Cardinal Richelieu and Related Topics

Portrait by Philippe de Champaigne, 1635. Louis's widow, Queen Anne, dispatched this portrait to the Spanish court in 1655 as a gift to her brother King Philip IV.

Louis XIII

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King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown.

Portrait of Louis XIII by Frans Pourbus the Younger, c. 1616

Half Louis d'Or (1643) depicting Louis XIII

Louis XIII on horseback, c. undefined 1615–1620. Bronze, from France (probably Paris). Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Louis XIII, by Frans Pourbus the younger (1620)

Louis XIII Crowned by Victory (Siege of La Rochelle, 1628), Philippe de Champaigne, musée du Louvre

"Fleet of Montmorency", led by Augustin de Beaulieu, in the East Indies, 1619–22

Anne of Austria, Queen of France, wife of Louis XIII (by Peter Paul Rubens, 1625)

Portrait of Louis XIII in his coronation robes by Philippe de Champaigne

Louis XIII, taciturn and suspicious, relied heavily on his chief ministers, first Charles d'Albert, duc de Luynes and then Cardinal Richelieu, to govern the Kingdom of France.

Portrait of Jules Mazarin by Pierre Mignard (1658)

Cardinal Mazarin

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Italian cardinal, diplomat, and politician who served as the chief minister to the kings of France Louis XIII and Louis XIV from 1642 until his death in 1661.

Mazarin carrying the peace agreement to the armies at Casale, crying "Peace! Peace!" (18th century engraving)

Mazarin as a papal envoy in Paris (1632)

Portrait of Cardinal Jules Mazarin by Simon Vouet (before 1649, private collection)

Anne of Austria with her children Louis XIV of France and Philippe, Duke of Orléans (unknown artist)

An anti-Mazarin cartoon from the Fronde (about 1650). The caption reads, "Despite Mazarin, the frondeurs assure the safety of the state."

Louis the Prince de Condé, leader of the second Fronde

Battle between the Fronde forces of the Prince de Conde and the army loyal to Anne of Austria and Mazarin

Nicolas Fouquet, the Superintendent of Finances

Jean-Baptiste Colbert, the enemy and successor of Fouquet

The wedding of Louis XIV and Maria Theresa. Mazarin is at their right.

Tomb of Mazarin in the Institut de France

Mazarin seated within the Gallery of his Palace (1659)

Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione, by Raphael, purchased by Mazarin from Richelieu

Torelli's set design for Act 5 of Pierre Corneille's Andromède as performed at the Petit-Bourbon in 1650

Carved coat of arms of Mazarin on a bookcase in the Bibliothèque Mazarine in Paris

Anne Marie Martinozzi, Princess of Conti

Marie Mancini, whom Louis XIV wished to marry

Marie Anne Mancini, who became Duchess of Bouillon.

After serving as a papal diplomat for Pope Urban VIII, Mazarin offered his diplomatic services to Cardinal Richelieu and moved to Paris in 1640.

Louis XIV

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King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715.

Louis XIV as a young child, unknown painter

Louis XIV in 1643, just before becoming king, by Claude Deruet

Europe after the Peace of Westphalia in 1648

1655 portrait of Louis, the Victor of the Fronde, portrayed as the god Jupiter

Louis and his family portrayed as Roman gods in a 1670 painting by Jean Nocret. L to R: Louis' aunt, Henriette-Marie; his brother, Philippe, duc d'Orléans; the Duke's daughter, Marie Louise d'Orléans, and wife, Henriette-Anne Stuart; the Queen-mother, Anne of Austria; three daughters of Gaston d'Orléans; Louis XIV; the Dauphin Louis; Queen Marie-Thérèse; la Grande Mademoiselle.

Louis XIV in 1670, engraved portrait by Robert Nanteuil

The future Philip V being introduced as king of Spain by his grandfather, Louis XIV

Louis XIV crosses the Lower Rhine at Lobith on 12 June 1672; Rijksmuseum Amsterdam

The Persian embassy to Louis XIV sent by Sultan Husayn in 1715. Ambassade de Perse auprès de Louis XIV, studio of Antoine Coypel.

Siamese embassy of King Narai to Louis XIV in 1686, led by Kosa Pan. Engraving by Nicolas Larmessin.

Louis receiving the Doge of Genoa at Versailles on 15 May 1685, following the Bombardment of Genoa. (Reparation faite à Louis XIV par le Doge de Gênes. 15 mai 1685 by Claude Guy Halle, Versailles.)

Louis XIV in 1685, the year he revoked the Edict of Nantes

Protestant peasants rebelled against the officially sanctioned dragonnades (conversions enforced by dragoons, labeled "missionaries in boots") that followed the Edict of Fontainebleau.

The Franco-Spanish army led by the Duke of Berwick defeated decisively the Alliance forces of Portugal, England, and the Dutch Republic at the Battle of Almansa.

