A Biographical Dictionary of the Celebrated Women of Every Age and Country/Anne Maurice, of Austria
ANNE MAURICE, OF AUSTRIA, Daughter of Philip III. King of Spain, Wife of Lewis XIII. King of France. Died January 20, 1666.
Was born at Valladolid, September 22, 1601, five days before her future husband, to whom she was married at Bourdeaux, November 9, 1615; but, though possessed of a great share of beauty, she failed to engage his affections. Cardinal Richelieu rendered him suspicious of her love for her native country, and for her brother, the king of Spain, to whom she always wrote privately. She had a skin of remarkably fine texture, and very fair; a quantity of light-brown hair; beautiful eyes, with a tint of green in them, which increased their vivacity and sweetness; a small mouth; hands and arms of extraordinary beauty and whiteness. Her nose was large; and she wore too much rouge. She was tall, and had a lofty, but not a proud look. Her air and smile inspired tenderness accompanied with veneration and respect.
Anne was conscious of her charms; and believed it to be the prerogative of the fair, to be beloved, even without hope. Thus, she was flattered by the homage of the duke de Montmorenci; and, when she learnt he had recovered his freedom, considered herself as injured, arid would see him no more. The duke of Buckingham, who came as ambassador to negociate a marriage between our Charles I. and Henrietta of France, made no mystery of the passion he had conceived for her. Ready to embark, at Calais, he left his future sovereign there, on some frivolous pretence, that he might return to court, for another look at the queen. Scarcely had he arrived in England, than he wanted to return; but Lewis XIII. would not consent to it; and Buckingham afterwards did all he could to embroil the two countries, that he might come back to treat of peace. The queen, who had the most romantic ideas of the privileges of beauty, afterwards became more discreet, and would submit no longer to be talked to of love.
Lewis XIII. would have pardoned her coquetry, if he had not suspected her of political intrigues. She hated cardinal Richelieu, and did not conceal it. Barriere, one of her people, offered to kill him. "No;" said the queen, "to that I cannot consent; for lie is a priest." Yet she was suspected of plotting his death. She is said to have known of a conspiracy against him; for not having revealed which, though convicted of no active part, the son of the famous de Thou was beheaded, in 1642. Richelieu caused her more than once to be examined by some of the presidents of the Parisian parliament, respecting Spanish plots against his administration. "God, my lord cardinal," said she, "does not pay me weekly; but he will pay me at last." After the birth of two sons, she enjoyed more consideration with the king; but at his death, in 1643, he left her merely the title of regent, giving all the authority to a council of his own choosing; but, his eyes were scarcely closed, when, discontented with this arrangement, she made the parliament annul the decree of the king. Yet nobody was less proper than herself, to sustain the weight of government. She was naturally indolent, and had not the least knowledge of business. She felt her own incapacity, and the need she had of a director; and cardinal Mazarin, one of those appointed by the late king, by his pliability and address, soon gained all her confidence. Never was France so agitated as during her regency. The court was always at war with the parliament and the people, on the most trifling causes, and almost always worsted.
In the early part of her administration, she was profuse in her favours, and not knowing their importance, granted even the most impertinent demands. The French language was said to be reduced to these few words. The Queen is so good! This is said to have laid a foundation for all the evils which followed. The revenues of the state were exhausted by her inconsiderate donations; and to obtain money, she retrenched a third of all pensions, which made her a great number of enemies. This resourse was found insufficient, and new taxes became necessary to be levied, on a nation already heavily burthened. The parliament opposed it, and the people sustained by them, became furious, and murmured at the great expences of the court in amusements, which were certainly more than indiscreet at such a time.
It was the fault of the queen and her council to resent things too violently at first, and yield unseasonably—which made them at once hated and despised; as these late concessions were justly attributed to imbecility. She was counselled once to set Broussel at liberty, whom they had imprisoned during these tumults, which was loudly demanded by the people: "Set him free!" said she, "I would sooner strangle him with my own hands!" but yet it was found necessary to do it. The sedition augmented to such a height, that she was no longer safe in her own palace; and they began to cry out, "Let the king rule by himself!" Lewis XIV. who was only five years old on the death of his father, was not then above eleven.
The devotional exercises of the queen, meanwhile, were not interrupted. She left the conduct of affairs to Mazarin; but at length, out of patience at the increased commotion, resolved to abandon the field to the factions, and escape with the king from Paris; a design which she executed with success, and was soon followed to St. Germains by the Cardinal and the court. As this was a sudden thing, they found but indifferent acconmodations. There was neither moveables nor linen; and three little beds, which they brought with them, being occupied by the royal family, straw was spread in the apartments for the rest.
