Armand Emmanuel Sophia-Septimani de Vignereau du Plessis, the fifth Duke of Richelieu, known throughout the post-Soviet space as the Duke of Odessa, was the great-great-grandnephew of the famous cardinal, the all-powerful minister during the reign of Louis XIII. The cardinal, having no direct heirs due to his spiritual title, bequeathed all the titles received from the king to the grandson of his sister, whose direct descendant was the Duke.

Armand Emmanuel Sophie Septemanie de Vignerot du Plessis, Comte de Chinon, 5th Duke of Richelieu (French: Armand Emmanuel Sophie Septemanie de Vignerot du Plessis, 5eme duc de Richelieu; September 14, 1766, Paris - May 17, 1822). Portrait by T. Lawrence from the collection of Elizabeth I
Photo: sco.wikipedia.org

The fifth Duke of Richelieu was born in Paris on September 25, 1766. Due to his noble origin, at the age of 17 he received the high court position of chamberlain. But the brilliance of the big world attracted little attention to the young scion of the famous family. Perhaps he felt that honors came too easily to him. Therefore, he did not strive to live in Paris, and the events of the Great French Revolution found him far from the French capital. In 1790, Richelieu was in Vienna, where he received news of the Russian command's intention to storm Ishmael, a powerful Turkish fortress at the mouth of the Danube. The Duke immediately expressed a desire to enter the Russian service and take part in this glorious undertaking.

It should be noted that neither staying in Vienna nor joining a foreign army was at that time political emigration, in the full sense of the word. In 1790, the flywheel of the revolution had not yet gained momentum; most French aristocrats did not consider life in their homeland dangerous. Many expected changes for the better. Louis XVI himself was on the throne, and did not fully realize that he was, in fact, a prisoner of his subjects. Revolutionary events began to take truly harsh forms only after the king’s attempt to escape in 1792.

But long before the storming of the Bastille, which took place, as we know, on July 14, 1789, many French nobles were looking for careers abroad. The reign of Louis XVI seemed boring and unpromising to the aristocrats, for whom war was considered the only worthy occupation. Many entered foreign service. Small-scale nobles hoped to make a career, those whose career was determined by their pedigree were looking for self-realization. Thus, the Marquis Lafayette and Count Langeron fought for the independence of America, many rushed to the expanding Russian Empire. There were also more exotic options, for example, Turkey. Who to serve was not so important. Count de Dama, in response to the question why, in fact, he offered his sword to the Russian and not the Turkish government, replied: “Because if I do something wrong in Russia, they will cut off my head; and if I do something wrong in Turkey, then I will be imprisoned.” count". Some of his compatriots were not afraid of such considerations. In the memoirs of Alexandra Osipovna Smirnova-Rosset, daughter of the Chevalier de Rosset, an associate of Richelieu during his Novorossiysk governorship, the following facts can be gleaned from the biography of her father: “... benefactors advised him to accept the position of dragoman at the Porte. The Porte then paid with a generous hand and rewarded the dragomans with precious stones, pearls and shawls... Three years later, my father got tired of this position, and he came to Kherson and joined the Black Sea Rowing Flotilla, commanded by the famous, intelligent and respected Admiral Mordvinov and Vice- Admirals Lambro and de Galeto." It is important to emphasize that the Besançon nobleman Chevalier de Rosset was by no means a rogue, ready at any moment to sell his sword to anyone who would pay the most. In the Russian service, he established himself as a selfless person, and, more importantly, highly responsible, completely devoted to the laws of honor. Odessa residents owe him a lot. But the above change of duty station was not in insoluble contradiction with the ethics of that time.

However, during the second Russian-Turkish war, the sympathies of the majority of the French were not on the side of the Turks. In France at the end of the 18th century. there was a certain fashion for Russia. The rulers of thought, Voltaire and Diderot, widely advertised the enlightened Russian empress, with whom they were in correspondence. There was also some commonality of political interests. Thus, France supported America against England during the War of Independence. England was counting on Russian support, but Catherine categorically refused to violate her neutrality. There was also an opinion that Russia is a real Eldorado for anyone who knows their business well. In general, there was nothing unusual in Richelieu’s decision to fight the Turks in the ranks of the Russian army. In addition, at that moment his friend Count Langeron was in Vienna, having already fought under Russian banners in Sweden. Having learned about the upcoming assault on Izmail, the young people, not sparing their horses, rushed to Bendery, where Prince Potemkin’s headquarters was located. Nine days later they appeared before the eyes of His Serene Highness and were enlisted in the Russian service, with the rank of colonels.

During the storming of the fortress, both young aristocrats showed their best side and were awarded the St. George Crosses of the 4th degree and the excellent courage shown during the storming of the Izmail fortress, with the destruction of the army that was there.” Richelieu also received the rank of lieutenant general in the Russian army. But after the end of the military campaign, the Duke resigns and returns to Paris to settle his personal affairs. In his absence, the family's financial situation was greatly shaken.

The descendant of the great cardinal managed to visit his homeland and leave it again with a legal passport, before the stormy waves of revolutionary changes finally overwhelmed France. During this period, the Duke participated in political life very moderately. Perhaps it was difficult for him to decide on his sympathies. Judging by a number of statements in the years preceding the revolution, he adhered to liberal views, but later remained faithful to the circle to which he belonged by birth.

