France In The Age Of Louis Xiii And Richelieu

When Cardinal Richelieu became Louise XIII's chief minister in 1624, France was in danger of becoming a vassal state. By strengthening the power of the state and pressing the whole nation into its service, Louis and Richelieu helped to liberate France from its medieval shackles and opened wider horizons for every Frenchman. Richelieu is generally regarded as the architect of French unity who perceived better than any of his contemporaries the historical trend toward the modern nation-state. In this book, Victor-L. Tapie refutes those who have attempted to detach Richelieu from the age in which he lived; Richelieu from the age in which he lived; Richelieu's greatness, he argues, resided precisely in his being a man of his time, who in all his work never lost sight of realities but sought to merge them with France's needs and aspirations. Yet, however responsible Richelieu was for the achievements of his ere, it would be unjust to discount the contribution of Louise XIII. Inspired by a sense of his mission as ruler, the King was capable of speaking and acting in ways that compelled obedience and lent authority to the cardinal's domestic and foreign policies. The imposing administrative structure that the two men erected-though incomplete and precarious-provided the foundation for the glorious years of Louise XIV. This important work by an eminent French historian develops these themes as it traces the reign of Louis XIII from its ominous beginning in 1610 to its profoundly moving close thirty-three years later. Although Louis and Richelieu are the main protagonists of his stirring account, Professor Tapie never loses sight of the French people. This wise and compassionate book brings to life the entire society that inspired Alexandre Dumas's classic The Three Musketeers

Chief minister to King Louis XIII, Cardinal Richelieu was the architect of a new France in the seventeenth century, and the force behind the nation's rise as a European power. Among the first statesmen to clearly understand the necessity of a balance of powers, he was one of the early realist politicians, practicing in the wake of Niccolò Machiavelli. Truly larger than life, he has captured the imagination of generations, both through his own story and through his portrayal as a ruthless political mastermind in Alexandre Dumas's classic The Three Musketeers. Forging a nation-state amid the swirl of unruly, grasping nobles, widespread corruption, wars of religion, and an ambitious Habsburg empire, Richelieu's hands were always full. Serving his fickle monarch, he mastered the politics of absolute power. Jean-Vincent Blanchard's rich and insightful new biography brings Richelieu fully to life in all his complexity. At times cruel and ruthless, Richelieu was always devoted to creating a lasting central authority vested in the power of monarchy, a power essential to France's position on the European stage for the next two centuries. Richelieu's careful understanding of politics as spectacle speaks to contemporary readers; much of what he accomplished was promoted strategically through his great passion for theater and literature, and through the romance of power. Éminence offers a rich portrait of a fascinating man and his era, and gives us a keener understanding of the dark arts of politics.

Presents studies of Cardinal Richelieu's career as chief minister to Louis XIII of France, rejecting the traditional picture of Richelieu as the single-handed creator of the French absolute state, and instead painting a portrait of a statesman politically astute but none the less devout.

Presents a biography of Richelieu up to the point where he took ministerial office for the second time in 1624.