Editing Cardinal Richelieu (section)

==Thirty Years' War==
[[File:Cardinal Richelieu by Robert Nanteuil 1657.jpeg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|Cardinal Richelieu by [[Robert Nanteuil]]]]

Before Richelieu's ascent to power, most of Europe had become enmeshed in the [[Thirty Years' War]] (1618–1648). France was not openly at war with the [[House of Habsburg|Habsburgs]], who ruled Spain and the [[Holy Roman Empire]], so subsidies and aid were provided secretly to their adversaries.<ref>Wedgwood, p. 270.</ref> Richelieu however, believed that war against Spain would be unavoidable.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu {{!}} Encyclopedia.com |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/armand-jean-du-plessis-de-richelieu |access-date=2023-07-15 |website=www.encyclopedia.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Lodge |first=Sir Richard |url= |title=The Life of Cardinal Richelieu |date=1903 |publisher=A. L. Burt Company |pages=195 |language=en}}</ref> He considered the [[Dutch Republic]] as one of France's most important allies, for it bordered directly with the [[Spanish Netherlands]] and was right in the middle of the [[Eighty Years' War]] with Spain at that time. Luckily for him, Richelieu was a ''bon français'', just like the king, who had already decided to subsidize the Dutch to fight against the Spanish via the [[Treaty of Compiègne (1624)|Treaty of Compiègne]] in June 1624, prior to Richelieu's appointment to First Minister in August.<ref>A. Lloyd Moote, ''Louis XIII, the Just'', pp. 135–136, 178. {{full|date=August 2022}}</ref> That same year, a military expedition, secretly financed by France and commanded by Marquis de Coeuvres, started an action with the intention of liberating the [[Valtelline]] from Spanish occupation. In 1625, Richelieu also sent money to [[Ernst von Mansfeld]], a famous mercenary general operating in Germany in English service. However, in May 1626, when war costs had almost ruined France, king and cardinal made peace with Spain via the [[Treaty of Monçon]].<ref>Moote, pp. 179–183, esp. 182</ref> This peace quickly ended after tensions due to the [[War of the Mantuan Succession]].<ref>Wedgwood, p. 247.</ref>

In 1629, Emperor [[Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand II]] subjugated many of his Protestant opponents in Germany. Richelieu, alarmed by Ferdinand's growing influence, incited Sweden to intervene, providing money.<ref name=autogenerated3>Parker, 1984, p. 219.</ref> In the meantime, France and Spain remained hostile due to Spain's ambitions in northern Italy. At that time northern Italy was a major strategic region in Europe's balance of power, serving as a link between the Habsburgs in the Empire and in Spain. Had the imperial armies dominated this region, France would have been threatened by Habsburg encirclement. Spain was meanwhile seeking papal approval for a [[universal monarchy]]. When in 1630 French diplomats in [[Regensburg]] agreed to make peace with Spain, Richelieu refused to support them. The agreement would have prohibited French interference in Germany. Therefore, Richelieu advised Louis XIII to refuse to ratify the treaty. In 1631, he allied France to Sweden, which had [[Treaty of Stettin (1630)|just invaded the empire]], in the [[Treaty of Bärwalde]].<ref name=autogenerated3 />

Military expenses placed a considerable strain on royal revenues. In response, Richelieu raised the ''[[gabelle]]'' (salt tax) and the ''[[taille]]'' (land tax).<ref>Collins, p. 62.</ref> The ''taille'' was enforced to provide funds to raise armies and wage war. The clergy, nobility, and high [[bourgeoisie]] either were exempt or could easily avoid payment, so the burden fell on the poorest segment of the nation. To collect taxes more efficiently, and to keep corruption to a minimum, Richelieu bypassed local tax officials, replacing them with ''[[intendant]]s'' (officials in the direct service of the Crown).<ref>Collins, p. 53.</ref> Richelieu's financial scheme, however, caused unrest among the peasants; there were several uprisings in 1636 to 1639.<ref>Munck, p. 48.</ref> Richelieu crushed the revolts violently, and dealt with the rebels harshly.<ref>Zagorin, pp. 8–12.</ref>

[[File:Battle of Lens.jpeg|thumb|right|upright=1.0|The Battle of Lens]]

Because he openly aligned France with Protestant powers, Richelieu was denounced by many as a traitor to the Roman Catholic Church. (He ordered ships of war from [[Jan Bicker|Jean Bicker]].<ref>[https://archief.amsterdam/indexen/persons?ss=%7B%22q%22:%22%5C%22Jean%20Bicker%5C%22%22%7D&sort=%7B%22order_i_datum%22:%22asc%22%7D Amsterdam City Archive]</ref>) Military action, at first, was disastrous for the French, with many victories going to Spain and the Empire.<ref>Wedgwood, p. 452.</ref> Neither side, however, could obtain a decisive advantage, and the conflict lingered on after Richelieu's death. Richelieu was instrumental in redirecting the Thirty Years' War from the conflict of Protestantism versus Catholicism to that of nationalism versus Habsburg hegemony.<ref>Henry Bertram Hill, ''Political Testament of Cardinal Richelieu'', p. vii, supports general thesis.</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Bergin |first=Joseph |url= |title=Cardinal Richelieu: Power and the Pursuit of Wealth |date=1985 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-03495-0 |language=en}}</ref>{{Page needed|date=July 2023}} In this conflict France effectively drained the already overstretched resources of the Habsburg empire and drove it inexorably towards bankruptcy.<ref name=autogenerated2>Wedgwood, p. 450.</ref> The defeat of Habsburg forces at the [[Battle of Lens]] in 1648, coupled with their failure to prevent a French invasion of [[Catalonia]], effectively spelled the end for Habsburg domination of the continent, and for the personal career of Spanish prime minister [[Gaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of Olivares|Olivares]].<ref name=autogenerated2 />