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Elizabeth Wirth Marvick's Louis XIII: The Making of a King is a thoughtful and profound psychohistorical work. It is an important contribution on many counts. It is well researched and well written, breaks new ground, and is compelling to read. Marvick sensitively describes the upbringing of Louis XIII, at first the dauphin and then the king of France, and relates his childhood development to his adult behavior. It is the story of a poor little rich boy.
What is most notable in Louis XIII is that Marvick is alert to the nuances of personality development and to the different phases of childhood. She demonstrates an excellent grasp of psychoanalytic theory and practice, from Sigmund Freud to Margaret Mahler. This results in her presenting a textured portrait of Louis, illuminated from a psychodynamic point of view.
Indeed, Marvick comes well prepared for this work; she is a leading scholar on seventeenth century France and an eminent psychohistorian. Marvick is also the author of another major book, The Young Richelieu: A Psychoanalytic Approach to Leadership (University of Chicago Press, 1983). These books, Young Richelieu and Louis