Maria de' Medici

Maria de' Medici was an Italian noblewoman and the queen consort of King Henry IV of France. Born in 1573, she became the mother of Louis XIII and played a significant political role during her son's reign as regent. Initially a patron of the arts and an influential figure in the court, her relationship with Richelieu was complex, characterized by both collaboration and conflict, as she sought to maintain her influence amidst the rising power of her chief minister. Her tumultuous political life included periods of exile and attempts to regain power, culminating in her eventual decline and death in 1642.