Armand-Jean du Plessis de Richelieu

The cat room (Chatterie) at the Palais-Cardinal housed up to 14 pets. History has preserved their cries, reflecting the cardinal's subtle irony and keen observation:
• Soumise (Soumise - "Submissive"): Richelieu's snow-white favorite, distinguished by her affectionate, gentle disposition.
• Lucifer: A completely black cat. By giving him this name, the cardinal (the highest Catholic bishop) openly ridiculed the superstition of the era that black cats were companions of the devil.
• Louis the Cruel (Ludovic le Cruel): The palace's chief and merciless rat-catcher, named for his harsh disposition towards rodents.
• Gazette: A calico cat named after the first official French newspaper, La Gazette, which was overseen by Richelieu. The cat was so named for its extreme immodesty and habit of sticking its nose into everything.
• Rubis sur l'Ongle ('Until the last drop'): A cat named for his habit of carefully drinking milk from a bowl until the very last drop.
• Mounard le Fougueux: A grumpy and hot-tempered fighter with a quixotic character.
• Racan and Perruque (Racan et Perruque): Twin kittens born in the expensive wig of the famous poet Racan. The playwright didn't notice them, put on the wig, and only discovered the furry guests during an audience with Richelieu, when they began scratching the top of his head. The cardinal took the kittens for himself.
• Pyrame and Thisbe (Pyrame et Thisbé): An inseparable pair of grey cats, named after the legendary lovers because they always slept together, their paws clasped tenderly.
• Mimi-Paillon and Ludoviska: Rare foreign cats. Mimi-Paillon was a luxurious golden Angora brought from Turkey (one of the first in Europe), and Ludoviska was a gift to the cardinal from Poland.
• Serpolet (Serpolet - "Thyme"): A sybarite cat who ignored palace intrigues and loved nothing more than to bask in the sun.
The influence of these animals on Richelieu was enormous: they gave peace of mind to the man who controlled the fate of Europe.

• Madame de Combalet (Marie de Vignerot): Richelieu's favorite niece. She is the closest and most devoted person to the Cardinal, providing him with domestic comfort and peace of mind. She sincerely cares for his poor health and sincerely cries when he decides to resign.
• Father Joseph (François Leclerc du Tremblay): The famous "Grey Eminence." A Capuchin monk, head of secret diplomacy and a spy network. In the novel, he is portrayed as an ambitious but absolutely indispensable ally, sharing the most difficult political secrets with Richelieu.
• Cavua (Monsieur de Cavua): Captain of the Cardinal's Guard. An honest, valiant, and ultimately loyal officer, Richelieu treats him like a father, personally arranging his marriage to Marguerite de Randan and gently making fun of the domestic scenes in their home.
• Marguerite de Randan (Madame de Cavous): Captain Cavous's wife. She has a lively, eccentric character. The Cardinal values ​​her for her sharp tongue, sincerity, and devotion, often allowing her liberties in his presence that would be unacceptable to other courtiers.
• Charpentier: Richelieu's personal secretary. He is so devoted to his master that during the cardinal's temporary resignation, he flatly refuses to serve the king, declaring that his master is only Richelieu.
• Antoine Rossignol: A brilliant cryptographer and codebreaker. A young man whose unique mathematical mind Richelieu uses to uncover the most complex conspiracies and correspondence of France's enemies.
• Giulio Mazarin: A young Italian diplomat, in whom Richelieu already at this period unmistakably recognizes a major statesman, a flexible mind and his future successor.

A man in his prime (around 36 years old), paradoxically combining the traits of a spiritual leader and a military general. The central axis of his personality is absolute, self-sacrificing service to France. His Machiavellianism is devoid of egoism: grandiose pride and vanity are completely dissolved in patriotism. Richelieu possesses a unique "prophetic" intellect, the ability to calculate the future and speak in ready-made aphorisms, making him the undisputed intellectual leader of the era.
This character's psychological profile is woven from a striking duality. In the political arena, he displays the chilling ruthlessness and rigor of a strategist who sees through courtiers and firmly thwarts any plots. However, "behind his dressing gown," a hidden, vulnerable side is revealed—he is a sentimental man capable of deep empathy and compassion. His attitude toward his subordinates (for example, his touching concern for Kavua's family happiness) and even his defeated enemies (his compassion for the tormented prisoner) is filled with unexpected warmth and generosity. He is deeply lonely and unhappy in his personal life, forced to constantly navigate between a suspicious king and a treacherous entourage. His suspicion is not paranoia, but a necessary tool of self-defense. Ultimately, we are left with the tragic image of a great, lonely man, bearing the colossal burden of state power on his shoulders, who sacrifices his personal peace for the sake of the greatness of his country.

