Shortly before his ninth birthday, Louis became king of France and Navarre after his father Henry IV was assassinated. His mother, Marie de' Medici , acted as regent during his minority. Mismanagement of the kingdom and ceaseless political intrigues by Marie and her Italian favourites led the young king to take power in by exiling his mother and executing her followers, including Concino Concini , the most influential Italian at the French court.
They systematically destroyed the castles of defiant lords, and denounced the use of private violence dueling, carrying weapons, and maintaining private armies. By the end of the s, Richelieu had established "the royal monopoly of force" as the ruling doctrine. As son of the king, he was a Fils de France "son of France" , and as the eldest son, Dauphin of France.
Eleonora de' Medici , his maternal aunt, was his godmother. I presented to the King [Louis] a letter of credence from the King [James] my master: the King [Louis] assured me of a reciprocal affection to the King [James] my master, and of my particular welcome to his Court: his words were never many, as being so extream [ sic ] a stutterer that he would sometimes hold his tongue out of his mouth a good while before he could speak so much as one word; he had besides a double row of teeth, and was observed seldom or never to spit or blow his nose, or to sweat much, 'tho he were very laborious, and almost indefatigable in his exercises of hunting and hawking, to which he was much addicted Although Louis XIII came of age at thirteen , his mother did not give up her position as Regent until , when he was Marie pursued a moderate policy, confirming the Edict of Nantes.
Although his coming-of-age formally ended Marie's Regency, she remained the de facto ruler of France. The Estates General accomplished little, spending its time discussing the relationship of France to the Papacy and the venality of offices, but reaching no resolutions.
Beginning in , Marie came to rely increasingly on Concino Concini , an Italian who assumed the role of her favourite, and was widely unpopular because he was a foreigner. Luynes soon became as unpopular as Concini had been. Other nobles resented his monopolisation of the King. Luynes was seen as less competent than Henry IV's ministers, many now elderly or deceased, who had surrounded Marie de' Medici.
