Jules Mazarin, French diplomat and statesman, by Pierre-Louis Bouchart.

Jules Mazarin, born Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino (July 14, 1602 – March 9, 1661) was an accomplished Italian politician who served as the chief minister of France from 1642 until his death. Mazarin succeeded his mentor, Cardinal Richelieu. Portrait of Cardinal Mazarin by Pierre Louis Bouchart This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in the United States and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... Portrait of Cardinal Mazarin by Pierre Louis Bouchart This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in the United States and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... July 14 is the 195th day of the year (196th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This page is about the year. ... March 9 is the 68th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (69th in leap years). ... 1661 (MDCLXI) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... A prime minister is the most senior minister of a cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ... Events January 4 - Charles I attempts to arrest five leading members of the Long Parliament, but they escape. ... Cardinal Richelieu was the French chief minister from 1624 until his death in 1642. ...

Biography

Giulio Mazzarino was born in Pescina then part of the Kingdom of Naples,^[1] where his parents were travelling, but was raised in Rome. He bore the name of his grandfather, an artisan of Castel-Mazarino in Sicily, hence the surname Mazarin. His father Pietro was a notary with connections to the Colonna, who became chamberlain to the Constable Filippo Colonna and gained an easy situation for his family; Mazarin never forgot that the basis of his fortune in life was the patronage of the Colonna, who had provided his father with a wife, Ortensia Buffalini, of a noble family of Città di Castello in Umbria with an ample dowry. Pescina is a comune and town in the Province of LAquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy Abruzzo · Communes of the province of LAquila Categories: | ... The Kingdom of Naples was born out of the division of the Kingdom of Sicily after the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. ... Sicily (Sicilia in Italian and Sicilian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,708 km² (9,926 sq. ... The Colonna family was a powerful noble family in medieval and renaissance Rome, supplying one pope and many other leaders, and fighting with their rivals the Orsini family for influence. ... Città di Castello is a town in the northern part of the Umbria region of Italy. ...

He studied at the Jesuit College in Rome, though he declined to join their order. At seventeen he accompanied Girolamo Colonna as chamberlain to the university of Alcala in Spain. His stay was brief; a notary who had advanced some cash to cover gaming debts urged the charming and personable young Mazarino to take his daughter as bride, with a substantial dowry. Later Mazarin frequented the University of Rome La Sapienza, gaining the title of Doctor in jurisprudence but gaining loose habits of serious gambling in the meantime. The Society of Jesus (Latin: Societas Iesu), commonly known as the Jesuits, is a Roman Catholic religious order. ... The North American College at the Gregorian The Pontifical Gregorian University is a Roman Catholic theological seminary in Rome. ... Nickname: Motto: SPQR: Senatus Populusque Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC Government  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area  - City 1,285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban 5... Alcalá is a Spanish placename originally from Arabic al-qalat, the castle. Alcalá, Valle del Cauca, Colombia Alcalá de Guadaira, Spain Alcalá de Henares, Madrid Puerta de Alcalá, a monument in Madrid Calle de Alcalá, one of the main streets of Madrid See also Alcántara and Alcázar, other... University of Rome La Sapienza (Università della Sapienza) is the most ancient university of Rome, Italy. ... Philosophers of law ask what is law? and what should it be? Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. ...

In Papal service

Mazarin followed Filippo Colonna as captain of infantry in his regiment during the war in Monferrato of 1627, over the succession to Mantua. During this war he gave proofs of much diplomatic ability, and Pope Urban VIII entrusted him, in 1629, with the difficult task of putting an end to the war of the Mantuan succession. Montferrat (in Italian, Monferrato) is part of the province of Asti in Italy. ... Events A Dutch ship makes the first recorded sighting of the coast of South Australia. ... The War of the Mantuan Succession (1628-1631) was a peripheral part of Thirty Years War. ... Urban VIII, né Maffeo Barberini (April 1568 - July 29, 1644) was pope from 1623-1644. ...

