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Cardinal Mazarin

Type Figure Region France Time 1602–1661 Also known as Mazarin、Jules Mazarin

Italian-born French cardinal and statesman, the de facto ruler after Louis XIV's accession as a child.…

Timeline

  1. 1643–1651Paris · Île-de-FranceAfter Richelieu's death, Mazarin became chief minister and co-ruled as regent with Queen Anne. His centralizing policies and tax increases provoked resistance from the nobility and parlements; in 1648 the Day of the Dupes erupted, plunging France into civil war.
  2. 1651–1653Cologne · North Rhine-WestphaliaAfter Louis XIV declared his majority, Mazarin was forced by the parlements and some nobles to leave France, going into exile in Germany and elsewhere. After the rebels suffered setbacks in 1653, he returned to Paris and helped the royal house restore its authority.
  3. 1653–1660Paris · Île-de-FranceAfter returning to court, Mazarin reformed the finances, relied on generals such as Turenne to suppress the remaining rebels, and directed diplomacy toward Spain and England. The 1659 Treaty of the Pyrenees ended the Franco-Spanish War, and in 1660 he arranged the marriage of Louis XIV to a Spanish princess, laying a solid foundation for Bourbon royal power.

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