Mazarin, << MAZ uh rihn or ma za RAN >> Jules (1602-1661), was, in effect, the ruler of France from 1643 until his death. He succeeded Cardinal Richelieu as chief minister to King Louis XIII in 1642. Louis died the following year. Mazarin then became the chief adviser of Anne of Austria, who ruled as regent (temporary ruler) for her 4-year-old son, Louis XIV. Anne and Mazarin brought the Thirty Years’ War to an end in 1648 and, in 1659, won a war between France and Spain. Their rule strengthened the monarchy, brought peace at home and abroad, and made France supreme in Europe.
In foreign and domestic policy, Mazarin mainly preserved the work of Louis XIII and Richelieu. However, many French people resented him for the continuation of the Thirty Years’ War and its tax burdens. Anne, who was Spanish-born, and Mazarin, who came from Italy, were both criticized for their foreign birth. They overcame a rebellion known as the Fronde (1648-1653). Anne and Mazarin preferred to resolve disputes by using money and diplomacy rather than the harsh methods employed by Louis XIII and Richelieu. Mazarin used his position to enrich himself and his family, as did most royal servants in his day.
Mazarin was born Giulio Mazarini in the Italian region of Abruzzi. He was a captain in the pope’s army early in the Thirty Years’ War and then entered the papal diplomatic service. He and Richelieu won each other’s respect while Mazarin was on a mission to France in 1630. Mazarin was granted French citizenship in 1639. He became a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church in 1641, though he was never ordained a priest.
See also Anne of Austria ; Fronde ; Library (Libraries of the 1600’s and 1700’s: France) ; Louis XIV ; Richelieu, Cardinal .
