ARMAND JEAN DU PLESSIS, DUKE OF RICHELIEU

French statesman, cardinal (1622), duke (1631), first minister of Louis XIII (1624).

“My first goal was the greatness of the king, my second goal was the power of the kingdom” - this is how one of the most famous people in the history of France, who led the entire policy of the state for 18 years, the almighty Cardinal Richelieu, described his activities.

His activities were assessed differently by his contemporaries and descendants and are still the subject of heated debate. The aristocrats accused him of undermining feudal foundations, and the “lower classes” considered him to be the culprit of their plight. Most of us are familiar with the activities of the cardinal from the novels of A. Dumas, where he is presented as an intriguer plotting intrigues for the unfortunate queen, a powerful enemy of the brave royal musketeers - a clearly not sympathetic person.

But, be that as it may, as a statesman, Cardinal Richelieu determined the direction of development of France for 150 years, and the system he created collapsed only during the Great French Revolution. The revolutionary-minded French, not without reason, saw in him one of the symbols, the pillars of the old regime, and to please the raging crowd in 1793 they threw the remains of the first minister of Louis XIII at their feet.

Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu was born in Paris on September 9, 1585. His ancestors on his father's side have been known since the 14th century. They came from the noble nobility of the French province of Poitou. Being well-born does not mean being rich, and, according to available information, this family was not rich. The father of the future cardinal, Francois du Plessis, was part of the inner circle of two kings, Henry III and Henry IV. He had been with the first since 1573, when he was not yet king of France. It was François who informed Henry of Valois about the death of his brother, King Charles IX of France, and in May 1574 returned with him from Poland to Paris. As a reward for his faithful service, the new king of France made François du Plessis provost of the royal house, with the responsibility of maintaining law and order at court. Two years later Francois was awarded the order Holy Spirit and he was given the hereditary possession of the bishopric in Luzon, in the province of Poitou. He subsequently served as chief judge, minister of justice of France and chief of the secret service of Henry III. On the day of the king's assassination, Francois was next to him. The new king of France, Henry IV of Bourbon, retained du Plessis in his service, and Francois served this king faithfully. He managed to distinguish himself several times in battles and became the captain of the royal bodyguards. François du Plessis's career was interrupted by his death on July 19, 1590.

Richelieu's mother was Suzanne de la Porte, the daughter of François de la Porte, a successful figure in the Parisian parliament who received nobility. After the death of her husband, she was left with five minor children - three sons, Heinrich, Alphonse and Armand, and two daughters, Françoise and Nicole. She was given a modest pension to support them. Francois du Plessis left everything in such disarray that it was more profitable for the family to refuse the inheritance than to accept it. Suzanne's relationship with her mother-in-law was very difficult, and the family experienced serious financial difficulties. In order to somehow exist, Suzanne even had to sell her husband’s order chain.

Arman spent the first years of his life in the family castle, where he received his primary education at home. When his father died, the boy was only five years old, and soon the castle was given to creditors and the family moved to Paris. In 1594 he was assigned to the privileged College of Navarre. Even as a child, Armand du Plessis dreamed of a military career, and after graduating from college he entered the Pluvinel Academy, which trained officers for the royal cavalry. He was not in good health, but still decided to choose the traditional service for the male line of the family.

But family circumstances forced him to bury his dream of military exploits and put on a priest’s cassock. His brother Alphonse unexpectedly refused the bishopric in Luzon, therefore, in order to save the family inheritance, Armand entered the theological faculty of the Sorbonne in 1602, from which he graduated four years later, receiving a master's degree in canon law and a chair in Luzon. And although he was only 20 years old, and a person no younger than 23 years old had the right to head the bishopric, the king approved the young Abbot de Richelieu as Bishop of Luzon. To be ordained bishop, Richelieu himself went to Rome. He made a favorable impression on Pope Paul I with his deep knowledge and thereby obtained permission from the Holy See for ordination. Richelieu became Bishop on April 17, 1607.

