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Retz (JEAN FRAN OIS PAUL DE GONDI)

JEAN FRANÇOIS PAUL DE GONDI, a French prelate; born in Montmirail-en-Brie, France, in October, 1614. He became coadjutor to his uncle, the Archbishop of Paris; and, after many intrigues, and fighting several duels, he was made Archbishop of Corinth, and cardinal. He conspired against the life of Cardinal Richelieu, and took a prominent part in opposing Mazarin during the minority of Louis XIV. At length Mazarin, who both hated and feared him, imprisoned him in the castle of Vincennes, then at Nantes, whence he escaped, and traveled through Holland, Flanders, and England. In 1675 he wished to give up his cardinal's hat, REUSS and retire from the world, but the Pope would not receive it. He was daring, turbulent, and intriguing; and in his "Memoirs" he has drawn his own portrait with considerable skill and impartiality. He died in Paris, Aug. 24, 1679.