Richelieu, Cardinal

A French clergyman and political leader of the seventeenth century. Cardinal Richelieu was the chief of government under King Louis XIII. He achieved two difficult goals in his career: establishing absolute monarchy in France and breaking the political power of the Huguenots , or French Protestants .

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His father, who had hitherto contributed to his necessities, having joined a party against Cardinal Richelieu, was exiled.

By 1635 he had formulated the whole theory of the three unities and converted Cardinal Richelieu to his views.

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