Upon returning to Paris in the fall of the same year, Richelieu defended his dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Theology at the Sorbonne. He is well received at court, the king calls him only “my bishop,” and in the light of Richelieu he becomes the most fashionable preacher. Intelligence, erudition and eloquence - all this allowed young man hope for a career as a statesman. But as often happens in the courts of monarchs, if you have friends, you also have enemies. At the court of Henry IV there was a group of people dissatisfied with the king's policies. It was led by Queen Marie de' Medici and her favorite, the Duke de Sully. Richelieu soon felt the ambiguity and precariousness of his position at the court of the monarch, and in order not to tempt fate, he retired to his diocese. Here the bishop plunges headlong into matters, showing himself not only to be a zealous defender of the church, but also a sensible administrator, preventing many conflicts with both decisive and flexible measures. He does not cease to engage in theological research, expressed in a number of his works. He maintains contact with Paris through extensive correspondence with friends who remained in the capital. From a letter from one of them, he learns about the murder of Henry IV. This news stunned him, because he had high hopes for his career with the king. Richelieu very much regretted that he did not have a relationship with Marie de Medici, who was proclaimed regent for her young son, the new king of France, Louis XIII. He returns to Paris, but realizes that he was in a hurry - the new court had no time for him. But even the short time that Richelieu spent in Paris allowed him to accurately determine who would soon rule the eccentric queen regent. It was an Italian from Queen Concino Concini’s retinue, who for now kept a low profile. And Richelieu was not mistaken - soon Concini became Marshal d'Ancre and head of the queen's council.

There was nothing to do in Paris, and the bishop returned to Luzon again, devoting himself entirely to the affairs of the diocese. Correspondence began again with Paris. But in Luzon, Richelieu meets the man who marked the beginning of Richelieu's political career. This is Father Joseph, in the world – Francois Leclerc du Tremblay, and his contemporaries will call him “gray eminence”. Father Joseph was a prominent figure in the Capuchin Order and enjoyed great influence in both religious and political circles. He saw a high destiny in the young bishop and began to patronize him. It was Father Joseph who recommended Richelieu to Marie de Medici and her favorite Marshal d'Ancru, who invited the bishop to Paris to give sermons. At the same time, Richelieu managed to establish good relations with the marshal, and the queen and young Louis XIII began to attend his sermons.

In 1614, Richelieu was elected to represent the interests of the clergy of the province of Poitou at the Estates General. He immediately attracted attention with his maturity of judgment, fundamental knowledge and initiative. He was entrusted with representing the interests of the first estate (clergy) in other chambers, and in February 1615 he made a report outlining the opinions of the entire clergy on the problems of the state. In it, Richelieu managed to please everyone, not forgetting to create a springboard for himself. He recalled that thirty-five chancellors of France were clergy, and proposed more actively involving priests in the affairs of governing the country. Concerned about the nobility, he spoke about the prohibition of duels, since duels “exterminate the nobility.” He demanded a reduction in government spending and a fight against corrupt officials who “oppress the people.” Richelieu also said words of praise to the Queen Regent, which melted her heart. Richelieu understood perfectly well that Marie de Medici did not have a “state mind,” but he needed to win her trust, and he succeeded. The Queen Regent appoints the bishop as confessor to the young Queen Anne of Austria, and the following year he becomes Secretary of State, member of the Royal Council and personal adviser to Marie de' Medici. During this period, Richelieu managed to achieve some stabilization in the country, begin to reorganize the army, restore complete order in office work and significantly update the diplomatic corps. In area foreign policy the new Secretary of State failed to achieve good results, although this was not his fault. Having come to power, the new government of Marie de Medici reoriented its foreign policy towards rapprochement with Spain, which negated everything that Henry IV had managed to do for France. Richelieu had to support this line, although diplomacy was closer to him former king. He quickly climbed the career ladder, but this journey took only five months. The young king, to whom Richelieu did not pay enough attention, which was his mistake, grew up and wanted to rule himself. In April 1617, as a result of a coup carried out with the consent of the king, Marshal d'Ancre was killed, and the Royal Council was dispersed - free seats were given to former associates of Henry IV. Maria de' Medici went into exile, and her secretary of state was sent along with her Richelieu.