The Battle of Ramillies between the French and the English, 23 May 1706

Map of France after the death of Louis XIV

Dual Cypher of King Louis XIV & Queen Marie Thérèse

Louis XIV encouraged Catholic missions through the creation of the Paris Foreign Missions Society

Painting from 1667 depicting Louis as patron of the fine arts

The Cour royale and the Cour de marbre at Versailles

Bust of Louis XIV by Gianlorenzo Bernini

Bronze bust of Louis XIV. Circa 1660, by an unknown artist. From Paris, France. The Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Le roi gouverne par lui-même, modello for the central panel of the ceiling of the Hall of Mirrors ca. 1680 by Le Brun, (1619–1690)

Louis XIV (seated) with his son le Grand Dauphin (to the left), his grandson Louis, Duke of Burgundy (to the right), his great-grandson Louis Duke of Anjou, and Madame de Ventadour, Anjou's governess, who commissioned this painting; busts of Henry IV and Louis XIII are in the background.

Territorial expansion of France under Louis XIV (1643–1715) is depicted in orange.

Royal procession passing the Pont-Neuf under Louis XIV

Anne kept the direction of religious policy strongly in her hand until 1661; her most important political decisions were to nominate Cardinal Mazarin as her chief minister and the continuation of her late husband's and Cardinal Richelieu's policy, despite their persecution of her, for the sake of her son.

Les Grandes Misères de la guerre (The Great Miseries of War) by Jacques Callot, 1633

Thirty Years' War

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One of the most destructive wars in European history.

Habsburg possessions in Europe, ca. 1700

The Spanish Road
Purple: Spanish dependencies
Green: Ruled by Austria
Brown: Ruled by Spain

A contemporary woodcut depicts the Third Defenestration of Prague (1618), which marked the beginning of the Bohemian Revolt

Contemporary painting showing the Battle of White Mountain (1620), where Imperial-Spanish forces under Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly won a decisive victory.

Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria whose seizure of the Palatinate expanded the war

Contemporary colored engraving showing the Siege of Stralsund, May to 4 August 1628

Albrecht von Wallenstein achieved great military success for the Empire but his power threatened both Ferdinand and the German princes

Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, known as the "Lion of the North", who was killed at Lützen in 1632

Travellers attacked by soldiers, Vrancx, 1647. Note devastated landscape in background; by the 1640s, shortage of supplies and forage for horses drastically limited military campaigns

The final battle of the war; Swedish siege of Prague

Siege and capture of Casale Monferrato by French troops, 1630

The Iberian Union; Spain's inability to protect Portuguese interests in the 1602 to 1663 Dutch–Portuguese War was a key factor in the 1640 Portuguese Restoration War

Holy Roman Empire after the Peace of Westphalia, 1648

Frederick's son Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine, restored by Westphalia

Population declines within Germany 1618 to 1648
Note; Decline includes factors such as emigration from rural to more secure urban areas and does not equate to Deaths

Breitenfeld 1631; Tilly's army (Left) are deployed two companies deep, the Swedes (Right) just one company deep

A peasant begs for mercy in front of his burning farm; by the 1630s, being caught in the open by soldiers from either side was 'tantamount to a death sentence'

Europe after the Peace of Westphalia, 1648

Swedish sovereignty over Western Pomerania (in blue) was confirmed in 1653

Frederick V of the Palatinate was crowned 'Frederick II' of Bohemia in 1619 as a protest by the largely Protestant Czech nobility.

Sack of Magdeburg in 1631. Of the 25,000 citizens, only 5,000 survived.

King Gustavus was killed at the Battle of Lützen in November 1632.

Signing of the Peace of Münster between Spain and the Dutch Republic, 30 January 1648.

The defeat at Nördlingen in 1634 was a huge setback for the Protestant-Swedish alliance and influenced France's entry into the war the following year.

Cardinal Richelieu largely directed French foreign policy throughout the course of the conflict.

Ferdinand III was elected Holy Roman Emperor following the death of his father in 1637.

Louis, Duke of Enghien leading at Freiburg, 1644.

Although a French victory, the second battle of Nördlingen in 1645 delayed their advance into Bavaria for another year.

The Battle of Lens was one of the last major battles of the main conflict. However, the war between France and Spain would continue until 1659.

In early 1626, Cardinal Richelieu, main architect of the alliance, faced a new Huguenot rebellion at home and in the March Treaty of Monzón, France withdrew from Northern Italy, re-opening the Spanish Road.

D'Artagnan, Athos, Aramis, and Porthos Image by Maurice Leloir

The Three Musketeers

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French historical adventure novel written in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas.

Depiction of the Cardinal's musketeers, the great rivals of the King's musketeers.

Three Musketeers, Issue No. 1, Classic Comics, published 1941

D'Artagnan resolves to avenge himself upon the older man, who is later revealed to be the Comte de Rochefort, an agent of Cardinal Richelieu, who is passing orders from the cardinal to his spy, Lady de Winter, usually called Milady de Winter or simply "Milady".

Académie Française

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Principal French council for matters pertaining to the French language.

Cardinal Richelieu, responsible for the establishment of the Académie

Raymond Poincaré was one of the five French heads of state who became members of the Académie Française. He is depicted wearing the habit vert, or green habit, of the Académie.

