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Richelieu (ARMAND JEAN DU- PLESSIS)
ARMAND JEAN DU- PLESSIS, CARDINAL, DUC DE, a French statesman; statesman; born of a noble but impoverished family in Paris, Sept. 5, 1585.
CARDINAL RICHELIEU Richelieu was educated for the army, but abandoned a military career for the Church, in order to keep in the family the bishopric of Luçon, to which he was consecrated at 22. Representative of the Poitou clergy at the States-general in 1614, he attracted the notice of the queen- RICHELIEU mother, and rose in 1616 to be secretary at war and foreign affairs; but the downfall of Marshal d'Ancre, the queen-regent's favorite, in April, 1617, sent him back to his diocese. At length in August, 1620, the queen-mother and the young king were reconciled, mainly through the agency of the celebrated Capuchin Father Joseph "l'éminence grise" of later days, till his death in 1638, the intimate friend of Richelieu. The latter showed much tact and patient forbearance in his measures; he formed an alliance with the powerful Duc de Luynes, and in 1622 was named cardinal, in 1624 Minister of State.
This position he retained to the end of his life, in spite of countless court intrigues, and ere long the most powerful open and secret opposition from the queen, Gaston, Duke of Orleans, and a host of minor i intriguers, first among whom was the too famous Duchesse de Chevreuse.
His first important measure was the blow to Spain of an alliance with England, cemented by the betrothal (1625) of the king's sister, Henrietta, with Charles, then Prince of Wales. In the Valtelline War he cleared the country of the Spanish and papal troops, but was unable to pursue his advantage, and had to submit to the terms of the peace of Monzon (1626). His next task was to destroy the political power of the Huguenot party. After a 15 months' siege, which he conducted in person, concentrating all his energy on the task, the great stronghold of La Rochelle was starved into submission, Oct. 30, 1628. He next turned to crush Rohan and the Languedoc rebels, and destroyed the proud walls of Montauban, last refuge of Huguenot independence. Early in 1630 he entered Italy with a splendid army, himself in command, and soon reduced Savoy to submission. Meanwhile he plunged into dark and tortuous intrigues with the Italian princes, the Pope, and with the Protestants in the N. against the House of Austria. He promised a large subsidy to Gustavus Adolphus, and, through the masterly diplomacy of Father Joseph at the Ratisbon Diet in June, 1630, succeeded in persuading Ferdinand to dismiss Wallenstein. The first treaty of Cherasco (April, 1631), ended the Italian war, the second gave France the important strategic position of Pinerolo. Just before this final triumph Richelieu had successfully surmounted the greatest danger of his life-a great combination formed for his downfall by the queen-mother, Gaston of Orleans, the House of Guise, Bassompierre, Créqui, and the Marillacs. She tried to bully the king by her violence, but Richelieu followed his master to Versailles, and again had the whole power of the realm placed RICHELIEU entirely in his hands. So ended "the Day mother fled to Brussels, Bassompierre went to the Bastille, Gaston fled to Lorwent to the Bastille, Gaston fled to Lorand peer, and Governor of Brittany. Furand peer, and Governor of Brittany. Further intrigues and attempted rebellions by the emigrant nobles and governors of provinces were crushed with merciless other nobles were sent to the block. Meanother nobles were sent to the block. Meantime Gustavus Adolphus had run his brief and brilliant course; and his death at Lützen removed an ally with whom it July, 1632, Richelieu had seized the duchy of Lorraine. He continued his intrigues with the Protestants against Ferdinand, subsidizing them with his gold, but till 1635 he took no open part in the war.
In May of that year, after completing his preparations and concluding a close alliance with Victor Amadeus of Savoy, Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar, and the Dutch, he declared war on Spain, and at once placed in the field an army of 132,000 men. But his first efforts were singularly unsuccessful, and in 1636 Piccolomini and the Cardinal-Infante, Governor of the Netherlands, entered Picardy, crossed the Somme, and threatened Paris itself.
In this hour of peril Richelieu rose to the height of his genius, and awoke a new and irresistible force as he threw himself on the patriotism of France. With 30,000 foot and 12,000 horse he swept the enemy out of Picardy, while his ally Bernhard drove them across the Rhine, and in 1638 destroyed the imperial army victory which opened to him the gates of pected death of Bernhard threw the fruit of his victories into the hands of Richelieu, whose policy soon bore further fruit lieu, whose policy soon bore further fruit Spain-revolts in Catalonia, and the loss of Portugal; the victories of Wolfenof Portugal; the victories of Wolfenthe Imperialists in Germany; and at length in 1641 in Savoy also in the ascendency of the French party. Another triumph that same year was the speedy collapse of the Imperialist invasion in the N. by the Count of Soissons, who perished in the first battle.
The hatred of the great French nobles in the first battle. and Richelieu found safety alone in the king's sense of his own helplessness without him. The last conspiracy against him was that of the grand-equerry, the young out him. The last conspiracy against him the Duke of Bouillon, and the Spanish court were soon revealed to the cardinal, the Duke of Bouillon, and the Spanish which covered the whole of France. When RICHELIEU the hour was ripe he placed in the king's powers as lieutenant-general of the realm. Cinq-Mars and De Thou were at once arous plot with Spain, and was given full powers as lieutenant-general of the realm.
Cinq-Mars and De Thou were at once arhis own security by betraying his accomof Orleans, hastened after his kind to buy cuted at Lyons in the autumn of 1642.
But the great minister was himself dying cuted at Lyons in the autumn of 1642.
But the great minister was himself dying in the hour of his greatest triumphs.
He faced the inevitable at last with calm have never had any other enemies than forgive his enemies, he made answer, I have never had any other enemies than the State's." He died Dec. 4, 1642, besuccessor. Richelieu built up the power of the successor.
Richelieu built up the power of the French crown, he achieved for France a preponderance in Europe, and throughout life he moved onward to his goal with the either by fear or pity. He destroyed the local liberties of France, and crushed every element of constitutional government, and his policy overwhelmed the citizens with taxation and made waste places some of her fairest provinces and most will always differ according as we exwill always differ according as we ex- He never sacrificed amine his end or his means the public or the private man. to personal ambition the interests of his country as these seemed to himself, but he often forgot in his methods the laws of morality and humanity.
The weakest point in Richelieu's character was his literary ambition and the a literary reputation. His own plays, for the fate of which he trembled with anxiety, sleep in safe oblivion, but his "Memoirs" are still read with interest. He founded the French Academy. His Correspondence and State Papers, edited by d'Avenel, fill eight volumes of the "Collection de Documents inédits sur l'Histoire de France" (1853-1877).