Disgrace, exile, years of wandering - however, the Bishop of Luzon was not going to give up. At this time, he was finally convinced of the destructiveness of the policies pursued by both Marie de Medici and the new favorites of Louis XIII. Richelieu wants to see France as a strong state, occupying an honorable place among European countries. He believes that he is able to unite the state, but to do this he needs to come to power again and subordinate the king to his influence.

To achieve his goals, Richelieu decided to play on the reconciliation of mother and son. The opportunity for this arose in 1622, when the king’s favorite, Albert de Luynes, the sworn enemy of Marie de’ Medici, died. With his death, the queen and Richelieu return to Paris, and Louis immediately introduces his mother to the Royal Council. The bishop's position at the king's court improved markedly, and in December 1622 he received the cardinal's mantle. Gradually, the cardinal managed to prove to Louis XIII and the court his indispensability. He knew well that for the king, the image of his father - Henry IV - was the ideal that the young king wanted to be like. The Cardinal used this and, whenever possible, always appealed to the memory of Henry. He began to spend a lot of time with the king, unobtrusively guiding his actions. The ability to maneuver and exploit differences between mother and son attracted everyone's attention to him. And in terms of intrigue, the cardinal had no equal. He managed to discredit the policies pursued by de Sillery and then by de La Vivielle, and came closer and closer to his cherished goal. In 1624, Richelieu was appointed first minister of France and managed to retain power until the end of his life.

It is difficult to list all the conspiracies that were organized against the first minister during the 18 years of his reign by those who were dissatisfied with his policies. Attempts were made on his life, which made it necessary to create a personal guard for the cardinal. It was composed of musketeers who wore red cloaks, in contrast to the king's musketeers, who wore blue cloaks.

By the time he was appointed to the post of first minister, Richelieu was already a man with established convictions and firm political principles, which he would consistently and persistently implement. A contemporary of the cardinal, the poet de Malherbe, wrote about him: “... there is something in this cardinal that goes beyond the generally accepted framework, and if our ship nevertheless copes with the storm, it will happen only when his valiant hand holds the reins of government "

Richelieu saw the meaning of his activities in the establishment of a strong, centralized state (royal) power and in strengthening the international positions of France. To strengthen the power of the king, it was necessary to begin with establishing peace within the state. To bring to submission the “front of princes” trying to snatch privileges and money from the king, Richelieu advised the king to stop making concessions to the aristocrats and pursue a tougher domestic policy. The cardinal did not hesitate to shed the blood of the rebels, and the execution of the Duke of Montmorency - one of the leading figures in the country - plunged the aristocracy into shock and forced them to humble their pride.

The next were the Huguenots, who received greater rights during the reign of Henry IV. They created their own small state in Languedoc with its center in La Rochelle and could break out of obedience at any moment. To put an end to the Huguenot freemen, a reason was required. And he didn’t keep himself waiting. In 1627, due to the construction of the fleet begun by Richelieu, relations between France and England became strained. The British sent troops to French lands and provoked the Huguenots to revolt. La Rochelle has risen. The French army quickly dealt with the English landing and besieged the fortress. Only hunger and loss of hope for outside help forced the defenders of La Rochelle to lay down their arms. On the advice of the cardinal, Louis XIII granted forgiveness to the defenders of the fortress and confirmed freedom of religion, but deprived the Huguenots of their previous privileges. Richelieu understood that imposing religious homogeneity on the country was a utopia. In the interests of the state, issues of faith faded into the background, and no further persecution followed. The cardinal said: “Both Huguenots and Catholics were equally French in my eyes.” Thus, the religious wars that had torn the country apart for more than seventy years ended, but this policy added Richelieu enemies among the church ministers.

Having brought the aristocrats to submission and solved the problem with the Huguenots, Richelieu took up parliaments that wanted to limit royal power. Parliaments - judicial and administrative institutions - existed in ten major cities, and the most influential of them was the Parisian Parliament. He had the right to register all royal edicts, after which they received the force of law. Having rights, parliaments used them and constantly sought to expand them. Richelieu's activities put an end to parliamentary interference in government. He also curtailed the rights of the provincial states - estate assemblies. The first minister replaced local self-government with the power of officials subordinate central government. In 1637, at his proposal, the provincial administration was unified, which was replaced by intendants of police, justice and finance appointed from the center to each province. In addition to strengthening royal power, this provided an effective counterbalance to the power of provincial governors, who often abused this power for personal gain.