Title page of the 6th edition of the Académie's dictionary (1835)

The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII.

Anne of Austria

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Infanta of Spain who became Queen of France as the wife of King Louis XIII from their marriage in 1615 until Louis XIII died in 1643.

Anne of Austria, coronation costume, by Peter Paul Rubens

Louis XIII, Anne, and their son Louis XIV, flanked by Cardinal Richelieu and the Duchesse de Chevreuse.

Anne of Austria widow, by Charles de Steuben, Versailles. She never lost her love for magnificent jewellery, and she especially loved bracelets, which emphasized her famously beautiful hands

Last grand portrait of Anne of Austria, Charles Beaubrun

Louis turned now to Cardinal Richelieu as his advisor, who served as his first minister from 1624 until his death in 1642.

La Rochelle at the time of the 1628 siege

Siege of La Rochelle

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Result of a war between the French royal forces of Louis XIII of France and the Huguenots of La Rochelle in 1627–28.

Huguenots areas of France (marked purple and blue)

The Duke of Buckingham attempted to lift the siege.

The Siege of La Rochelle (map), Stefano della Bella, 1641

La Rochelle, surrounded by Royal fortifications and troops, Jacques Callot, 1630.

Siege of La Rochelle, with nearby Île de Ré, by G.Orlandi, 1627.

First seawall, built by Pompeo Targone, 1627.

Second seawall, designed by Clément Métezeau.

Construction of a Royal fort in the area of Les Minimes.

Jean Guitton and the defenders vowing to defend La Rochelle to the death.

The surrender of La Rochelle, 17th century.

Entrance of Louis XIII in La Rochelle, by Pierre Courtilleau.

Plate 5: overview of La Rochelle surrounded.

City of La Rochelle and fortifications during the siege, anonymous, 17th century, Versailles.

Siege of La Rochelle by Claude Lorrain, Le Louvre.

The Siege of La Rochelle by Jacques Callot, with the English fleet of the Earl of Lindsey approaching.

Lucerna Impiorum Extinguetur ("The impious lantern is extinguished"), 1626.

Two dogs in the water around the reflection of a crown 1627.

Dragon (La Rochelle) and lion (England) mastered under Royal arm, 1628.

Lionness captured behind a seawall, 1628.

Sea monster cut in two by the seawall, 1628.

English snail pierced by an arrow on a raft, Esto Domi ("Go Home"), 1628.

Vanquished English ship, Tellus decepit et Unda, 1629.

Taking La Rochelle was a priority for Louis and his chief minister Cardinal Richelieu; it was then the second- or third-largest city in France, with over 30,000 inhabitants, and one of its most important ports.

New France

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The area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spain in 1763 under the Treaty of Paris.

Location of New France (dark green) in 1712

A map of New France made by Samuel de Champlain in 1612

A map of western New France, including the Illinois Country, by Vincenzo Coronelli, 1688

The Merchant Flag of France (1689 design), inspiration for the flag of Quebec

One group of King's Daughters arrives at Quebec, 1667

Political map of the northeastern part of North America in 1664

French comfort women transported to Louisiana as brides for the colonists

Jean Talon, count of Orsainville, first intendant of New France.

Card money in New France had the same currency value in the colony as minted currency. c.1714

Company of New France building in present day Quebec City

The arrival of Radisson in an Amerindian camp in 1660

Map showing the approximate location of major tribes and settlements

1681 French map of the New World above the equator: New France and the Great Lakes in the north, with a dark line as the Mississippi River to the west in the Illinois Country and the mouth of the river (and future New Orleans) then terra incognita

Map of Canada (New France) in 1703, showing full length of Mississippi River

Le Grand Voyage du Pays des Hurons, Gabriel Sagard, 1632

Governor Frontenac performing a tribal dance with indigenous allies

Engraving depicting Adam Dollard with a keg of gunpowder above his head, during the Battle of Long Sault

Map of North America in 1702 showing forts, towns and (in solid colors) areas occupied by European settlements

An 1850s depiction of the death of the French Jesuit priest Sébastien Rale during Father Rale's War

Map of territorial claims in North America by 1750, before the French and Indian War, which was part of the greater worldwide conflict known as the Seven Years' War (1756 to 1763). Possessions of Britain (pink), France (blue), and Spain (orange, California, Pacific Northwest, and Great Basin not indicated)

Map showing British territorial gains following the Treaty of Paris in pink, and Spanish territorial gains after the Treaty of Fontainebleau in yellow

A chart showing the political organization of New France, c. 1759

Cardinal Richelieu, adviser to Louis XIII, wished to make New France as significant as the English colonies.

Marie de' Medici confronts Cardinal Richelieu before Louis XIII. Illustration by Maurice Leloir (1910)

Day of the Dupes

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Day of the Dupes (in la journée des Dupes) is the name given to a day in November 1630 on which the enemies of Cardinal Richelieu mistakenly believed that they had succeeded in persuading King Louis XIII of France to dismiss Richelieu from power.

A report on Cardinal Richelieu

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