The Rise of Richelieu

The author begins his biography about "Armand" (his given name) by explaining the historiographic effect of the relative lack of good information on the Cardinal before he took charge of France's internal and external business during the reign of Louis XIII. He debunks the notion of the Cardinal as the "Great Man," destined to practically rule France, just because he was Richelieu. The truth is that Armand struggled like any other petty noble or inchoate middle class, financially, politically, socially. His rise to prominence had several downturns, including termination of employment by Louis XIII, exile, ecclessiastic setbacks, and run of the mill intrique. What makes Richelieu so striking, and why this book is so necessary to understand the history behind the power of France, is that he met every challenge, learned from every experience, and never failed to keep his eye on his goal. Persistance as much as political savvy brought the Cardinal back into favor in the court of Louis XIII.Much of the book describes in detail how Armand developed as a young man. Readers will be surprised to see how seriously he took his church calling. Unlike most bishops, he actively took part in the secular as well as spiritual goings-on in his see. He even took to the pulpit and learned valuable governmental processes and people that would prove useful to establishing his power base later on. His attachment to the Queen Mother, Marie de Medicis was a well calculated risk, that caused him as many problems as it provided opportunities.The climax is described in the chapter "The Arts of Survival." Richelieu weathered many storms, was never too partisan to expose himself to the vagaries of others fortunes, and understood when he could advance his interests and those of his patron (which he considered inseparable.)Fills a gap both in biography and narrative that provides great background to the rise of Modern France.