With Richelieu coming to power, serious changes occurred in the field of foreign policy. He gradually returned the country to the policy pursued by Henry IV, moving further away from the focus on Spain and Austria. Richelieu managed to restore ties with the old allies of France and instill in Louis XIII the idea of ​​​​the need to begin decisive action against the claims of Spain and Austria. He defended the idea of ​​“European balance”, contrasting it with the policies of the Spanish and Austrian Habsburgs. During the Thirty Years' War, Richelieu's goal was to crush the power of the Habsburgs and provide France with secure "natural" borders. These goals were achieved, but after his death, the southwestern border of the country became the Pyrenees, the sea coast to the south and northwest, and the eastern border ran along the left bank of the Rhine.

A zealous Catholic, Richelieu earned the epithet “Cardinal of Heretics.” For him, in politics, faith gave way to state interests. The Habsburg dynasty slowly but steadily took over Europe, driving France out of Italy and almost subjugating Germany. The Protestant princes could not independently resist the power of the Habsburgs, and Richelieu decides to intervene. He began to subsidize the princes and enter into alliances with them. The German principalities, ready to capitulate to the Habsburgs, continued their resistance thanks to the support of the cardinal and the French pistols. The diplomatic and military intervention of France during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) made it possible not only to continue hostilities, but also to end them with the complete collapse of the imperial plans of Austria and Spain. Back in 1642, shortly before his death, Richelieu said to his king: “Now the song of Spain is finished,” and he was right again. During the war, all historical territories were united - Lorraine, Alsace and Roussillon, after many years of struggle, became part of the French kingdom. The “Spanish Party” could not forgive the cardinal for his change political course and continued to plot against the first minister. His life often hung by a thread. Richelieu's enemy was Marie de' Medici, who, after a number of attempts to destroy the one who took her place next to the king, and, realizing that she could not overthrow her former favorite, simply fled the country and never returned to France. In addition to her, the cardinal’s enemies also included the king’s brother Gaston of Orleans, who dreamed of taking the throne himself and for the sake of this was ready to collude with the enemies of the state, and Anna of Austria, a Spaniard who became the French queen, but never accepted her new homeland.

Richelieu saw before himself the only goal of life - the good of France, and went towards it, overcoming the resistance of his opponents and despite almost universal misunderstanding. It is rare that any statesman can boast that he was able to carry out all his plans. “I promised the king to use all my abilities and all the means that he would like to put at my disposal to destroy the Huguenots as political party, to weaken the illegal power of the aristocracy, to establish obedience to royal power throughout France and to exalt France among foreign powers” ​​- these were the tasks set by the first minister, Cardinal Richelieu. And all these tasks were completed by him by the end of his life.

He carried out tax and financial reforms taking into account the interests of the state. He attached great importance to the ideological support of the existing system, attracting the church and the best intellectual forces for this. Thanks to his efforts, the French Academy was opened in 1635, which still exists today. With him in French literature and in art, classicism was established, glorifying the greatness of the state and the ideas of civic duty. Peru Richelieu wrote several plays that were even staged in the theater and were successful. During his reign, the reconstruction of the capital began. It began with the Sorbonne, where, in addition to the building of the oldest European university, it was decided to carry out internal reorganization, opening new faculties and a college, which later bore the name of Richelieu. The Cardinal allocated more than 50 thousand livres from his personal funds for the construction and donated part of the library to the university. After his death, by the will of the cardinal, the entire book collection of Richelieu was transferred to the Sorbonne.

Cardinal Richelieu had another enemy all his life - congenital weakness. He was constantly tormented by attacks of fever, chronic inflammation, insomnia and migraines. The illnesses were aggravated by constant nervous tension and continuous work. At the end of his life, he wrote a “Political Testament” for Louis XIII, in which he gave the king instructions on all issues of foreign and domestic policy, and also outlined the main directions of its activities.