The Emperor Ferdinand II, the duke of Savoy, Charles Emmanuel I and Ferdinand II of Guastalla, the papal candidate for the duchy, were ranged against Louis XIII in aid of Charles Gonzaga, duc de Nevers, the opposing candidate. Urban VIII sent troops into the Valtelino. At the time, Anna Colonna, daughter of the Constable, was married to Urban's nephew, and Girolamo Colonna was now made archbishop of Bologna and a cardinal. Sent to Monferrat as papal legate, to treat of peace between France and Spain in the matter of Mantua, he insisted that Jules be attached to his legation as secretary. Charles Emmanuel I (b. ... Louis XIII (September 27, 1601 – May 14, 1643), called the Just (French: le Juste), was King of France from 1610 to 1643. ... Charles I of Gonzaga-Nevers (Italian: Carlo I Gonzaga; May 6, 1580 - September 22, 1637) was Duke of Mantua and Marquess of Montferrat from 1627 until his death. ... Urban VIII, né Maffeo Barberini (April 1568 - July 29, 1644) was pope from 1623-1644. ... The Archdiocese of Bologna is a Roman Catholic territory in northern Italy, with episcopal see in Bologna. ...

In passing between the armed camps to achieve an accommodation, Mazarin detected the weakness of the Spanish general, the marqués de Santa-Cruz, and perceived that he desired to come to terms without exposing his army to combat. By emphasizing French strengths in the Spanish camp, Mazarin effected the treaty of Cherasco, 6 April 1631, in which the Emperor and the Duke of Savoy recognized the possession of Mantua and part of Monferrat by Charles I of Mantua and the French occupation of the strategic stronghold of Pinerolo, the gate to the valley of the Po, to the great satisfaction of Richelieu and the King of France. Richelieu was in particular impressed by the young man's resourceful ruses, and asked him to come to Paris, where he received him with great demonstrations of affection, promised him great things and gave him a gold chain with the portrait of the King, some jewels and a valuable ceremonial sword. Charles I of Gonzaga-Nevers (Italian: Carlo I Gonzaga; May 6, 1580 - September 22, 1637) was Duke of Mantua and Marquess of Montferrat from 1627 until his death. ... Pinerolo is a town in Italy, 40 km southwest of Turin on the River Chisone. ... For other uses of Richelieu, see Richelieu (disambiguation). ...

As papal vice-legate at Avignon (1632), and nuncio extraordinary in France (1634), Mazarin was perceived as an extension of Richelieu's policy. Under Habsburg pressure, Mazarin was sent back to Avignon, where he was dismissed by Urban VIII on January 17, 1636. City flag City coat of arms Location Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country France Région Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur Département Vaucluse (préfecture) Arrondissement Avignon Canton Chief town of 4 cantons Intercommunality Communauté dagglomération du Grand Avignon Mayor Marie-Josée Roig... Nuncio is an ecclesiastical diplomatic title, derived from the ancient Latin Nuntius, meaning any envoy. ... Flag of the Habsburg Monarchy; also used as the flag of the Austrian Empire until the Ausgleich of 1867. ... January 17 is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1636 (MDCXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Friday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ...

In Richelieu's service

Mazarin immediately went to Paris, where he offered his services to Richelieu and was naturalized as a French citizen by April. Richelieu, who felt the weight of his years, though he was as assiduous in the King's service as ever, detected in Mazarin a likely aide in carrying on government. He confided to the young man several sensitive missions, in which Mazarin acquitted himself well, then presented him to the King, who was well pleased with Mazarin, who was now lodged in the palace. City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) Paris Eiffel tower as seen from the esplanade du Trocadéro. ...

Ever as deft at the gaming table as with diplomacy, one evening his winnings were so great that a crowd gathered to see the stacks of gold écus, attracting the attention of the Queen; in her presence, Mazarin risked all, and won. He attributed his winnings to the Queen's presence, and in thanks, offered her fifty thousand écus. The Queen demurred, Mazarin pressed, and she accepted. Several days later, Mazarin quietly received a great deal more than he had given. Thus he was affirmed in the favour of the King, the court and above all of Anne of Austria, who would soon be regent. Louis XIII by Philippe de Champaigne Anne of Austria (September 22, 1601 - January 20, 1666) was Queen Consort of France and Navarre and Regent for her son, Louis XIV of France. ... Louis XIII by Philippe de Champaigne Anne of Austria (September 22, 1601 - January 20, 1666) was Queen Consort of France and Navarre and Regent for her son, Louis XIV of France. ...

