Richelieu

Cardinal Richelieu is commonly regarded as one of the architects of royal absolutism in France. For 18 years he governed the destinies of France in spite of many attempts by aristocratic plotters to unseat him. He remained in power by managing King Louis XIII, by ruthlessly suppressing and opposition and by carefully building up his own power base. He accumulated one of the largest fortunes in France and used his authority to install his relatives and friends in key positions in Church and state. In recent years much new light has been shed by specialist research on different aspects of Richelieu's achievement. This book seeks to re-assess his contribution in the light of this research. After a broadly chronological survey of his ministerial career it focuses on such aspects as his relations with the Protestants and nobles, his foreign policy, war and taxation, the economy and overseas development, propaganda and patronage of letters and the arts.

'A devil and a popish one at that'

* Offers a convincing reassessment of Richelieu's ministerial career.
* Includes an examination of Richelieu's rise to power.
* Explores Richelieu's political objectives.
This concise and up-to-date assessment of Richelieu's career provides an enthralling introduction to the character and exercise of his power. Richelieu governed France for 18 years until his death and until the mid-20th century was viewed by Anglo-Saxon historians as cold, clever and ruthless. Recent interpretations have been more favorable and in this incisive study R. J. Knecht uses recent research to reassess Richelieu's career and achievements. And, as the other titles in the Profiles in Power series, this is not a full blown biography, though inevitably it contains much biographical material, it instead analyzes the major features, achievements and failures of Richelieu's career.

R.J. Knecht has written extensively on French history and his publications includes the Rise and fall of Renaissance France (1996) and The French Civil Wars 1562-1598 (2000).