Cardinal Richelieu died on December 4, 1642 from purulent pleurisy in his palace in Paris, which he left to the king. Since that time, the palace has been called Royal - Palais Royal. According to his last will, he was buried in the church of the University of Paris, the foundation of which he personally laid the first stone in May 1635.

On August 13, 1624, Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu, became the first minister of France.

"Clone" invented by the writer

Alexandre Dumas's famous trilogy about the musketeers once and for all changed people's understanding of France in the 17th century. Among the historical figures who “suffered” from Dumas, Cardinal Richelieu occupies a special place. A gloomy personality, weaving intrigues, surrounded by evil henchmen, having under his command a whole unit of thugs, who are only thinking about how to annoy the musketeers. The real Richelieu differs very seriously from his literary “double”. Wherein real story his life is no less interesting than the fictional one...

Godson of two marshals

Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu, was born on September 9, 1585 in Paris. His father was François du Plessis de Richelieu, a prominent statesman who served Kings Henry III and Henry IV. If Armand's father belonged to high-born nobles, then his mother was the daughter of a lawyer, and such a marriage was not welcomed among the upper class.

François du Plessis de Richelieu's position, however, allowed him to ignore such prejudices - the king's mercy served as a good defense.

Arman was born weak and sickly, and his parents seriously feared for his life. The boy was baptized only six months after birth, but he had two marshals of France as godparents - Armand de Gonto-Biron and Jean d'Aumont.

Armand de Gonto, Baron de Biron - one of the leading commanders of the Catholic Party during the Wars of Religion in France. Marshal of France since 1577.

In 1590, Armand's father died suddenly of a fever at the age of 42. The widow received from her husband only a good name and a bunch of unpaid debts. The family, who lived at that time in the family estate of Richelieu in Poitou, began financial difficulties. It could have been worse, but King Henry IV paid the debts of his deceased close associate.

Sutana instead of a sword

A few years later, Armand was sent to study in Paris - he was accepted into the prestigious Navarre College, where even future kings studied. Having successfully completed it, the young man, by family decision, enters the military academy.

But suddenly everything changes dramatically. The only source of income for the Richelieu family is the position of Bishop of Luzon, which was granted by King Henry III. After the death of a relative, Arman found himself the only man in the family who could become a bishop and ensure the preservation of financial income.

17-year-old Richelieu reacted philosophically to such a drastic change in fate and began studying theology.

Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu

On April 17, 1607, he was elevated to the rank of Bishop of Luzon. Considering the youth of the candidate, King Henry IV personally interceded for him before the Pope. All this gave rise to a lot of gossip, to which the young bishop did not pay attention.

Having received a doctorate in theology from the Sorbonne in the fall of 1607, Richelieu assumed the duties of bishop. The Luzon bishopric was one of the poorest in France, but under Richelieu everything rapidly began to change. The Luzon Cathedral was restored, the bishop's residence was restored, Richelieu himself earned the respect of his flock.

Deputy Richelieu

At the same time, the bishop wrote several works on theology, some of which were addressed to theologians, and some to ordinary parishioners. In recent years Richelieu tried accessible language explain to the people the essence of Christian teaching.

The first step in political life for the bishop was the election as a deputy from the clergy to participate in the Estates General of 1614. The Estates General was the highest class-representative body of France with the right of an advisory vote under the king.

The Estates General of 1614 were the last before the start of the French Revolution, so Richelieu was able to take part in a unique event.

The fact that the Estates General will not be convened for the next 175 years is also due to Richelieu. The bishop, having participated in the meetings, came to the conclusion that everything boils down to an empty talking shop, not related to solving the complex problems facing France.

Richelieu was a supporter of strong royal power, believing that only it would provide France with economic growth, strengthening of military power and authority in the world.

Princess Anne's confessor

The real situation was very far from what seemed correct to the bishop. King Louis XIII was practically removed from government, and power belonged to his mother Maria de Medici and her favorite Concino Concini.

The economy was in crisis public administration has fallen into disrepair. Marie de' Medici was preparing an alliance with Spain, the guarantee of which was to be two weddings - the Spanish heir and the French princess Elizabeth, as well as Louis XIII and the Spanish princess Anne.

