Cardinal Richelieu
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His Grand Eminence Armand-Jean du Plessis Cardinal de Richelieu |
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| Cardinal, Bishop of Luçon | |
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| Metropolis | Bordeaux |
| Diocese | Luçon |
| See | Luçon |
| Installed | 17 April 1607 |
| Term ended | 29 April 1624 |
| Predecessor | Alphonse-Louis du Plessis de Richelieu |
| Successor | Jules Mazarin |
| Other posts | |
| Orders | |
| Consecration | 17 April 1607 |
| Created Cardinal | 5 September 1622 |
| Rank | Cardinal-Priest |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
9 September 1585 Paris, France |
| Died | 4 December 1642 (aged 57) Paris, France |
| Nationality | French |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
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| Alma mater | Collège de Navarre, University of Paris |
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| Coat of arms |  |
| Ordination history of Cardinal Richelieu | |
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Episcopal consecration
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| Principal consecrator | Anne d'Escars de Givry |
| Date of consecration | 17 April 1607 |
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Cardinalate
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| Date of elevation | 5 September 1622 |
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Styles of Armand Jean du Plessis, Cardinal de Richelieu |
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| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
Armand Jean du Plessis, Cardinal-Duke of Richelieu and of Fronsac (French pronunciation: [aʁmɑ̃ ʒɑ̃ dy plɛsi]; 9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), commonly referred to as Cardinal Richelieu (French: Cardinal de Richelieu [kaʁdinal d(ə) ʁiʃ(ə)ljø]), was a French clergyman, nobleman, and statesman. He was consecrated as a bishop in 1607 and was appointed Foreign Secretary in 1616. Richelieu soon rose in both the Catholic Church and the French government, becoming a cardinal in 1622, and King Louis XIII's chief minister in 1624. He remained in office until his death in 1642; he was succeeded by Cardinal Mazarin, whose career he had fostered.
Cardinal de Richelieu was often known by the title of the king's "Chief Minister" or "First Minister". He sought to consolidate royal power and crush domestic factions. By restraining the power of the nobility, he transformed France into a strong, centralized state. His chief foreign policy objective was to check the power of the Austro-Spanish Habsburg dynasty, and to ensure French dominance in the Thirty Years' War that engulfed Europe. Although he was a cardinal, he did not hesitate to make alliances with Protestant rulers in attempting to achieve his goals. While a powerful political figure, events like the Day of the Dupes show that in fact he very much depended on the king's confidence to keep this power.
As alumnus of the University of Paris and headmaster of the Collège de Sorbonne, he renovated and extended the institution. Richelieu was also famous for his patronage of the arts; most notably, he founded the Académie Française, the learned society responsible for matters pertaining to the French language. Richelieu is also known by the sobriquet l'Éminence rouge ("the Red Eminence"), from the red shade of a cardinal's clerical dress and the style "eminence" as a cardinal. As an advocate for Samuel de Champlain and of the retention of New France, he founded the Compagnie des Cent-Associés and saw the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye return Quebec City to French rule under Champlain, after the settlement had been taken by the Kirkes in 1629. This in part allowed the colony to eventually develop into the heartland of Francophone culture in North America.
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