In 1892, having arrived in St. Petersburg, Richelieu tried to arrange the fate of French emigrants, many of whom by that time were experiencing financial difficulties. He initiated the so-called Crimean project, which consisted of transferring the army of Prince Condé to the newly conquered Crimea. The Russian government allocated 630,000 acres of land to the French emigration on the shores of the Sea of ​​Azov. It was supposed to form two colonies. Each colony was divided into ten districts, each district into five villages. “Forty musketeers-nobles and twenty musketeers-non-nobles” were to settle in each village. Each musketeer-nobleman was allocated sixty acres of land, a non-nobleman - thirty (officers - three hundred each). In addition, each settler, regardless of origin, was given two mares , two cows, six sheep. The colonists, according to the project, also received a salary. The Prince of Condé himself was appointed inspector general of the emigrant colony, and the Duke of Richelieu was appointed its governor.

The Duke's initiative did not delight his compatriots. The royalists, expelled from their homeland, did not want to raise sheep in the southern Russian steppes; they wanted to fight the French Republic. And it was not entirely unreasonable to believe that it was the duty of every European monarch to support them in this endeavor, including financially. However, the Russian public found their government's offer very generous and was offended by the pickiness of the French. By that time, the wave of sympathy for the emigrants had already subsided, and at European courts they were increasingly treated as annoying beggars. The Count of Provence, the younger brother of the executed King Louis XVI, who found temporary shelter in Prussia in 1896, was forced to rent three rooms in the brewer’s house. Meanwhile, since 1795, he was proclaimed the legitimate king of France by Louis XVIII and the Prussian king recognizes his status.

In 1799, Emperor Paul I, who replaced Catherine II on the Russian throne, offered the exiled king his hospitality. Paul turned out to be more generous than the Prussian government. He puts at the disposal of Louis a palace in Mitava (modern Jelgava in Latvia) and gives him the opportunity to maintain a court of 100 nobles. Soon, Princess Maria Theresa, the daughter of the executed Louis XVI, the only one of his family to survive the years of terror, also arrives in Mitau.

By his origin, the fifth Duke of Richelieu had every right to be with the king, but he chose to stay in St. Petersburg. At first he was in active service, but serving under Paul was not an easy task. The nervous, unbalanced emperor sent his officers and officials into retirement in droves, and even to Siberia. The staff turnover under him was colossal. Richelieu, like many others, did not avoid resignation, which, however, he himself desired, and for some time he lived in St. Petersburg as a private citizen, experiencing significant financial difficulties. He was again called up for Russian service in 1803, in the third year of the reign of Alexander I.

Alexandra Osipovna Rosset, Richelieu’s goddaughter, describes his return to service this way: “Emperor Alexander was quick-witted and immediately, recognizing Duke Richelieu, said to him: “Dear Duke!” You know, I feel remorse. I inherited the south of Russia. This region is rich and fertile, but landowners use their rights to ruin it. “I give you unlimited powers and ask you to establish connections between Little Russia, Turkey and the ports of the Mediterranean Sea as soon as possible.” “Sire,” Richelieu answered, “I will do everything possible to justify your trust. I ask you only one condition: let my sword never be directed against the French.” - “Go, dear Duke. I'm letting you go."

Thus, according to Alexandra Osipovna, the Duke (Duke) of Richelieu was appointed mayor of Odessa and governor-general of the Novorossiysk region. Perhaps her story does not exactly correspond to historical facts in everything, but, in any case, it is documentary evidence of what Duke was like in the eyes of public opinion.

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Duke of Richelieu is a special title in France in the rank of peerage. It was created in 1629 especially for Cardinal Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu. He was a clergyman, so he had no heirs to whom he could pass on this title. As a result, it went to his great-nephew.

First Richelieu

The first Duke of Richelieu was born in 1585. He also remained in history under the nickname In 1616, he received the post of Secretary of State, and was the head of the French government from 1624 until his death in 1642.

The future Duke Armand de Richelieu was born in Paris, his father was one of the organizers of the flight of Henry III from the rebellious French capital. When his family managed to return to Paris, he studied at the College of Navarre with the future king.

He was a prominent figure during the regency. After Louis XIII took power, he was sent into exile. He returned to court only in 1622, becoming a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Two years later, he appoints him as his first minister in order to save the country, which finds itself in a deplorable situation.

Richelieu manages to uncover a conspiracy against the king, aimed at his murder, and he pursues a balanced foreign policy. In an effort to create a centralized state, the Duke de Richelieu fought with the aristocracy, developed trade, navy, finance and foreign economic relations. In history and literature he remained one of the most influential ministers in the history of France.

Marshal of France

The second Duke de Richelieu was the great-nephew of Armand du Plessis - Armand Jean de Vignereau du Plessis, who was not remembered for anything remarkable in history. The same cannot be said about his son, the third Richelieu, Liou Francois Armand de Vignero du Plessis. He was born in 1696 and received the title of Duke of Richelieu when he was 19 years old.

Surprisingly, it was at the insistence of his father that Louis was first imprisoned in the Bastille. He spent 14 months behind bars, as his father tried to reason with him after too early and stormy love affairs. In 1716 he was imprisoned again. Now because of the murder of Count Gase in a duel.

