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Cardinal Richelieu

Type Figure Region France Time 1585–1642 Also known as Duke of Richelieu

Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu (1585–1642), French statesman and cardinal, chief minister from 1624 who crushed Huguenot and noble revolts, curt…

Timeline

  1. 1607–1614Luçon · VendéeHe took up the bishopric of Luçon in 1607, gaining administrative and diplomatic experience in a local diocese. In 1614 he attended the Estates-General as a clergy representative, beginning to emerge on the central political stage.
  2. 1616–1617Paris · Île-de-FranceIn 1616 he entered the royal council at the invitation of Queen Mother Marie de' Medici as secretary for war affairs. After Concini's execution in 1617 he was exiled along with the queen mother's fall from power, but gradually returned to the center of power.
  3. 1624–1642Paris · Île-de-FranceFrom 1624 he served as chief minister to Louis XIII, concentrating diplomatic, military, and domestic power. He besieged La Rochelle in 1628 to crush the Huguenot revolt, brought France into the Thirty Years' War in 1635, and dominated French policy until his death in 1642.

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