Mazarin sent to his father in Rome a great sum of money and a casket of jewels, for which he always had a great fondness, as dowry for his three sisters. Service to the King of France seemed to him the easiest route to a cardinal's hat, his constant ambition. Richelieu, in spite of his fondness and admiration for Mazarin, was loathe to crown his career so early; he offered a bishopric worth 30,000 écus a year. Mazarin, who aspired to more, for his part, turned it aside amiably. In 1636 he returned to Rome, with the thought of attaching himself to Cardinal Antonio, nephew of the pope, with an eye to preferment by that route.

The apex of his diplomatic services to France was the secret treaty between France and Tommaso of Savoy signed late in 1640. The following year, at Richelieu's insistence, Mazarin was made cardinal. He therefore returned to Rome, where he bought the Villa Borghese. A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually a bishop, of the Roman Catholic Church, a member of the College of Cardinals which as a body elects a new pope. ... Villa Borghese: the 19th century Temple of Aesculapius built purely as a landscape feature, influenced by the lake at Stourhead, Wiltshire Villa Borghese is a large landscape garden in the naturalistic English manner in Rome, containing a number of buildings, museums and attractions. ...

In Service to the King and to the Regent

His residence in Rome did not last long, as he returned to Paris in the December of 1642, after the death of Richelieu, succeeding him as Prime Minister of France^[2]. Events January 4 - Charles I attempts to arrest five leading members of the Long Parliament, but they escape. ...

King Louis XIII died in 1643. His successor, Louis XIV, was only a child and Mazarin functioned essentially as the ruler of France. During the regency of queen mother Anne of Austria, and until his death in 1661 at Vincennes, Mazarin effectively directed French policy. His modest manner contrasted with the imperious Richelieu, and Anne was so fond of him and so intimate in her manner with him, that there were long-standing rumors that they had been secretly married and that the Dauphin was their offspring. Louis XIII (September 27, 1601 – May 14, 1643), called the Just (French: le Juste), was King of France from 1610 to 1643. ... “Sun King” redirects here. ... Regent, from the Latin, a person selected to administer a state because the ruler is a minor or is not present or debilitated. ... Louis XIII by Philippe de Champaigne Anne of Austria (September 22, 1601 - January 20, 1666) was Queen Consort of France and Navarre and Regent for her son, Louis XIV of France. ... This article is about the city in France. ... Coat of Arms of the Dauphins of France. ...

