KING LOUIS XIII OF FRANCE born (d. 1643) also Louis II of Navarre, called the Just (French: le Juste), ruled as King of France and Navarre from 1610 to 1643.There is no evidence as to whether or not Louis had lovers, but persistent rumors insinuated that the King may have been homosexual or bisexual. Tallemant des Réaux, in his Historiettes, gives quite explicit (but second hand) descriptions of what happened in the king’s bed. And let’s not even talk about what was happening in the King’s closet!

On November 9, 1615, aged a mere 14, Louis XIII was married to a Hapsburg Princess, Anne of Austria (1601–66), daughter of King Philip of Spain (1578–1621). This marriage followed a tradition of cementing military and political alliances between the Catholic powers of France and Spain with royal marriages. Their sexual relationship did not begin (other than the consummation of the wedding) until 1619 (when he was a strapping 18). The marriage, like many Bourbon-Habsburg relationships, was only very briefly happy, and the King’s duties often kept them apart. After 23 years of marriage and four miscarriages, Anne finally gave birth to a son in 1638. Quelle domage!