In 1719, the Duke of Richelieu became one of the participants in the Cellamare conspiracy. Its participants tried to remove Philip II from the post of regent. But they were discovered, Louis spent several more months in the Bastille. He decided to enter into a conspiracy because of dissatisfaction with the political course of the regent. He was against the conflict with Spain and rapprochement with England. Like many French aristocrats at that time, he dreamed of a revanchist war against the British, considering Spain one of the main allies in the international arena.

In 1725 he was appointed ambassador to Vienna and then to Dresden. In this field, he showed himself to be a skilled diplomat who was able to benefit his country. For example, it was Richelieu who pointed out the strategic importance of Courland, which led to the crisis of 1726. It was from Courland that Richelieu hoped, if necessary, to threaten St. Petersburg, making Russia as cautious as possible in an alliance with Austria.

In 1733, he distinguished himself in the Rhine campaign for the Polish inheritance, and was especially successful at the siege of Philippsburg.

Military successes

Later he took part in the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War. In 1757, the Duke of Richelieu ended his military career by devastating Hanover. During this campaign he forced the Duke of Cumberland to sign a convention of surrender, but was recalled to France that same year.

According to the official version, the reason was mass robberies in which French soldiers took part; on the sidelines it was said that the Duke of Soubise and Louis XV himself were very jealous of his military successes.

The biography of the Duke of Richelieu contains many military successes and victories, while in history he is classified as a “half-forgotten” commander. Richelieu did not lose a single battle, and during the Seven Years' War, King Frederick II of Prussia did not dare to start a direct battle against him. The French army was confident that Richelieu would definitely have defeated the British if he had remained a commander.

At the same time, the Duke himself was an opponent of universal conscription, the concept of which was discussed in the middle of the 18th century. He believed that artillery was capable of destroying a clumsy army in a matter of hours, and tried to substantiate this thesis even with the help of mathematical calculations. The talent of the Duke de Richelieu du Plessis was highly appreciated by Suvorov.

Mayor of Odessa

The son of Louis Francois (Louis Antoine) was not remembered for anything remarkable, but his grandson played an important role in the fate of one of the cities of modern Ukraine - Odessa. In 1766, Armand-Emmanuaël Richelieu was born.

He became the fifth Duke of Richelieu, great-great-great-nephew of the famous Cardinal Richelieu. In 1783, he became chamberlain under King Louis XVI, having received this court position, he began to build a successful career.

Perhaps he could have achieved a lot in France, but in 1789 the Great French Revolution happened. Richelieu is forced to emigrate. He leaves first for Austria, and then goes to Russia, where he enters military service.

He turned out to be very useful in the military field. In 1790 he took part in the assault on Izmail, the next year he was even awarded the Order of St. George, fourth class, with the wording “For excellent courage.” His contribution to the capture of Ishmael was so highly appreciated. He also receives a personalized weapon for his bravery.

Resettlement Project

In 1792, Richelieu proposed to the Russian Empress Catherine II a project for the mass resettlement of migrants from France to the Azov region. But this idea did not receive support. The aristocrats who fled the French Revolution themselves refused to settle in lands unknown to them without any tangible prospects. For them, it was too far from the already familiar Russian cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg.

After his project was not approved, Richelieu held the post of governor of Volyn for some time, and after the accession of Emperor Paul I in 1796, who took the throne after the death of Catherine II, he left for Vienna.

In 1797, Paul appointed Richelieu commander of His Majesty's regiment. The hero of our article leads the cuirassiers. He held this position until the end of 1800.

At the head of Odessa

In 1803, Richelieu returned to Russia after Alexander I, with whom they had friendly and warm relations, became emperor. The head of state appoints him mayor of Odessa. This becomes a decisive decision both in the life of Richelieu and in the history of the city itself.

Under Duke Richelieu, Odessa simply flourished. In 1804, the emperor approved his proposal to temporarily remove tax time from the city. Richelieu manages to achieve this by proving the feasibility of free transit of any goods that are brought to Odessa by sea and even then sent to Europe. Under Duke Richelieu in the 19th century, Odessa became a major sea and commercial port.

Economic recovery of the city

The hero of our article is seeking the opening of a commercial school and gymnasium, private boarding schools, in order to locally train specialists for the development and prosperity of the city. From a provincial town, Odessa is turning into one of the key cities in southern Russia.

Richelieu's efforts are noted in the imperial entourage; in 1805 he was appointed governor-general of the entire Novorossiysk region. Under him, a noble institute was founded, which in the future would serve to open the Richelieu Lyceum. This event takes place in 1817. Richelieu ordered the design of the theater building from the famous architect de Thomon, its construction was completed in 1809.

In 1806, Richelieu commanded Russian troops in the war with the Turks, he was sent to capture Izmail. But the assault ends in failure.

Return to France

In 1814, Richelieu returned to France, where he took the post of prime minister in the government of Louis XVIII.

It is noteworthy that he occupied this post on the initiative of the Russian monarch Alexander I. Richelieu remained Prime Minister until 1818, and in 1820 he returned to this position again, only to finally leave it another year.

At the French Academy, Richelieu takes the place of Napoleon Bonaparte's supporter Antoine Arnault, who was expelled after the defeat of his leader.

Personal life of Richelieu

At the age of 15, Richelieu married the 13-year-old daughter of the Duke de Rochechouart named Rosalie. The relationship between the newlyweds in this marriage was very peculiar. For example, immediately after the ceremony, Richelieu went on his honeymoon alone (accompanied by one tutor).

