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FRENCH POLITICS: Cardinal Richelieu

FRENCH POLITICS: Cardinal Richelieu. “If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him.”. Fiction and Fact. Early Life. Born the third and youngest son of a minor noble who passed away while he was a child

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FRENCH POLITICS: Cardinal Richelieu

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  1. FRENCH POLITICS:Cardinal Richelieu “If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him.”

  2. Fiction and Fact

  3. Early Life • Born the third and youngest son of a minor noble who passed away while he was a child • Early life started training for a life in the military • To protect the money the family was receiving from a Bishopric, Richelieu became a bishop • After becoming Bishop he became known as a reformer – ending certain abuses while at the same time affirming the authority of the Church

  4. Rise to Power • Was elected to be a representative of the First Estate in the States General in 1614 • Argued for: • No taxes for the Clergy (First Estate) • More political power for the Clergy • Richelieu would later negotiate a peace between King Louis XIII and his mother, former Queen, who was leading a rebellion of nobles

  5. Chief Minister • By holding the title Chief Minister and his actions he is often considered the world’s first Prime Minister as we understand it today • As the Chief Minister to King Louis XIII he had two goals: • Centralization of power in France • Opposition to the Hapsburg dynasty (a family ruling Austria in the East and Spain in the Southwest)

  6. Centralizing Power • Richelieu fought to limit the power of the nobility by: • Eliminating the position of Constable of France – a noble who was in charge of the military • Razing all fortified castles – this made it impossible for nobles to defend against the King’s forces • Taxes would be collected not by the nobles but by intendants – civil servants appointed by the central government

  7. Centralizing Power • Richelieu also helped to centralize power in France by: • Putting down religious rebellion in the form of the Huguenots • Protestants had their political rights and protection removed • Establishing a large network of spies both in France and outside • Advising the king to rigorously and harshly punish small crimes to help deter larger crimes

  8. Foreign Policy • To aide his foreign policy Richelieu would see the army grow from 12 000 men to 150 000 men when he died • France would fight a number of different battles/wars against the Hapsburgs: • Northern Italy vs. Spanish Hapsburgs • Giving money to both the Dutch and Germany mercenaries who were fighting Spain • Gave money to Sweden to fight the Holy Roman Empire (Austria/Hungry) in Germany and later fighting beside Sweden in the Thirty Years’ War

  9. Foreign Policy • Richelieu’s decision to oppose the Holy Roman Empire put him in opposition to the Catholic Church of which he was a Cardinal • Richelieu succeeded in changing the perception of the war from Catholic vs. Protestant to Nationalism vs. Hapsburg domination • It also showed Richelieu’s desire to ensure that no power was superior to France

  10. To Be Continued The Sun King, Louis XIV, Cometh

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