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In the early seventeenth century France was one of the leading powers in Europe 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. The Rise of Richelieu (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1997), p. 34</ref>. The international situation was destabilizing French society which was divided between Catholic and Protestant (Huguenot). The Edict of Nantes had granted French Protestants religious toleration and this community effectively ran their own ‘parallel state’. There were continued tensions between Catholics and Protestants and this frequently exploded into riot and violence. The Catholic community itself was divided between hardliners and those who took a more pragmatic approach to religion. The country itself was still largely a feudal society <ref> Bergin, p. 13</ref>. The local nobility and magnates dominated the localities and they were the de-facto rulers in their own lands. The great noble families such as the Conde owned massive estates and they even had their own private armies. These noble families owed more allegiance to themselves than to France. The nobility was factionalized and they constantly quarreled and even fought each other to gain influence and even intrigued with the Hapsburgs against their king<ref> Collins, James B. The State in Early Modern France (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1995), p. 15</ref>. The actual power of the monarch was very limited. 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.

[[File: Kardinaal de Richelieu.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Titian’s portrait of Richelieu]]

==Cardinal Richelieu==

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 at the Collège de Navarre, a brilliant student he was well-versed in history and the classics. He had originally been intended for 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 influence of the Italian political philosopher can be seen in Richelieu’s cynical aphorisms, especially in his Testament Politique (1641). His most famous epigram is ‘one may use all means against one’s enemies’ <ref> Richelieu, Political Testament, 1662, p. 9</ref>By 1614 the young prelate had achieved a reputation as a capable administrator and regularly attended meetings of the Estates-General (French Parliament), where his oratory impressed many. Richelieu was a member of the dévot party and a very strong supporter of Roman Catholicism and held pro-Spanish views<ref> Collins, p. 13 </ref>. The young bishop came to the attention of the queen-regent, Marie de Medici, who asked Richelieu to attend the Royal Court. Richelieu became chaplain of the young queen Anne in 1615. She was the wife of Louis XII, who was too young to rule in his own name and power really rested with his mother Marie de Medici. Richelieu was a political genius and soon he was appointed Secretary of State for War. However, his patron Marie de Medici fell from grace with the king because of court-politics and it seemed that Richelieu’s career was over <ref> Levi, Anthony. Cardinal Richelieu and the Making of France. New York: Carroll and Graf, 2000), p. 112</ref>. However, Richelieu managed to reconcile the queen-mother and her son and he eventually was rewarded with the position of Chief Minister and with the backing of Louis XII he began the transformation of French society. The king also secured a Cardinal’s hat for Richelieu. The French statesman was committed to furthering the power of the monarchy and France. In pursuit of this, he attacked the Huguenots and began to erode their power base. He reformed the navy and the army. He also reformed the bureaucracy and sought to curb the power of the nobles. Much of his time in power was an effort to centralize power. He was dependent upon the king’s favor and confidence but Louis XIII, an indolent and enigmatic man, gave Richelieu, great leeway to pursue the policies that he thought were best for the kingdom. The Cardinal was often embroiled in disputes with noble factions but the support of the monarch allowed him to initiate key reforms and radical policies. 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 and he allied himself with Protestant nations, though a Catholic to strengthen the position of his 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 and his work was continued by his handpicked successor Cardinal Mazarin, who completed his old masters work and created an absolute monarchy in France.