This alliance was unprofitable for France, because it made the country dependent on Spain. However, Bishop Richelieu could not influence the policy of the state at that time.

Unexpectedly for himself, Richelieu found himself among those close to Marie de Medici. The Dowager Queen noted oratorical skills bishop during the Estates General and appointed him confessor to the princess, the future Queen Anne of Austria.

Richelieu was not actually inflamed by any love passion for Anna, which Dumas hinted at. Firstly, the bishop had no sympathy for the Spanish woman, for she was a representative of a state that he considered hostile.

Secondly, Richelieu was already about 30 years old, and Anna was 15, and their life interests lay very far from each other.

From disgrace to favor

Conspiracies and coups were commonplace in France at that time. In 1617, the next conspiracy was headed by... Louis XIII. Deciding to free himself from his mother’s care, he carried out a coup, as a result of which Concino Concini was killed and Maria de’ Medici was sent into exile. Along with her, Richelieu was exiled, whom the young king considered “his mother’s man.”

The end of the disgrace, like its beginning, for Richelieu turned out to be connected with Marie de Medici. Louis XIII summoned the bishop to Paris. The king was confused - he was informed that his mother was preparing a new rebellion, intending to overthrow her son. Richelieu was instructed to go to Marie de Medici and achieve reconciliation.

The task seemed impossible, but Richelieu managed it. From that moment on, he became one of the most trusted men of Louis XIII.

In 1622, Richelieu was elevated to the rank of cardinal. From that moment on, he occupied a strong place at court.

Louis XIII, who achieved full power, could not improve the situation of the country. He needed a reliable, intelligent, determined person, ready to take on the entire burden of problems. The king settled on Richelieu.

First Minister bans stabbings

On August 13, 1624, Armand de Richelieu became the first minister of Louis XIII, that is, the de facto head of the government of France.

Richelieu's main concern was strengthening royal power, suppressing separatism, and subjugating the French aristocracy, which, from the cardinal's point of view, enjoyed completely excessive privileges.

The Edict of 1626, which prohibited duels, is lightly perceived by Dumas as an attempt by Richelieu to deprive noble people of the opportunity to defend their honor in a fair duel.

But the cardinal considered duels to be a real street stabbing, claiming hundreds of noble lives and depriving the army of its best fighters. Was it necessary to put an end to this phenomenon? Undoubtedly.

Thanks to Dumas' book, the siege of La Rochelle is perceived as a religious war against the Huguenots. Many of her contemporaries perceived her the same way. However, Richelieu looked at her differently. He fought against the isolation of territories, demanding from them unconditional submission to the king. That is why, after the capitulation of La Rochelle, many Huguenots received forgiveness and were not persecuted.

The Catholic Cardinal Richelieu, significantly ahead of his time, opposed national unity to religious contradictions, declaring that the main thing is not whether a person is a Catholic or a Huguenot, the main thing is that he is French.

Trade, navy and propaganda

Richelieu, in order to eradicate separatism, achieved the approval of an edict, according to which the rebellious aristocrats and many nobles of the internal territories of France were ordered to tear down the fortifications of their castles in order to prevent the further transformation of these castles into strongholds of the opposition.

The cardinal also introduced a system of intendants - local officials sent from the center at the will of the king. Intendants, unlike local officials who bought their positions, could be dismissed by the king at any time. This made it possible to create an effective system of provincial government.

Under Richelieu, the French fleet grew from 10 galleys in the Mediterranean to three full-fledged squadrons in the Atlantic and one in the Mediterranean. The Cardinal actively promoted trade, concluding 74 trade treaties with different countries. It was under Richelieu that the development of French Canada began.

In 1635, Richelieu founded the French Academy and awarded pensions to the most outstanding and talented artists, writers, and architects. With the support of the first minister of Louis XIII, the first periodical publication “Gazettes” appeared in the country.

Richelieu was the first in France to understand the importance of state propaganda, making the Gazette the mouthpiece of his policies. Sometimes the cardinal published his own notes in the publication.