He spent a year and a half traveling, and when he returned, he visited his wife once and left again. This went on for almost their entire married life. Finally, the forced emigration of the Duke separated them for many years. According to close friends and relatives, the husband and wife respected each other, but there were no other feelings between them.

In 1818, Richelieu died childless. He was buried in Paris in the Sorbonne Church, which was built by his ancestor, the famous cardinal. The remains still rest in a sealed crypt today. After his death, the title of Duke passed to his nephew.

Monument in Odessa

In Odessa they were so grateful to their mayor that they immortalized his image. The monument to the Duke de Richelieu in Odessa was inaugurated in 1828.

As soon as news of his death became known, Count Langeron called on residents to raise money for the construction of the monument. The monument was ordered in 1823. The sculptor Ivan Petrovich Martos worked on it. This was one of the last creations of this master.

The monument itself is a bronze statue, which depicts Richelieu in a Roman toga and holding a scroll in his hands. On the sides there are three high reliefs made of brass, which symbolize trade, agriculture and justice. The monument to Duke Richelieu in Odessa was founded in the summer of 1827.

The high reliefs and the sculpture itself were cast in St. Petersburg. The massive pedestal is the work of architects Boffo and Melnikov. The monument is made in the style of classicism.

The height of the sculpture is slightly higher than human height. On April 22, 1828, the monument was inaugurated.

The fate of the monument

The Richelieu monument was damaged during the Crimean War. A joint squadron of the French and British shelled both the port and the city itself. As a result, one of the cannonballs exploded in the immediate vicinity of the monument on the square itself. The pedestal was damaged by a shell fragment.

When the war ended, a cast iron patch was installed in the damaged area, which was stylized to look like a cannonball.

You can still visit the monument at Primorsky Boulevard, building 9. It faces the sea, in front of it is the Potemkin Stairs, which leads to the Marine Station building. Behind the sculpture are government buildings, which form a semicircular square, followed by Catherine Square. Many experts note that the monument fits very organically into the environment, compatible with both the buildings and the Potemkin Stairs.

Odessa residents are famous for their humor, and they did not ignore the Richelieu sculpture. They advise visitors to look at Duke from the hatch. Indeed, if we view the monument from the water supply hatch located to the left of the monument, the folds of clothing resemble male genitalia.

Nowadays, this particular monument remains one of the most famous and significant symbols of Odessa, which many local residents are still proud of.

Richelieu in the 19th and 20th centuries

After the Odessa mayor, none of the Dukes of Richelieu left a significant mark in either French or Russian history. In 1822, the title went to Armand Emmanuel's nephew Armand François Audet de La Chapelle de Saint-Jean de Jumillhac.

In 1879, it passed to his nephew, whose name was Marie Odette Richard; he died a year later. The last Duke of Richelieu was his son Marie Audette Jean Armand, who died in 1952.

“History hardly knows a person about whom all sources would speak with such unanimous approval...
The complete praise given by both Russians and foreigners to Richelieu’s activities surprises everyone... It is not possible to point out a single dark point in his activities.”
From a book published for the centenary of Odessa. 1894

Emperor Alexander I jokingly thanked the French Revolution for giving Russia the Duke of Richelieu. Indeed: in the checkered history of the Fatherland you cannot find another nobleman whom you cannot remember except with a kind word. And even if some crazy person decides to remove all the monuments in the world from their pedestals, “our” Richelieu will not be particularly harmed. Firstly, the bronze figure on Primorsky Boulevard bears absolutely no resemblance to the real thing. And secondly, and this is perhaps the most important thing, the whole city became a monument to him...

“What the hell are you, Richelieu,” thundered the grandfather-marshal, “if you couldn’t spend a trifling amount in two weeks!” Forty louis, a gift to his beloved grandson, to the delight of passers-by, clinked and flew out the window...

In fact, the great reveler, spendthrift and lover of ladies, the grandfather-duke absolutely could not understand who little Armand had taken after. Since the glorious times of the “First Richelieu” - the right hand of the king and the unofficial master of all France - they were rich, very rich. The famous cardinal, coupled with immeasurable goodness, conveyed to the men of their family irrepressible vanity, a passion for intrigue and the ability to live to the fullest. So who is this offspring born into, falling asleep with Virgil in his arms? At the same time, the resemblance to the portrait of his grandfather-cardinal is striking; it is clear that he will be tall and thin, with a slightly humped nose, like all Richelieu’s, and his eyes are bright, dark, and brilliant. And little Armand has so many titles that you’ll get tired of listing them.

He was born in 1766 and, having lost his mother early, with an indifferent and cold father, he remained, in essence, an orphan. Fortunately, the boy was soon sent to the best educational institution of that time, founded, by the way, by the cardinal. The atmosphere in the school was spartan. The young abbot Nicolas, Armand’s teacher, became attached to the boy with all his soul. The young Duke was the first student, spoke five languages ​​brilliantly, was resilient, was an excellent fencer and rode a horse.

He was not even 15 when fate essentially deprived him of a full-fledged family forever. According to the customs of that time, the offspring of noble families who had completed their education were supposed to get married. And let early marriage not be such a big problem. For Armand, the trouble lay in his fiancée, the thirteen-year-old Duchess Rosalie de Rochenoir, who was as terrible as mortal sin. A twisted body, a hump on the back and chest, a face that is difficult to look at without pity and horror - this is the portrait of the one with whom the handsome Arman went down the aisle.

