eliminate the hated Concini two years later, and send the dissolute mother into exile. Soon, Cardinal Richelieu becomes the first minister.
Anna and Cardinal Richelieu
Brought up in austerity, Anne spent her days in the Louvre in the company of the very Duchess de Chevreuse, about whom Dumas wrote a lot. A friend always invented ways to lead the queen astray, but for the time being she did not succeed. And suddenly the first minister himself began to show increased attention to Anna. Richelieu loved women, and the queen was very beautiful. Probably, he was also worried that the monarch's couple still do not have an heir. Or perhaps he just decided to seduce Anna and then blackmail her in every possible way, because out of boredom, the queen could well succeed in intrigues, not love, but political - she really kept an active correspondence with her relatives.
Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu at La Rochelle
But it didn’t even occur to Anna that a person wearing a sacred dignity could also be a man. She constantly refused the cardinal, only inflamed the Red Duke. Once, taught by de Chevreuse, Anna complained that she was very homesick and simply dreamed of someone dancing a sarabanda for her. Richelieu reluctantly put on the appropriate outfit, including pantaloons with bells, and took castanets. In the midst of the dance, there was a loud laugh from the peeping de Chevreuse. After this "joke," the cardinal, until his death in 1642, spied on Anna with the help of his minions and constantly quarreled her with the king.
Alexander Trofimov (Richelieu) and Alisa Freundlich in the film "D'Artagnan and the Three Musketeers"
Anna and the Duke of Buckingham
In the spring of 1625, the English envoy, George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, was presented in Paris. The Duke's beauty did not leave any woman indifferent. But what women, if at one time George enjoyed the special favor of King James I. For his beloved monarch, Buckingham was ready for anything, even portrayed a yapping dog at his feet. But the reward was also appropriate. At the French court, the duke dazzled not only with his appearance, but also with his wealth: numerous pearls came off his jacket, and he said indifferently: "Leave this trifle as a souvenir."
Duke of Buckingham, by Peter Paul Rubens
Buckingham had to marry his King Charles a bride at court. In Amiens, where the court followed to accompany the girl, a terrible scandal erupted in the evening: everyone saw that the duke was kneeling before the queen and embracing her camp.
Alisa Freundlich and Anatoly Kuznetsov (Buckingham) in the film "D'Artagnan and the Three Musketeers"
The most interesting thing is that the Queen really gave the Duke a box of pendants as a keepsake. This has been attested by several people in their memoirs, including the philosopher de La Rochefoucauld. It is also true that, having learned about this through spies, Richelieu sent his agent, Countess Carrick, to London. She had personal reasons to take revenge on Buckingham, a former lover.
When the two pendants were cut and transferred to Paris, Richelieu showed them directly to Louis. The enraged king immediately ordered a ball to be held and strictly ordered Anna to pin diamond pieces to her dress. With the exception of the story about the Musketeers, Dumas did not lie: in two days Buckingham managed to make the missing jewelry, messengers took them to Paris and saved the Queen's honor.
By the way: In a real story, the heroes of The Three Musketeers could not act with pendants. Buckingham was assassinated in 1628. The real future Count d'Artagnan was born between 1611 and 1615; Armand de Sillague d'Atos d'Autvielle - in 1615; Isaac de Porto (Porthos) - in 1617, and the alleged Aramis was three years younger.
The duke was soon killed by a fanatic. The Queen was almost exiled to a monastery. But in 1630, Louis suffered from terrible dysentery, and his wife became his devoted nurse. Through the efforts of the cardinal, this truce was not long-term, especially since the queen was no longer so young and inexperienced and also made efforts to take revenge on the Red Duke, even sent conspirators to him. Fortunately, she was distracted by other concerns. On September 5, 1638, she gave birth to her first son, exactly two years later - the second. Richelieu died in 1642, and a year later Anna of Austria was widowed. She became Queen Regent with a young son.
Nicolas de Largillière "Portrait of Louis XIV with his family"
They say that the last years of Anna of Austria's life were brightened up by the love of Cardinal Mazarin, who was far from being as outstanding as his predecessor Richelieu. But who will understand the heart of a woman! Anna of Austria lived to be 64 years old. The consolation of her old age was the luxurious reign of Louis XIV.
