Armand Jean du Plessis, best known as
Cardinal Richelieu (1585–1642) was a French clergyman, noble and statesman. Born to a family of the
Poitou lesser nobility, by 1607 he had become
Bishop of Luçon, and he soon entered politics. He worked to consolidate the royal power of
King Louis XIII, and in 1624 – two years after being elevated to cardinal – he was made the King's chief minister. Richelieu was also a patron of the arts, establishing the
Académie française, which is responsible for matters pertaining to the French language.
Painting: Philippe de Champaigne