The guards were financed by the cardinal himself

Richelieu's political line could not but arouse the anger of the French aristocracy, accustomed to freedom. According to old tradition, several conspiracies and assassination attempts were organized on the cardinal's life.

After one of them, at the insistence of the king, Richelieu acquired personal guards, which over time grew to a whole regiment, which is now known to everyone as the “Cardinal’s Guards.”

It is interesting that Richelieu paid the salaries of the guardsmen from his own funds, thanks to which his soldiers always received money on time, unlike the more popular musketeers, who suffered from delays in salaries.

The cardinal's guard also took part in military operations, where they showed themselves very worthy.

During Cardinal Richelieu's tenure as First Minister, France transformed from a country that was not taken seriously by its neighbors into a state that decisively entered the Thirty Years' War and boldly challenged the Habsburg dynasties of Spain and Austria.

But all the real deeds of this true patriot of France were overshadowed by the adventures invented two centuries later by Alexandre Dumas.

THE DU PLESSIS FAMILY

Armand Jean du Plessis was born on September 9, 1585 in Paris into a family of minor nobles from the borders of Poitou and Anjou.

Francoise Gildeheimer

Cardinal Richelieu's father was a very worthy man.

Tallemant de Reo

The image of Richelieu evokes many memories. For example, his muddy bishopric of Luzon; however, this is a generally recognized mistake of the cardinal. The version about humble origins the du Plessis family - which probably made Richelieu turn over more than once in his grave, rejected by Messrs. Tapier and Mousnier, but still present in some authors. Today it is recognized that “the surname Richelieu was very famous at the court of Henry III” (M. Carmona); but there is a difference of opinion regarding the antiquity and nobility of the family.

Dismissing the idea of ​​origin from the “minor aristocracy,” the historiographer Andre Du Chêne in 1631 published a family tree that traced “evidence” of the minister’s nobility back to 1201. Du Plessis was considered a native of Poitou, belonging to an ancient knightly family. Unfortunately, Du Chene had neither the education nor the instincts of Scheren, although even Scheren could not have guaranteed a family connection that was acceptable to the authorities of that time. In fact, one can confidently speak about nobility only starting with the sixth ancestor, a certain Sauvage du Plessis, lord of Vervollier, who lived in 1388, the wife of Isabeau Le Groix de Belarbe. No noble roots can be traced before 1400; although in the 18th century such origins would allow one to enjoy court honors.

The son of this Sauvage, Geoffroy, married the damsel Perrine de Clerambault, a noble lady and heir to the lordship of Richelieu; thus, Richelieu became part of the surname as a family name. It was a small fief, which became a duchy in 1631 and had expanded greatly by that time. Du Plessis-Richelieu did not refuse the patronage of their powerful compatriots - the Dukes of Montpensier and Rochechouart - and entered into very profitable and honorable marriages. Three of them are very important: in 1489, an alliance was concluded with the famous house of Montmorency - Francois II du Plessis married Guyonnet de Laval. In 1542, a marriage took place between Louis du Plessis, the cardinal's grandfather, and Françoise de Rochechouart. In 1565, a marriage was concluded between Louise du Plessis, the minister's aunt, and Francois de Cambu. These few details explain the words of Talleman de Reo: “Cardinal Richelieu’s father was a very worthy man,” as well as the even more specific phrase of Cardinal de Retz: “Richelieu was of noble birth.”

The antiquity of the family and concluded marriage alliances were two important points under the monarchy that allowed the family to take a place in the aristocratic hierarchy. We should not forget about the value of service and the reward for it. The grandfather of the minister-cardinal Louis I du Plessis († 1551) died “in the prime of life”, “honorably serving the kings Francis I and Henry II” (Father Anselm); his brother Jacques was Bishop of Luzon; his other brothers became famous as tireless warriors. One of them, François, nicknamed the Wooden Leg († 1563), who specialized in siege warfare and slaughtered the Huguenots, was the governor of Le Havre. Another, Antoine († 1567), also skilled in siege warfare and fought with the Huguenots, was governor of Tours. The military service of these intrepid du Plessis furthered the career of François III de Richelieu (1548–1590), the cardinal's father.