It is impossible to imagine what made the young Duke’s relatives take such a crazy step. Everyone who wrote about Richelieu’s stay in Russia (and there are quite a few of them) did not clarify the situation in any way, but we can safely say that the bride’s ugly appearance was not an exaggeration. A kind of denouement of this absurd marriage came immediately after the wedding. The newlywed, accompanied by Abbot Nicolas, who did not want to part with his pupil, went on a trip to Europe. Subsequently, this couple did not have any marital relations. True, to the credit of Rosalia de Richelieu, she had enough common sense not to force herself on her husband. She managed to win his respect. Throughout their subsequent lives they... corresponded, although quite amicably and sympathetically.

Armand returned two years later and received one of the first court positions. Plunging into the world of Versailles, saturated with spirits, intrigue and evil boredom, the first chamberlain of Louis XVI quickly felt bad and began to think about how to get permission from the king for a new trip. But then there was a rumble in the distance. France was on the verge of revolution...

On July 14, 1789, rioting Parisians took the Bastille. The marquises and barons, having loaded their carriages, went to distant estates, hoping to wait out the thunderstorm. Richelieu remained among those who were ready to die for the king, but not break the oath. Louis himself did not seem to understand the seriousness of the situation. In any case, it was he who insisted that young Richelieu embark on the journey that he had long dreamed of. Already in Vienna, the Duke learned that the king had been forcibly taken to Paris by a militant crowd of rabble. He urgently returns to France to join the banners of troops loyal to the king. But the time when it was still possible to turn the situation around is mercilessly passing: France is plunging deeper and deeper into the whirlpool of revolution.

Richelieu is back in Vienna. Here, in the house of Field Marshal de Ligne, a good friend of the Russian Empress Catherine and the famous Potemkin, the Duke probably for the first time hears the field marshal's vivid, romantic stories about the heroic Russian army, about the victorious campaigns of Suvorov, about the huge mysterious country that has now crossed swords with the Turks , establishing itself on the Black Sea. Novorossiysk, Crimea, Izmail it all sounded like music.

Everything changed in a matter of moments. De Ligne received a letter from Potemkin, where he read between the lines information about the impending assault on Ishmael. Having secured a letter of recommendation to Potemkin, Richelieu rushed east. He arrived in Bendery - Potemkin's headquarters, on a banal postal carriage - the horse died from a mad race. The Duke would not have forgiven himself if he had been late for the assault. He made it on time. But...

The ruins of the burning Ishmael, among which women's screams and the cries of children could be heard - all this shocked Richelieu incomparably more than the long-awaited feeling of victory. “I hope I never see such a terrible sight,” he wrote. Meanwhile, his behavior as a warrior was impeccable. He was awarded the St. George Cross, 4th degree, and a personalized weapon “For Bravery.”

Catherine heard rumors about a famous man fighting under her banner. It would seem that in the Russian army, where there were already many foreigners attracted by its military glory, the path to a successful career was open for the Duke. But he didn't take advantage of it. Perhaps an important role was played by the fact that the romance of the war dissipated for him faster than the smoke over the defeated Ishmael. The Duke realized that the death of anyone at his hands, the destruction of someone’s house, is not at all what his soul longs for.

But in revolutionary France, where he returned, a terrible picture of bullying by some over others, overcrowded prisons, lawlessness, and arbitrariness also awaited him. He admitted: “It was worse for me to go to Paris than it would have been for a coward to participate in the assault on Ishmael.”

Now Richelieu was called a “citizen” The Constituent Assembly decided to abolish titles of nobility.

The former Duke's enormous fortune was nationalized. (By the way, later, during the time of Napoleon, when the attitude towards aristocrats became different, Richelieu could have regained everything. To do this, he only had to turn to Napoleon as an emperor. Richelieu did not do this.)

Prison and death clearly lay ahead. But the Duke did not want to flee, becoming an emigrant. He came to the Constituent Assembly in order to legally obtain a foreign passport. Richelieu got away with this extremely risky act: at that time the flywheel of terror had not yet started working at full force. And in the summer of 1791 Richelieu left for Russia. In St. Petersburg, Catherine herself kindly received him, inviting him to her Hermitage meetings for a very narrow circle. And soon they had a very serious topic for conversation: a stormy stream of emigrants poured from France, spreading in small and large streams throughout Europe. Not everyone was able to take away gold and jewelry, which means that the majority were doomed to a bitter, half-starved existence. The fate of his unfortunate compatriots did not give Richelieu, who received the rank of colonel from the empress, any peace.

Today, few people know that in our Azov region 200 years ago a certain “New France” could have been formed as part of the Russian Empire. Duke Richelieu put forward the idea of ​​​​populating these warm regions with those who fled from the revolutionary axe. The Empress agreed. It was planned that a small city would be built in the Azov region for those arriving, and each refugee would be given plots of land that would allow them to obtain the necessary food. Richelieu was assigned the role of head of this colony.

Inspired, and even with a decent amount of 60 thousand in gold to pay for the emigrants’ travel expenses to the place of resettlement, he went to Europe to solve all the organizational problems. Alas! The Duke's efforts were in vain - the people, who had suffered fear and grief, realizing that they were not being invited to St. Petersburg or Moscow, but to a distant, uninhabited region, refused, deciding not to risk it.

