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Richelieu was also able to use the Thirty Years War to further France's national interests. More than anyone else, he made France the greatest power in Europe by the second half of the seventeenth century. However, these achievements, while significant, were a catastrophe for most French citizens.

In the early seventeenth century, France was one of Europe's leading powers, but it was very divided and vulnerable. It was surrounded by the Hapsburgs, who controlled the Low Countries and Spain. The kingdom was also very divided because of religion. Europe was torn by religious conflict, and in 1618 the Thirty Years War broke out, and much of the continent was dragged into the conflict between Catholic and Protestant.<ref> Bergin, Joseph. <i>The Rise of Richelieu</i> (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1997), p. 34</ref> The international situation was destabilizing French society, which was divided between Catholic and Protestant (Huguenot).

The local nobility and magnates dominated the localities, and they were the de-facto rulers in their lands. The great noble families such as the Conde owned massive estates, and they even had their private armies. These noble families owed more allegiance to themselves than to France. The nobility was factionalized, and they constantly quarreled and fought each other to gain influence and even intrigued by the Hapsburgs against their king.<ref> Collins, James B. <i>The State In Early Modern France</i> (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1995), p. 15</ref> The actual power of the monarch was minimal. The king in France was dependent upon the nobles to raise taxes and an army. If the aristocrats did not want to cooperate with the king, he was in great difficulties. Many found this situation intolerable and demanded reforms, especially the middle class and urban elites.

Cardinal Richelieu was born in 1585, during one of France’s many Religious Wars. Richelieu was the son of the Lord of Richelieu and a member of the minor nobility.<ref> Bergin, p. 4</ref> He was educated in Paris Collège de Navarre, a brilliant student he was well-versed in history and the classics. He had originally intended to the military, but his family decided that he should enter the priesthood. In April 1607, after receiving a papal dispensation as he was only 21, he was ordained as a priest and bishop at Lucon. Richelieu was very ambitious and studied the works of Machiavelli. The extent of the Italian political philosopher's influence can be seen in Richelieu’s cynical aphorisms, especially in his Testament Politique (1641).

The Cardinal sought to establish an Absolute Monarchy in France, where the king would be, obeyed through the land, and the feudal nobility no longer acted like independent lords. He suppressed several conspiracies and rebellions and limited the powers of the nobility.<ref> Collins, p. 115</ref> Richelieu was very much a ‘realist’ in international affairs. He allied himself with Protestant nations, though a Catholic, to strengthen his position beloved France in Europe. He intervened in the Thirty Years War and changed the direction of that conflict. Richelieu died hated by many in 1642. His work was continued by his hand-picked successor Cardinal Mazarin, who completed his old master's work and created an absolute monarchy in France.

Richelieu made sweeping changes to how France was governed. He expanded the standing army and the navy. He also made sure that the Royal Treasury regularly funded them for the first time. Richelieu was eager to remove the nobility's influence from the bureaucracy, and he opened the civil service to commoners. However, many of these bought their positions, leading to nepotism and corruption in the later years of Richelieu’s.<ref> Collins, p. 115</ref> The Cardinal did make the bureaucracy more efficient and made sure that the royal budget was balanced. His most important reforms were in local government. Traditionally the local notables had been free to do what they like; they were expected to administer their district.

This was a relic of feudalism, and Richelieu believed it was not suitable for a modern state. He persuaded Louis XIII to appoint an ‘intendant’ or official to every district, and they would administer the area. This did much to reduce the influence of the local notables, but they still had immense powers. The appointment of government officials did much to curb the authority and freedom of provincial nobles. Richelieu's administrative reforms did much to change France from a feudal to a modern state. However, this was arguably not finished until the French Revolution. Richelieu also had many castles and fortresses demolished, which reduced the nobility's ability to defy their monarch. However, they were still able to recruit large private armies from among their tenants and retainers. The new administration also meant more taxes for the peasantry, and there were many peasant uprisings during the Cardinal’s ministry.<ref>Bergin, p. 116</ref>

[[File: Siege of La Rochelle 1881 Henri Motte 1846 1922.jpg|200px|thumb|left| Richelieu at the siege of La Rochelle]]

The Huguenots were perhaps the strongest faction in the country, and they had a significant army and were supported by Charles I of England. Richelieu attempted to revoke many of the privileges granted to the Huguenots under the Edict of Nantes. This action led to a rebellion, and Richelieu besieged one of their main strongholds La Rochelle. The Cardinal personally directed this siege, and he imitated Alexander the Great's siege tactics to capture the strategic port.

The Huguenots continued their rebellion, but the Cardinal was implacable, and the Royalist army defatted the French Protestants in battle.<ref> Levi, p. 113</ref> This forced the Huguenot leader to seek terms with the king. Richelieu adopted a conciliatory policy towards them because of personal philosophy ‘First, all means to conciliate; failing that, all means to crush.’<ref> Richelieu, <i>Political Statement</i>. (1663), p. 13</ref> If the Huguenots had not obeyed the Cardinal’s will, he would have waged total war against them. Richelieu eventually appointed the Huguenot leader to a senior position in the army and integrated some Huguenot soldiers into the Royal army. The Cardinal at the same time, under the Peace of Alais, the Protestants still had religious freedom, but they were shorn of their military and political rights.

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The Cardinal used all the resources of France to contain and defeat the Hapsburgs. He was concerned that the Hapsburgs sought to encircle and conquer France. He raised taxes to pay for the military campaigns. The increased taxes disproportionately targeted ordinary families and even caused localized famines. However, Richelieu's policies were continued with, and they eventually led to the French victory over the Spanish Hapsburgs at Lens in 1648. This is widely regarded as the end of the Hapsburgs' supremacy in Europe and was a victory that saw France's emergence as the most significant power in Europe. Richelieu did not live to implement all his plans, but he undoubtedly helped make France the preeminent power in seventeenth-century Europe.

Not only did Richelieu help to make France the greatest power in Europe, but he was also instrumental in the establishment of a French overseas Empire. His Navy reforms meant that the French could secure new colonies, especially in the eighteenth century. When he came to power, the French colony in New France (Canada) was in decline. He revived the fortunes of the colony by the formation of the ‘Company of New France.’

This shift helped boost trade between the colony and France, which encouraged many French emigrants to settle in the territory. Richelieu encouraged the settlers to live in harmony with the Native Americans, which did much to strengthen the French colony. The Cardinal was one of the pivotal figures in the history of Quebec and Francophone Canada.

Richelieu was one of the greatest figures in Early Modern Europe. He changed France from a feudal society into a modern state. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Absolute Monarchy in France because he managed to curb the power of the French nobility. His foreign policy effectively ended the Hapsburg threat to France and made her one of, or perhaps the most powerful kingdom on the continent.

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