A man whose appearance simultaneously inspires awe and evokes compassion. His pale, emaciated face resembles the stern visage of an ascetic, with his piercing, feverishly gleaming eyes, revealing a colossal inner energy, particularly striking. His thin lips are often pressed into an ironic or harsh smile, while his neatly trimmed mustache and wedge-shaped beard accentuate the strong lines of his jaw. His high forehead bears the mark of incessant intellectual work and profound spiritual torment. Hidden beneath the majestic purple robe of a cardinal, Richelieu's figure appears fragile and almost weightless due to constant physical exhaustion. He carries himself with impeccable grace and arrogant majesty, but behind this proud posture lies a daily struggle with unbearable physical pain. The silk garments only serve to emphasize the contrast between his physical weakness and the mystical, terrifying power that his entire appearance exudes—the appearance of a man who has transformed his own fading body into an obedient instrument of state power.

Cardinal Richelieu is a brilliant but deeply lonely grandmaster of grand politics, whose personality is woven from obvious contradictions. At the core of his psychological profile lies a phenomenal, almost superhuman will. He possesses a cold, analytical mind, capable of calculating his opponents' moves many steps ahead. The central axis of his character is his complete identification with the state, for which he is willing to sacrifice any moral dogma.
He sees through people, masterfully exploiting their weaknesses, passions, and ambitions, making him an unrivaled and dangerous manipulator. However, this insight breeds deep skepticism and a profound mistrust of those around him. The Cardinal is infinitely lonely; he has devoted allies and obedient subordinates, but no one to whom he can fully open up. His suspicion borders on paranoia, driven by an atmosphere of constant conspiracies, but this fear is not cowardice, but a heightened sense of responsibility for the fate of France.
Richelieu's inner world is torn between physical infirmity (his body is exhausted by severe illnesses) and colossal mental energy, which literally keeps him on the brink of death. His personality is clearly characterized by a pronounced dualism: cruelty and pragmatism in public affairs strangely coexist with personal vulnerability, melancholy, and moments of profound sentimentality. He sincerely believes that his harsh methods are justified by the greater good, which is why immense pride and vanity merge with genuine patriotism. This is the portrait of a fanatical creator who deliberately rejected simple human joys, peace, and spiritual warmth. He became the great architect of a new era, forever remaining hostage to his own greatness and the eternal fear of betrayal.

• September 9, 1585 - Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu, the future architect of French absolutism, was born in Paris into the family of the chief provost of France.
• 1607 – Consecrated Bishop of Luçon. François Bluche notes that in this devastated diocese, Richelieu first showed himself to be an outstanding administrator.
• 1614 - Deputy to the Estates General. His brilliant speech in defense of the clergy attracts the attention of the regent Marie de Medici.
• 1616 – Appointed Secretary of State for Military and Foreign Affairs, but in 1617, due to the palace coup of Louis XIII, he loses his post and is sent into exile.
• 1619–1620 – He acts as a brilliant mediator and reconciles the rebellious Marie de Medici with the king, proving his political indispensability to Louis XIII.
• 1622 – Elevated to the rank of Cardinal of the Catholic Church.
• August 1624 – Appointed head of the Royal Council (First Minister). Their strong intellectual alliance with Louis XIII begins, based on the primacy of the “interest of state” (raison d'État).
• 1626 – Issues an edict banning duels and an order to demolish internal castles, harshly suppressing the feudal separatism of the aristocracy.
• 1627–1628 – Personally leads the siege of the Huguenot stronghold of La Rochelle. The cardinal’s military engineering genius crushes the “state within a state.”
• 1629 – Signs the Edict of Grace. The Huguenots are deprived of their fortresses and political privileges, but retain freedom of religion, which saves France from religious schism.
• November 11, 1630 – “April Fools’ Day”. Richelieu triumphantly uncovers the conspiracy of Marie de Medici; the Queen Mother is forever exiled, and central power is strengthened.
• 1635 – Founds the French Academy to centralize culture and language. That same year, he draws France into the Thirty Years' War against the Catholic Habsburgs, guided by geopolitics rather than religion.
• 1642 – Suppresses the last conspiracy of the aristocrats (Saint-Mars).
• December 4, 1642 - Died in Paris, leaving France as the strongest power