May 14, 1643

Louis XIV

Louis XIV succeeds Louis XIII as King of France

France's new king was four years and eight months old. A letter went out in his name the same day, telling the judges to carry on.

14 May 1643: the crown passes at Saint-Germain

Louis XIII died at the Château-Neuf of Saint-Germain-en-Laye on 14 May 1643, and his son succeeded him immediately as Louis XIV.

The new king was four years old in completed years: born on 5 September 1638, he had not reached his fifth birthday. Some French sources say he became king "at five", meaning that he was in his fifth year.

A letter to the Parlement

A letter issued in Louis XIV's name from Saint-Germain-en-Laye that day notified the Parlement of his father's death, invoked his hereditary right, and instructed officials to continue administering justice.

The succession followed from the death itself and waited on nothing else. Louis was not crowned at Reims until 1654.

Four days to a regency

On 18 May, at a lit de justice the child king attended, the Parlement granted Anne of Austria full regency authority and confirmed Cardinal Mazarin as minister of state.

Mazarin was being confirmed rather than appointed; he had entered the royal council in December 1642. At that first lit de justice Louis appeared in a violet robe and was carried into the assembly.

Sources

Researched 23 Aug 2026 6 sources 2 audit passes

How this was checked

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What the sources leave uncertain

Some French sources say Louis became king “at five,” meaning that he was in his fifth year. By modern completed-age reckoning, the dates establish that he was four years old.