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It is a bye-week for the podcast, but I am announcing the brand new newsletter On This Day in Women’s History. If you sign up for it on Patreon or on Substack, every Monday you will get a small story about what historical women did on that day. If today were Monday, it might say something like this:

On May 14, 1643, King Louis XIII of France died. His son and heir was all of four years old. A king so young needs a regent, and that is where a woman can get her chance.

In all its long history, the great country of France never had a ruling queen. Not even once. Various kings made sure of that, sometimes with legal claims that do not stand up to scrutiny and at other times with a naked blade. But even so, the French were ruled by strong women at times. One of those times began on May 14, 1643, no thanks to Louis XIII. He was dead, but he had made a will that specifically stripped his wife of regency powers. He wanted a regency council instead, probably because his wife had suspect loyalties. Her name was Anne of Austria, but she was from Spain, just to make things confusing. Spain and France sometimes sent each other princesses. In between times they sent each other armies on a rampage. That was hard on a princess who usually had little say in either the marriage or the war.

Anyway, Louis XIII didn’t want his wife to be regent, and his will said so in no uncertain terms. But Anne was having none of that. She gathered support and went before Parlement to get that will canceled. She succeeded.

During her time as regent, Anne put down a rebellion. She also established the Royal Academy of Art which was the premier art institution in France for over a century and ultimately included such luminaries as Jacques-Louis David and one of my personal favorites, Elisabeth Vigee le Brun (see episode 10.7).

But during Anne’s lifetime, the Royal Academy was only getting started. Her regency ended in 1651, when Louis XIV was considered old and mature enough to rule on his own. He was thirteen years old when that determination was made.

Most thirteen-year-olds could still use a little guidance when it comes to things like running your own country. So Anne continued to have influence for years afterwards, until she died of breast cancer in 1666. She was certainly not the first woman to die of breast cancer, but she is among the best historical cases because her lady-in-waiting kept a detailed record. It’s gruesome. I’ll spare you. (Or you could check out episode 13.13 on mastectomies, where I didn’t spare you.)

Please consider signing up to get story like this in your inbox every Monday. Patreon subscribers can get it here. Everyone else can get it here. Either way, the story about the historical woman is free, along with news about the podcast, and a place to share your recommendations for historical books, movies, shows, etc. If you sign up as a subscriber, you’re also helping me keep this show going, and I’ll send you bonus content each week as a thank you. I’ll be back next week with a regular episode of Her Half of History. It’s on Marie Curie, the first female Nobel Laureate. Don’t miss it. Thanks!