historicalhysterical:

Portrait of Marie de Medici as a young girl

Marie de Medici, Queen consort of France and Navarre

Marie de Medici married Henry IV of France in October of 1600 following the annulment of his marriage to Margaret of Valois. The proxy wedding ceremony was held in Florence and followed by lavish celebrations. The following year her eldest son, the future King Louis XIII, was born at Fontainebleau.However, the marriage was not a successful one. The queen quarreled with Henry’s mistresses,s he feuded with her husband’s leading mistress, Catherine Henriette de Balzac d’Entragues, whom he had promised he would marry following the death of his former “official mistress”, Gabrielle d’Estrées. His marriage to Marie angered her and resulted in constant quarreling at court. Marie was crowned Queen of France on 13 May 1610, a day before her husband’s death. Hours after Henry’s assassination, she was confirmed as regent by the Parlement of Paris and immediately banished Catherine Henriette de Balzac d’Entragues from the court.