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Richelieu was also able to use the Thirty Years War to further the national interests of France and he, more than anyone else, 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.
====BackgroundWhy was France divided before the arrival of Cardinal Richelieu?====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. <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 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 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 also fought each other to gain influence and even intrigued with 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.
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 was influenced by 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.
====What Cardinal Richelieu's role in the Thirty Years War?====<div class="portal" style='float:right; width:35%'> ====Related Articles===={{#dpl:category=French History|ordermethod=firstedit|order=descending|count=8}}</div>
[[File: Battle of Lens.jpeg|200px|thumb|left| 19th-century painting of the Battle of Lens (1648)]]
Richelieu was unique among statesmen of the time as he put the needs of his king before that of his religion. He devised a strategy that promoted and safeguarded the geopolitical interests of France. Despite being an early adherent of the Devot party, he was determined to limit the power of his fellow Catholics the Hapsburgs.<ref> Levi, p. 123</ref>
This dynasty ruled in Spain and Austria, and they dominated much of Europe. For over a hundred years they had threatened France or interfered in her internal affairs when he became Minister he adopted a determined anti-Hapsburg policy. He supported, through subsidies various Protestant armies in Germany that were fighting the Catholic armies of the Hapsburgs. In 1629 when the Hapsburgs seemed on the point of victory, he encouraged the Swedes to invade Germany. This was not enough for Richelieu and he had French armies fight against the Spanish Hapsburgs in Northern Italy and even in Spain itself (Catalonia).
The Cardinal used all the resources of France to contain and defeat the Hapsburgs. He believed was concerned that if they were not that they would the Hapsburgs sought to encircle and even conquer France. The He raised taxes raised to pay for the military campaigns led to real hardships for many . The increased taxes disproportionately targeted ordinary people families and even caused localized famines. However, Richelieu 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 the emergence of France as the most significant power in Europe. Richelieu did not live to implement all his plans, but he undoubtedly helped to make France the preeminent power in seventeenth-century Europe.
====Richelieu and the French Empire====
I have the consolation of leaving your kingdom in the highest degree of glory and reputation. However, all of this came at a cost. After his death, the French nobility revolted in two wars known as the Frondes, that devastated France. His military campaigns and administrative reforms led to widespread poverty, rebellion, and famine in the countryside. Richelieu did make France great, but in doing so, he caused many millions to suffer. No wonder he was such a divisive figure, who was either hated or loved.
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