Louis XIII

Also known as: King Louis XIII / Louis XIII. / his Majesty / our king / sire / the king / your Majesty · Family: French royal court · Role: king of France · First appears: Chapter 1

In chapter 1, Louis XIII was both a friend and patron of M. de Tréville, while opposing Duc de Richelieu; “The blows which he received increased greatly his esteem and friendship for Monsieur de Tréville.” By chapter 2, his liking for M. de Tréville led him to appoint him captain of the Musketeers, and he honored the memory of his father, Henry IV. He and Richelieu were powerful rivals, each seeking celebrated swordsmen.

At the Louvre in chapter 6, Louis XIII secretly summoned Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and D’Artagnan together to thank them, rewarded D’Artagnan with forty pistoles, and ordered him placed in the Guards of M. Dessessart; the next chapter records his admission as a cadet in M. de Chevalier Dessessart’s company. He employed La Chesnaye, La Vieuville, and Des Roches le Masle, maintained friendship with M. de la Trémouille, and was the king to whom the Musketeers belonged, making them the natural enemies of Richelieu’s Guards.

In chapters 15–17, Louis XIII signed Athos’s release, investigated a letter held by Anne of Austria, and learned that it concerned an attack on Richelieu, not a love affair; he then attempted reconciliation with his queen and arranged a fête. At the Hôtel de Ville in chapter 22, he required Anne of Austria to wear her diamond studs, while Richelieu gave him two more and urged an investigation, but all twelve were found on the queen. In 1627, Louis XIII fell ill at Villeroy, separating D’Artagnan from Athos, Porthos, and Aramis; earlier, Buckingham was treated as an enemy, and the king’s forces in the Isle of Ré were commanded by Comte de Toiras.