Selected Studies on Cardinal Richelieu as Prime Minister to Louis XIII

Abstract

In writing these few pages, I hope to acquaint the reader with Cardinal du Plessis de Richelieu, and the conditions under which he laboured as Prime Minister to Louis XIII. The first part of this report explains briefly the social structure of 17th century France, and introduces strains of European political thought. In the second section the reader will find a description of Richelieu and of his own political thought. Chapter III deals with the history of the Prime Minister's eighteen year term. In a paper of this size, I cannot hope to say everything about such a controversial man as Cardinal Richelieu, but I can hope to give a general view of him, his political thoughts, and his actions as French Prime Minister.