Mazarin's policies for France

Mazarin continued Richelieu's anti-Hapsburg policy and laid the foundation for Louis XIV's expansionism. The victories of Condé and Turenne brought the French party to the bargaining table at the conclusion of the Thirty Years' War with the Treaty of Munster and Treaty of Osnabrück (Treaty of Westphalia), in which Mazarin's policies were French rather than Catholic and brought Alsace (though not Strasbourg) to France; he settled Protestant princes in secularized bishoprics and abbacies in reward for their political opposition to Austria. In 1658 he formed the League of the Rhine, which was designed to check the House of Austria in central Germany. In 1659 he made peace with Habsburg Spain in the Peace of the Pyrenees, which added to French territory Roussillon and northern Cerdanya— as French Cerdagne— in the far south as well as part of the Low Countries. For other uses of Richelieu, see Richelieu (disambiguation). ... Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé (September 8, 1621 - November 11, 1686). ... Turenne Henri de la Tour dAuvergne, Vicomte de Turenne, often referred to as Turenne (September 11, 1611 – July 27, 1675) achieved military fame and became a Marshal of France. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Ratification of the Treaty of Münster by Gerard Terborch (1648) The Peace of Westphalia, also known as the treaties of Münster and Osnabrück, is the series of treaties that ended the Thirty Years War and officially recognized the United Provinces and Swiss Confederation. ... The Ratification of the Treaty of Münster by Gerard Terborch (1648) Banquet of the Amsterdam Civic Guard in Celebration of the Peace of Münster by Bartholomeus van der Helst, 1648 The Peace of Westphalia, also known as the Treaties of Münster and Osnabrück, refers to the... The Ratification of the Treaty of Münster by Gerard Terborch (1648) The Peace of Westphalia, also known as the treaties of Münster and Osnabrück, is the series of treaties that ended the Thirty Years War and officially recognized the United Provinces and Swiss Confederation. ... (New région flag) (Region logo) Location Administration Capital Regional President Departments Bas-Rhin Haut-Rhin Arrondissements 13 Cantons 75 Communes 903 Statistics Land area1 8,280 km² Population (Ranked 14th)  - January 1, 2006 est. ... City flag City coat of arms Location Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country France Region Alsace Department Bas-Rhin (67) Intercommunality Urban Community of Strasbourg Mayor Fabienne Keller  (UMP) City Statistics Land area¹ 78. ... During the reign of Emperor Charles V (Carlos I of Spain), who ascended the thrones of the kingdoms of Spain after the death of his grandfather Ferdinand, Habsburg Spain controlled territory ranging from Philippines to the Netherlands, and was, for a time, Europes greatest power. ... The Treaty of the Pyrenees was signed in 1659 to end the war between France and Spain that had begun in 1635 during the Thirty Years War. ... Coat of arms of Roussillon - see also senyera Flag of Roussillon Mount Canigó (Canigou) (2785m), a Catalan landmark Roussillon (French: Roussillon, pronounced ; Catalan: Rosselló, pronounced ) is one of the historical counties of the former Principality of Catalonia, corresponding roughly to the present-day southern French département of Pyrén... French Cerdagne is the northern half of Cerdagne that became French at the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659, while the southern half remained Spanish (part of Catalonia). ... The Low Countries, the historical region of de Nederlanden, are the countries (see Country) on low-lying land around the delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse (Maas) rivers. ...

Towards Protestantism at home, Mazarin pursued a policy of promises and calculated delay to defuse the armed insurrection of the Ardèche (1653) for example, and keep the Huguenots disarmed: for six years they believed themselves to be on the eve of recovering the protections of the Edict of Nantes: in the end they obtained nothing. Ardèche (Occitan and Arpitan: Ardecha) is a department in south-central France named after the Ardèche River. ... In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Huguenot was applied to a member of the Protestant Reformed Church of France, historically known as the French Calvinists. ... The Edict of Nantes was issued on April 13, 1598 by Henry IV of France to grant French Calvinists (also known as Huguenots) substantial rights in a nation still considered essentially Catholic. ...

Towards the pontificate of the successful Spanish candidate, Cardinal Pamphili, elected pope (15 September, 1644) as Innocent X, there was constant friction. Mazarin protected the Barberini cardinals, nephews of the late pope, and the Bull against them was voted by the Parliament of Paris "null and abusive"; France made a show of preparing to take Avignon by force, and Innocent backed down. Mazarin was more consistently an enemy of Jansenism, more for its political implications than out of theology, and on his deathbed warned young Louis "not to tolerate the Jansenist sect, not even their name." The Pamphili (often with the final long i orthography, Pamphilj) are one of the Papal families deeply entrenched in Roman politics of the 16th and 17th centuries. ... Diego Velazquez portrait, which Innocent X found too truthful Innocent X, né Giovanni Battista Pamphili (May 6, 1574 - January 5, 1655), Pope from 1644 to 1655, was born in Rome in 1574, attained the dignity of cardinal in 1629. ... The Barberini family was a powerful Italian family, originally of Tuscan extraction, who settled in Florence during the early part of the eleventh century. ... Parlements (pronounced in French) in ancien régime France — contrary to what their name would suggest to the modern reader — were not democratic or political institutions, but law courts . ... Jansenism was a branch of Catholic thought tracing itself back to Cornelius Otto Jansen (1585 – 1638), a Flemish theologian. ... Jansenism was a branch of Christian philosophy founded by Cornelius Jansen (1585-1638), a Flemish theologian. ...

