Marie de' Medici became queen of France through her marriage to Henry IV in 1600 and took a direct governing role after his assassination in 1610. As regent for the young Louis XIII, she worked through royal councils, ministers, favorites, and aristocratic alliances. Her government sought dynastic security and a closer relationship with Spain, including marriages linking the French and Spanish royal families.

The regency faced noble opposition, financial demands, and disputes over access to patronage. Marie relied heavily on Concino Concini and his wife, Leonora Galigaï, whose influence attracted resentment. She convened the Estates-General in 1614, but the divisions among its orders produced little effective reform. Payments temporarily accommodated rebellious princes without ending the struggle for control.

In 1617 Louis XIII asserted his independence, authorized Concini's killing, and removed his mother from power. Marie withdrew to Blois, escaped, and became involved in armed opposition before reaching a settlement with her son. Richelieu helped negotiate reconciliation and benefited from her support, eventually entering the royal council in 1624. Their alliance broke down as his policies conflicted with her religious and diplomatic alignments. During the Day of the Dupes in 1630, Louis chose to retain Richelieu, ending her attempt to displace him.

Marie subsequently went into exile and moved among European courts, seeking support without recovering effective authority in France. She died at Cologne in 1642. Her patronage had meanwhile reshaped the cultural landscape: she commissioned the Luxembourg Palace and the celebrated cycle of paintings by Rubens presenting her life and regency in an idealized form. These works made political statements. Her career shows both a queen mother's governing powers and their vulnerability once a king ruled independently. Hostile stereotypes about female rulers and foreign favorites complicate assessments of her policies.