France in the age of Louis XIII and Richelieu

by Victor-Lucien Tapié, D. McN. Lockie (Translator)

Tapie, Victor-L, France In The Age Of Louis XIII And Richelieu

Genres: History, Nonfiction, France

622 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1952

Reviews

[DS25 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non male la parte di storia delle idee, ma la parte evenemenziale è decisamente "W gli eroi della Francia". Se l'autore avesse davanti Richelieu probabilmente si prostrerebbe.

[Gerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is neither a biography of the king nor of the cardinal; rather, it’s a history of the monarch’s reign. Cardinal Richelieu was a major part of it and so gets his just due; it’s just that we learn little of his life before becoming the king’s premier minister. The cardinal was not the sinister guy portrayed as such in Three Musketeers movies, although like Metternich, Talleyrand, and Bismarck, he had quite the dispassionate view of statecraft and diplomacy. Nor was King Louis XIII the feather-headed king he often gets portrayed as. Both shared a vision of France and achieved much toward its accomplishment.

The most important part of the book is Chapter Four, “Richelieu in the Service of King and Nation.” Here it describes Richelieu’s personality and character and his (mainly) three-part program of bringing order to the nation. This can be expressed simply as 1) suppress the Huguenots (not the faith, the party); 2) assert the monarchy’s supremacy over the nobility, and 3) defeat the Hapsburgs. Much of the rest of the book covers his (and the king’s) actions in this regard.

Throughout the book the reader will find descriptions of France and what was going on that needed reform. There will be (to Americans unfamiliar with much—most—of them) a barrage of French characters not easy to keep track of, followed by Austrians, Spaniards, and Englishmen (and women). There is a Thirty Years War going on…. With 438 pages of text and over 150 pages of notes and bibliography, the reading can be a chore at times. But stay the course, it will be worth it for the knowledge gained; you had to be interested when you picked it up!

[Skallagrimsen]

Readers of The Three Musketeers will recall that Alexandre Dumas portrays king Louis XIII as weak willed and dull witted, a mere marionette to be manipulated by the evil genius of his diabolical first minister, Cardinal Ricehlieu. It's an engaging literary portrait, one that has colored historical impressions ever since.

The truth was more nuanced. While Louis did indeed delegate the bulk of the executive responsibility to Richelieu, he also kept a close eye on political developments. He never hesitated to intervene to overturn or rebuke his minister when he thought it was warranted. Far from being a simple case of a powerful personality dominating a feeble one, the actual relationship between king and cardinal seems to have been a respectful, complementary and even affectionate partnership. The two men collaborated to lay the foundation of the modern French state.

Victor-Lucien Tapie explores the reign of Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu in fastidious detail. If you're in love with baroque France, as I am, you might enjoy this book, as I did. Otherwise, it might be too much information.

[Sarah W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seventeenth-century France is dominated by Louis XIV, with far less attention (outside of retellings of The Three Musketeers) paid to his predecessor and father, Louis XIII. Inheriting the throne on the heels of his own father's assassination, Louis XIII ruled France with the aid of Cardinal Richelieu, a talented administrator. Much of this book is concerned with the political machinations in European politics, but the author also discusses the domestic implications of many policies (or lack thereof) which often left the ordinary people of France in dire circumstances. An interesting read on an under-covered subject.

[? · Rating 5 out of 5]

The setting of the foundation for the Sun King to rise.