I am returning to the 17th Vienna and Anno Domini 1666 game from Wargamer today. The entry’s hero will be Cardinal Richelieu (definitely one of my favorite figurines for the game!).
You may ask, what is this French priest doing in 1666, if according to history he died in the year of 1642?
Let us remember that Anno Domini 1666  is a historical game with a large dose of legends, drawing on the folklore of European countries and regions. In addition to regular historical formations, we also have werewolves, golems and … vampires.
And the last lover of human blood for the needs of the game is the cardinal …


And what was the life of the historic Cardinal Richelieu ?

When Alexander Dumas made him one of the main characters of the „The Three Musketeers“ novel, he described him as a statesman, Machiavellian and devoted to his service in government. On this basis, popular tradition conveys his image as an almost sinister person.


What was he really like?


rmand-Jean du Plessis de Richelieu was born on September 9, 1585 in Paris, and died on December 4, 1642. He was a French duke, cardinal and first prime minister of France in the years 1624–1642.

Armand’s father was Francise du Plessis, a nobleman from an impoverished family, who got rich thanks to his marriage with Susanna La Porte, the daughter of a Paris lawyer running the interests of the Order of Malta. It is not known exactly where the future cardinal was born. He claimed to be a native Parisian. Others assured that he was born in a family estate in Richelieu. It is only known that the delivery was very hard, and both the mother and son were close to death.

       In 1606 he was appointed bishop Luçon by Henry IV ( was ordained on April 17, 1607). In 1622, thanks to the protection of the mother-queen Marie de Medici, Pope Gregory XV appointed him a cardinal. In 1624 he was appointed as the first minister by Louis XIII. He introduced a number of reforms (more or less liked).

In the years 1625–1628 he waged a war with the Huguenots, one of the main forces against the king. After defeating the Huguenots in 1629, he issued an edict of grace ordering the Huguenots to give up political independence and to cast fortresses, but at the same time guarantee freedom of religion.

       He set up a government newspaper for propaganda purposes. In 1635 he founded the French Academy, whose task was to create a literary French language. He expanded the army and fleet. He undertook a policy of continental conquests, competing with England.

       During the Thirty Years‘ War (1618–1648) he supported anti-Spanish-Habsburg moods, but he did not involve France in open conflict. He supported the activities of Protestant princes and countries opposed to the Empire – he sought alliance with England, the Northern Netherlands, Denmark, and later with Sweden.
It was not until May 12, 1635, that France declared open war on Spain. An agreement with the Swedes was previously concluded in Compiègne, under which the combined Franco-Swedish forces were to attack both the emperor and the king of Spain. Richelieu, however, was not interested in the conflict with the Reich and tried to limit the theater of war to the areas of Spain and the southern Netherlands.

In response, the Swedes limited their activities only to German territory. The high costs of warfare forced the cardinal to burden the population more and more with taxes, which resulted in a series of revolts that swept through France throughout the war.

       In 1641 a conspiracy was set up against him, headed by Gaston, Duke of Orleans, François de Thou and Marquis of Cinq-Mars – the favorite of Louis XIII, son of longtime friend Richelieu. The cardinal himself introduced the young marquis to the king, thinking that he would be able to easily control such a favorite.
He was wrong, but the plot was detected and prevented anyway. Cinq-Mars was beheaded, and Gaston Orleans left France.

       Richelieu died in 1642 and left a will in which he explained his conduct. It includes it was written that: he wanted Louis XIII to be the supreme ruler, restore the borders of ancient Gaul, that people would feel respect for the king. That the king was the most important, and then the state, that is, he wanted absolutism. After him, the function of the first minister of France was assumed by his cardinal Jules Mazarin.


        It was said that he hated the wife of his king, Anna. Apparently, he persecuted her with all his strength, because she once did not want to give him feelings. During his lifetime he was hated by the French, apparently even by the king himself, his master. He was appreciated only after his death. During the time of Mazarin, he was mentioned as the best minister in French history. He owed much to Marie de Medici, mother of Louis XIII, who during his regency entrusted him with the most important state functions.

Cardinal Richelieu. 17th-century painting by Philippe de Champaigne / Kardynał Richelieu. XVII-wieczny obraz Philippe’a de Champaigne’a

Cardinal Richelieu, managing the siege of La Rochelle, Henri Motte, 1881 / Kardynał Richelieu kierujący oblężeniem La Rochelle, Henri Motte, 1881

Wracam dziś do XVII Wiednia i gry Anno Domini 1666 od naszego rodzimego Wargamera. Bohaterem wpisu będzie kardynał Richelieu (zdecydowanie jedna z moich ulubionych figurek do gry!).
Możecie się pytać co robi ów francuski duchowny w roku 1666, skoro według historii zmarł w roku pańskim 1642?
Pamiętajmy, że Anno Domini 1666  jest grą historyczną ze sporą dawką legend, baśni, czerpiącą z folkloru państw i regionów europejskich. Oprócz regularnych historycznych formacji mamy także np. wilkołaki, golemy czy… wampiry.
I właśnie tym ostatnim miłośnikiem ludzkiej krwi dla potrzeb gry jest kardynał…


A jak wyglądało życie historycznego kardynała Richelieu?

Gdy Aleksander Dumas zrobił go jednym z głównych bohaterów powieści „Trzej muszkieterowie”, opisał go jako męża stanu, makiawelicznego i oddanego swej służbie w rządzie. Na tej podstawie popularna tradycja przekazuje jego obraz jako osoby niemal złowrogiej.
A jaki był naprawdę?