And they must have acted wisely: pretty soon Catherine’s philanthropic impulse gave way to indifference. This, unfortunately, is a typical attitude towards emigration for all times and peoples as an unnecessary and very burdensome problem. After the failure of the project, the Duke left to command a regiment in the Volyn province. “Bearish angles,” which frightened many, were for him what was needed, significantly expanding the field of activity. The authorities noticed his zeal and diligence, and, being with the rank of major general, Richelieu was appointed commander of the Cuirassier Regiment of His Majesty Paul I, who became autocrat after the death of Mother Catherine in 1796. Richelieu's regiment, stationed in Gatchina, constantly marched on the parade ground, throwing Pavel into a rage over the slightest mistake. In the eyes of the tsar, this Frenchman was already worthy of a headdress because the hated mother, who had departed into oblivion, showed him all sorts of courtesies. And here it was doubtful, but still a consolation for the duke, that everyone without exception suffered from the temper of the father-monarch, including Grand Duke Alexander. “Say: you fool, you brute!” “Paul shouted to the adjutants, and they, hiding their eyes, went to the heir to the throne with a similar report. Alexander, having met Richelieu at Catherine’s Hermitage meetings, became close to him at that time. The Grand Duke saw in the noble Frenchman a rare nature for the court, living with higher thoughts, alien to flattery, vanity and intrigue. In the near future, this fact played a decisive role in the fate of Richelieu...

The Duke's Gatchina service, as one would expect, ended soon. Richelieu hated insults, and Paul I hated him. Result resignation.

At 37 years old, when others are reaping the benefits of their achievements, being in the prime of their careers, the Duke could not show off any achievements. The revolution took away his family and friends (Rosalie de Richelieu also spent some time in prison, but miraculously escaped), in Russia his career also collapsed and, it seems, irrevocably, he had to think about a piece of bread in the literal sense. He tried to serve, but to no avail. Finally, he reached Vienna, where the retired general of the Russian army and first chamberlain of the king of France (albeit beheaded) ate on one and a half francs a day, not allowing himself to visit friends during lunch.

Once, having learned that his old acquaintance had ascended to the Russian throne, Alexander Pavlovich, the Duke, following all the rules of politeness, sent him congratulations with his pitiful crumbs. The answer came immediately:

“My dear Duke!
I take advantage of this free moment to answer you and express, my dear Duke, how touched I was by everything you said in your letter. You know my feelings and my respect for you, and you can judge by them how pleased I will be to see you in St. Petersburg and know that you serve Russia, to which you can bring so much benefit. Please accept the assurances of my sincere affection for you.
Alexander".

This letter returned the Duke to Russia. In the fall of 1802, he was already in St. Petersburg, from where he enthusiastically wrote to Paris to those who could still receive a letter that the Russian emperor had loaned him decent money and presented him with an estate in Courland. But Alexander’s main gift, as it turned out, was ahead.

The emperor offered him a choice: either service in St. Petersburg in the guard, or the mayorship in Odessa.

"Odessa? What is this and where? the Duke could have asked... A little over 10 years ago, Admiral de Ribas occupied the small Turkish fortress of Hadji Bey in the Crimea, and in 1794 Catherine ordered the founding of a city there, which they decided to call Odessa.

Appointed “chief of the city of Odessa,” de Ribas, a man of undoubted business qualities, but never forgetting about his own pocket, was removed from office in 1800 for abuses. The public in the city was not easy to settle in. In addition to the old-timers of these places: Tatars, Greeks, Albanians, Jews, so many crooks swam here, where there was no court or law, that Odessa, not yet out of its “tender age,” received the little-revered title “the cesspool of Europe.”

“What a terrible city it was,” exclaims the magazine “Russian Antiquity,” quoting the author of the book “Odessa in the first era of its existence,” who claims that the newborn Russian port looks a lot like a pirate colony. Three years of anarchy finally finished off the future pearl.

Richelieu chose Odessa. Thus began his finest hour. However, Odessa’s finest hour was coming. Cities, like people, have their own destiny. And sometimes it is a matter of blind chance. Why Richelieu? Could anyone then think that from now on Odessa would become not just a geographical point, but a symbol of some mythical, especially attractive life, which does not exist in any other city on earth.

So, in March 1803, Major General of the Russian service Emmanuel Osipovich Richelieu arrived at his destination. Nobody was waiting for him. With great difficulty, the Duke found a one-story house with five cramped rooms.

All he could do was fall onto a chair and clutch his head. But, as Mark Aldanov wrote in a brilliant essay about Richelieu: “There was a mayor. There was no city." That is, there was nothing to even sit on. In the entire city there was not a single establishment selling furniture. The former inhabitant of Versailles, at first content with ordinary shops, ordered a dozen chairs from Marseille. Perhaps not a single mayor has taken office in this way...

Well, Richelieu started... from the city treasury. And there for a long time not only nothing rang, but there wasn’t even a rustle. This port was bare and poor, like a church rat. He was fleeced by the local mafia. The Ministry of Finance was strangling him with taxes.

Richelieu fought to the death with these two opponents. Port fees were abolished: the money still ended up in the pockets of customs officers. A bank loan branch and a marine goods insurance office were opened, and a commercial court was established to sort out conflicting transactions. And merchants literally poured into Odessa.

