Armand du Plessis, also known as Cardinal
Richelieu, was the First Minister of State in France between 1624 and 1642. In
many way this clergyman politician laid the ground work that established France
as a great continental power. Richelieu’s term in office overlaps with the rule
of the Bourbon monarch Louis XIII.
Richelieu was a champion of the Catholic Church
but also an ardent opponent of Hapsburg power, He opposed Protestant forces in
France but was willing to ally with various Protestant states to check the
Austro-Spanish Alliance. Domestically he centralized power in France and
greatly expanded France’s colonial outlook in North America (New France) and
the Caribbean.
Ever the
astute political animal, Richelieu always made sure that he was Louis XIII
himself. He ousted rivals with ruthless intent including Louis’ mother Marie de
Medici when it appeared as though she was acting against his will.
In 1627
his forces defeated the French Protestants (Huguenots) at La Rochelle although
he permitted the toleration of protestants outlined in the Edict of Nantes
(1598) to continue. During the Thirty Years War Richelieu placed French forces
in alliances with Sweden against the Habsburgs. His moves here would help
weaken the Hapsburg alliance ruining as well the career of his Spanish rival,
Duke of Olivares.
However
Richelieu’s policies alienated many. He clashed with the Pope and barely failed
a conspiracy plot against him (his network of spies served him well). At his
death Richelieu was succeeded by his protégé Cardinal Mazarin who continued
with several of his policies during the regency of Louis XIV.
Historians
have long debated his legacy, with some seeing him as the embodiment of a
powerful France that would rise to left by Hapsburg decline while others
choosing to focus on the great deal of negativity that defined his
authoritarian system of governance.
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