On the departure of the queen, despair seems to have seized the minds of the Parisians: they appeared frantic, and nothing but confusion was seen throughout the city. The parliament, who expected the royal vengeance to fall heavily upon them, in their own defence, ordered the citizens to take up arms. They refused to obey the command of the queen, and leave Paris. She then forbade the neighbouring villages to carry provisions there. Both parties were exasperated to the utmost, and declared open war. The prince of Conti put himself at the head of the Frondeurs, or exploders, as that faction was called, from having forced the royal family to leave the city.
The queen's party laid siege to Paris for two months, and then patched up a temporary peace. They entered the city amidst the general acclamations of the people; but the war de la Fronde soon broke out with greater violence than ever.
Anne was obliged to banish Mazarin, the object of their hatred; when her son became of age, to take into his own hands the reins of government, he recalled him; but the troubles were not appeased till 1660.
In 1663 Anne fell sick, from having observed Lent too rigidly; and the next summer, a little tumour appeared upon her breast, to which she at first paid no attention: but which afterwards, from the ignorance of her physicians, degenerated into an incurable cancer. The 27th of May, 1665, she was seized with a fever, followed by an erisipelas, which covered half her body. The abbe Montagu, an Englishman, and one of her confidents, announcing her approaching death. "You give me pleasure;" said she, "these are the most solid and the truest signs of friendship!" She then made her will; and growing still worse, called for the Viaticum and extreme unction, which she received with great devotion.
Her cancer was not the only evil which assailed her: an abscess had formed under one of her arms, which gave her excruciating pain. Her patience was exercised in many ways. Fastidiously nice in her person, and delicate in respect to odours, fine linen, and all the appurtenances of the toilette—her every sense was put to the torture; but she shewed no impatience, and uttered no complaint.
On the 4th of August she found herself better, and hopes began to be entertained of her recovery. She was brought from St. Germain's to Paris, to the convent of Val-de-Grace; but did not remain there long. The ceremonies necessary to be observed on opening the doors, put the physicians out of patience, and she was carried to the Louvre. But the unfavourable symptoms again appearing, she was obliged to submit to most painful operations. On the 16th of January, 1666, a new erisipelas appeared—her hands began to swell, and looking at them, she remarked it, saying, it was time for her to die.
During a most painful operation on the cancer, when it was necessary to repeat the stroke of the lancet, she cried out, "Lord, Lord! let my sufferings atone for my sins! I bear all most willingly, O God! since it is thy will!" The bishop of Auch, her confessor, was once saying all he could to comfort her; and, after praying by her some time, returned thanks to God for all the favours he had been pleased to bestow upon her during life: "Ah!" she exclaimed, with dying accents, "it is true he made me great, but of what importance is that to a future state! How insignificant does all I heretofore considered glorious appear to me now! How sensibly I feel my own unworthiness!"
Anne of Austria was sincerely regretted by her son, who had paid her the most unremitting attention during her illness; and to whom she had been a most affectionate and careful parent. Cardinal de Retz has given the following whimsical portrait of this princess; "The queen had, more than any body I have ever seen, the sort of understanding, which was necessary not to appear a fool to those who did not know her. She had more sharpness than pride; more pride than grandeur; more manner than depth; more understanding in money-matters, than liberality; more liberality, than selfishness; more selfishness than disinterestedness; more attachment, than passion; more hardness, than haughtiness; more remembrance of injuries than benefits; more intention of piety, than piety itself; more obstinacy than firmness; and more of incapacity, than any thing."
There seems to be malice in this description; and in some respects it did her remarkable injustice, since forgiveness of personal injuries was a striking trait in her character; and the last favour she asked of her son was, the recal of a gentleman, who had been banished for a libel against herself. She shewed also a great liberality of sentiment on some other occasions. Anthony Berthier, librarian of Paris, wished to join two volumes of letters and memoirs, that he had carefully collected, to the life of cardinal Richelieu; and solicited the countenance of the queen-mother, as, unless supported by her authority, he dared not venture it, since many persons then living, were there treated very freely. "Proceed," replied the queen, "without fear, and shame vice so completely, that nothing but virtue may remain in France."
Anne was passionate and vindictive in the first heat of her resentments, but was sensible to reproof: and the bishop of Angers once nobly reminded her, that, to be a Christian, we must not permit ourselves to be guilty of one intentional sin, however gratifying to our passions. When Angers revolted, in 1652, she was determined to take heavy vengeance upon it; but was prevented from her sanguinary purpose, by this bishop, who, as he administered the sacrament to her, said, "Take, madam, the body of him, who forgave his enemies upon the cross.."
Notwithstanding the jealousies and factions during her regency, she appears to have had the interest of the French very much at heart; and delivered the monarchy into the hands of her son more powerful than it had ever before been. She was buried at St. Denis, but her heart was carried to Val-de-Grace, which she had founded. The following epitaph was made upon her:
"Sister, Wife, Mother, and Daughter of Kings! Who was
ever more worthy of these glorious Titles?"