With the support of the emperor, in 1804 the Duke achieved the removal of the tax burden from Odessa, at least for a while. He was able to prove the feasibility of free transit for all goods brought by sea to Odessa and even sent to Europe. And the French boss, who had almost fallen from the sky, called the resourceful Odessa “brothers” to him, sat them down on their benches and with deadly politeness asked to urgently transfer all the illegally seized city lands to the treasury. The Duke spoke with some accent, but he was understood well. And they weren’t poisoned, they weren’t shot, they weren’t stabbed to death. Were your morals softer?

Time passed. The city was changing, and changing beyond recognition. It is worth saying that the Odessa that we know today: with straight, wide, clearly designed streets is the work of Richelieu. But in order for the variegated, somehow cobbled-together dwellings, coupled with the bald patches of huge wastelands along which the wind blew dust and thorns, to be replaced by European elegant buildings, money was needed. Of course, thanks to the benefits that the Duke achieved, the treasury was no longer empty. But investments from St. Petersburg were very insignificant.

It is no coincidence that many who wrote about Richelieu emphasized that the city was built “literally on pennies.” It must also be taken into account that the Duke did not have the power that gave rise to palaces and cities in Russia, and serfs. Odessa did not know slave labor, and you had to pay for every brick laid by a freeman. And, of course, the biggest piece did not go to those who honestly earned it. How the Duke coped with the traditionally unscrupulous mass of contractors, suppliers, small and large construction managers with whom Odessa was literally rearing up is incomprehensible. But the fact remains that nothing was left unfinished or abandoned; the necessary point was made in everything.

“I am listing,” wrote M. Aldanov, “only the main thing that was done under him (Richelieu. Author’s note) in Odessa: many streets were laid, each 50 feet wide, gardens were laid out, a cathedral was built, an Old Believer chapel , a Catholic church, a synagogue, two hospitals, a theatre, barracks, a market, a reservoir, a noble educational institute (later the Richelieu Lyceum), a commercial gymnasium, six lower educational institutions, a “redoubt with a coffee establishment” and an “exchange office”. Let’s add to this the beautiful embankment, hotels, and a street lighting system.”

The list is worthy of careful reading. This is not only evidence of a long-gone construction boom that gave Russia and the world a magnificent port city. Richelieu’s very human essence was reflected with absolute and undeniable accuracy in the dry list of “objects”.

Note: he built religious buildings for all faiths without exception, thereby asserting the equality of the citizens of Odessa, regardless of the number of those who believed in Mohammed and those who professed the Old Believers.

The “redoubt with a coffee establishment” is also very interesting. This is a large open-air dance hall with a hotel and restaurant. The fact that such a need arose at all shows how the atmosphere in the city has changed. There is some kind of intangible, but completely tangible connection between the number of ordinary people going out onto the evening streets to have fun, and the crime situation. “A temporary stop for all kinds of rabble,” Odessa was now freed from filth and became a harmless city. This circumstance was very important for Richelieu, not only morally, but also economically. He wanted the European trading elite to take root here, building mansions for themselves and opening branches of their firms. And he also did everything to ensure that the enlightened Russian nobility did not disdain the new city, settling here seriously and for a long time, experiencing all the delights of civilization.

Few people know, but any reminder of the “blooming acacias” of Odessa should rightly bring us back to the figure of Richelieu.

He had a very special relationship with nature. He subtly felt the charm of the harsh landscape: the frozen rocky steppe and the sea living its eternally restless life. One thing was beyond doubt: Odessa lacks vegetation. The Duke was faced with a task much more difficult than the construction of buildings of unfeeling brick. Rocky soil, not a drop of rain for months, rare sources of fresh water - with such initial data, the Duke set out to make Odessa a flourishing oasis.

Gardening scientists warned him about the futility of such attempts, throwing up their hands in helplessness. The Duke took up the matter himself. He studied the soil conditions of Odessa and its environs, recorded several plant species and began acclimatizing them. His experiments showed that white acacia seedlings brought from Italy give hope. Poplar, ash, elderberry, and lilac felt good in the Duke's experienced nursery; from fruits: apricot and cherry.

And so, by order and with the direct participation of Richelieu, thin acacia shoots began to be planted along the Odessa streets in double rows. The owners of the houses in front of whom the seedlings found themselves were charged with the duty of caring for them literally like babies, at all costs.

Every day, driving around the city and noticing wilted leaves somewhere, the Duke stopped, went into the house and sadly informed the owners that now, because of their negligence, he would have to water “their acacia tree” himself. As a rule, such cases did not happen twice.

Odessa, like all of New Russia, adored Richelieu. It was absolute, unheard of, perhaps unsurpassed by anyone, popularity, abundantly permeating all layers of the diverse Odessa society from top to bottom. Everything they believed in was materialized in their mayor. It turns out that a person in power can be honest, selfless, fair, and merciful.

Duke Richelieu was shortsighted. Driving through the streets of Odessa, he asked one of those accompanying him to let him know if ladies appeared on the nearest balconies. On such occasions, the Duke took off his hat and bowed gallantly. And sometimes, being alone and not wanting to offend the fair sex, he welcomed completely empty balconies, just in case. Residents noticed this, chuckled and... loved “their Emmanuel Osipovich” even more.

And in the memorable year of 1812, this rare man, during more than difficult years of serving a foreign country and a foreign people, without losing anything of his natural sophistication, showed himself to be a real stoic.