Controversy over the Cardinal's policies, and the weakness of the regency, resulted in two revolts, known as la Fronde (1648-53). Twice, in 1651 and 1652, he was driven out of the country, by the Parliamentary Fronde and the Fronde of the Nobles. The countless abusive and satirical pamphlets called Mazarinades published against him often invoked his Italian birth. In addition, the increasing authoritarian royal power of France (a process begun under Richelieu), as well as rising taxes such as the Taille were attacked by defenders of ancient aristocratic liberties against the growing absolutism that Louis XIV was able to exploit. The Fronde (1648–1653) was a civil war in France, followed by the Franco-Spanish War (1653). ... 1648 (MDCXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Saturday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... Events February 2 - New Amsterdam (later renamed New York City) is incorporated. ... A tax is a financial charge or other levy imposed on an individual or a legal entity by a state or a functional equivalent of a state (for example, tribes, secessionist movements or revolutionary movements). ... The taille was a direct land tax on the French peasantry in ancien régime France (since the nobles refused to pay taxes). ... Absolutism is a political theory which argues that one person, who is often generally a monarch, should hold all power. ...

Family connections

Cardinal Mazarin's wealth (he collected benefices and amassed a huge fortune and a greater collection of art than the king's) and his nieces' beauty, made for notable family connections, marital and extramarital.

His three nieces Ortensia, Maria and Olimpia, were famous for their wit, their beauty and their freedom. Olimpia was the mother of the famous Prince Eugene of Savoy. Ortensia was also a mistress of Charles II of England. Another niece Laura married the Alphonso IV, Duke of Modena and was the mother of Mary of Modena, Queen of England. Hortense Mancini (1646 - 1699) Ortensia or Hortense Mancini, Duchess of Mazarin (1646 – November 9, 1699), was the niece of Cardinal Mazarin, chief minister of France, and a mistress of Charles II, King of England. ... Marie Mancini Marie Mancini (August 28, 1639 - May 8, 1715) was the middle of five Mancini sisters, daughters of Michele Mancini and Geronima Mazarini, and nieces to Cardinal Mazarin who were brought to France to marry advantageously. ... Portrait of Olympia Mancini by Pierre Mignard Olympia Mancini, in France Olympe Mancini (1638 — 9 October 1708) was the second of five famous Mancini sisters, nieces of Cardinal Mazarin; she was also the mother of the famous general Prince Eugene of Savoy. ... Prince Eugen von Savoyen in a contemporary painting François-Eugène, Prince of Savoy-Carignan, known as Prinz Eugen von Savoyen in German and Eugenio, Principe di Savoia in Italian (October 18, 1663 – April 24, 1736) was arguable the greatest general to serve the Habsburgs. ... Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was the King of England, King of Scots, and King of Ireland from 30 January 1649 (de jure) or 29 May 1660 (de facto) until his death. ... Laura Martinozzi (May 27, 1639 in Fano-July 19, 1687 in Rome) was one of the Mazarinettes - the seven nieces Cardinal Mazarin brought to France from Italy so that he might arrange advantageous marriages for them. ... Civil ensign of the Duchy of Modena, 1830-1859. ... Mary of Modena (October 5, 1658 – May 7, 1718) was the queen consort of King James II of England. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Trivia

• A fictionalized Mazarin is a major character in Alexandre Dumas' novels Twenty Years After and Le Vicomte de Bragelonne. In them, Mazarin is portrayed as power-hungry, paranoid, and greedy.
• Mazarin is a character of some importance in The Galileo Affair by Eric Flint and Andrew Dennis.
• The "Mazarin diamond" is searched for in a November, 1999, Sherlock Holmes Mystery, "Mazarin Stone".

Alexandre Dumas, père, born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (July 24, 1802 – December 5, 1870) was a French writer, best known for his numerous historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world. ... Twenty Years After (Vingt ans après) is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, père. ... The Vicomte de Bragelonne: Ten Years Later (Le Vicomte de Bragelonne ou Dix ans plus tard) is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, père. ... Eric Flint (born California, USA, 1947) is an American science fiction, alternate history, and fantasy author and editor. ... This article is under construction. ...

Notes

Abruzzo is a region of Italy bordering Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and south-west, Molise to the south-east and the Adriatic Sea to the east. ... December 5 is the 339th day (340th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events January 4 - Charles I attempts to arrest five leading members of the Long Parliament, but they escape. ...

External links

• Catholic Encyclopedia: Jules Mazarin