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I'm currently reading Anthony Levi's biography of Louis XIV, and he states that it is extremely unlikely Louis's father was Louis XIII, instead contending (on p. 21) that it "seems virtually certain" that Anne of Austria's favorite, Cardinal Mazarin, was the real father. He's less clear on whether this is true for Louis's younger brother, Philippe.
In my admittedly small number of readings on Louis XIV, I've never come across this theory, though I have read that relations between Louis XIII and Anne were not good, and the younger Louis's birth does seem to come out of nowhere. Levi lists several reasons for supporting his paternity theory. Was this theory current during Louis XIV's lifetime? Or, more broadly, is it currently accepted by historians (aside from Levi) now?
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