It is impossible to imagine that for Richelieu, with his heightened sense of honor and conscience, the news of France’s entry into the war with Russia did not pose difficult questions... No, Richelieu did not abandon his homeland. He chose to remain a Frenchman, loyal to Russia. Although if the Duke was capable of hating anyone at all, then Napoleon was such a person. For Richelieu, he had always been an arrogant impostor, and now, due to the crossing of the Russian border, he became a demon who plunged France into the abyss. “Emmanuel Osipovich” already knew Russia and its citizens well enough not to understand how this campaign would end for the French. He “decided” on his position quickly and quite clearly.

A manifesto on the start of hostilities was received in the city on July 22, and a few days later Richelieu, at the Assembly of Representatives of All Classes of Odessa, appealed to “show yourself as true Russians” and donate to the fight against Napoleon. Richelieu himself gave everything he had, 40,000 rubles.

Emperor Alexander refused to grant his request to participate in hostilities. And there was a serious reason for this: a plague epidemic broke out in Odessa. In August of the fateful 12th, about thirty people suddenly died in the city. Odessa, which had been visited by an ominous guest before, did not know about the measures that the mayor had taken this time. To prevent the plague from reaching the interior of the country, cordons were set up along the Dniester and Bug. The entire city was divided into sectors, and an official was assigned to each of them. All major buildings were converted into hospitals. And since the epidemic still did not subside, a general quarantine was established in November: no one dared to leave their home without special permission. Food was delivered to apartments strictly twice a day. Temporary huts were built on the adjacent hills, transferring residents there from contaminated homes.

Even now, descriptions of Odessa at that time reek of horror - dead silence on the streets, burning fires, carts carrying away mountains of dead bodies. And in this desolation, the tall, lean figure of the Duke was like a challenge to death. Every morning at 9 o’clock he was seen in the square near the cathedral, where a “rescue command post” was set up and from where he and his assistants began their raid through the tormented city.

“At the risk of his own life, he appeared where the disease was especially rampant, consoled the suffering and personally gave them help, and took the remaining babies from dying mothers into his arms,” contemporaries wrote about the heroic behavior of the mayor.

Once Richelieu witnessed how mortally frightened residents did not want to bury their dead neighbors. The Duke himself came there, took a shovel and began to dig a grave. This shamed people. “Strict with himself, tireless, selfless, he set an example for everyone around him. In his presence, in front of his eyes, it was unthinkable to sit idly by and treat everything casually.” Yes, the Duke stoically withstood enormous physical and psychological stress, but from his letters it is clear that he experienced the pestilence in Odessa as a personal tragedy. In a letter to the emperor dated February 1813, Richelieu called plague-ridden Odessa a real hell.

But as soon as the terrible guest was driven out of the city, Richelieu took up his task with renewed vigor: he wrote proposals for the further improvement of the Novorossiysk region, talked about duties, in a word, in every possible way cared about the future of Odessa, dear to his heart.

It is worth delving into the letters of Richelieu to France collected in the 54th volume of the “Collection of the Imperial Russian Historical Society” to understand the extent to which this man could not imagine himself without Odessa. And for a long time the echoes of the stories about his farewell, captured on yellowed newspaper pages, spoke of what a grief these farewells were for her, Odessa.

“The day of the Duke’s departure was a day of mourning for Odessa; Most of the population accompanied him out of town, sending him blessings, and more than 2,000 people followed him to the first post station, where a farewell dinner was prepared. The Duke was distracted and sad, like everyone who saw him off. Everyone tried to restrain themselves so as not to upset the Duke too much; but the expression of sadness was revealed against one’s will: the premonition that the Duke would never return was written on all faces. There were mutual outpourings of heart; the Duke asked to be allowed to leave; Raised a glass to a safe journey and return. Shouts of “hurray” filled the steppes; but they were soon drowned out by sobs: a feeling of sadness took over, and everyone rushed, so to speak, towards the Duke, who was about to get into the carriage; they began to hug him, kiss his hands, the hem of his clothes; he was surrounded, pressed by the crowd, and he himself burst into tears. “My friends, have mercy on me...” and several people carried him to the crew...”

Why did Richelieu leave? Defeat in the war finally brought the next Bourbon, Louis XVIII, to the throne. The king's call to help the fatherland in the difficult post-war period could not leave the duke indifferent. He hardly wanted to leave Odessa, his dear child, torn from indifferent, predatory hands. But this Richelieu was a man of duty and, as he was called, a “knight of monarchism.”

He was leaving the same, now perhaps the smallest, house in Odessa that gave him shelter almost 12 years ago, dressed in the same constant overcoat that the whole city knew. He gained nothing after years of labor that was both backbreaking and inspired. He even had to sell the dacha he had built in Gurzuf “for lack of funds.”

In general, Richelieu's career as a politician in France was unsuccessful. He was too honest and noble for this craft. He also did not like the general mood of society: hatred, anger, intolerance. Resignation meant poverty for him, but this did not stop Richelieu. Although the degree of his poverty is evidenced by the fact that he had to sell his Russian orders decorated with diamonds. He carried on extensive correspondence with Odessa residents, was interested in everything, and sent seeds and seedlings. Truly, “where our heart is, there is our place.”

His Parisian entourage among themselves considered the Duke a “man of Russia” and did not really trust him, ironizing that there was no Frenchman who knew the outlines of the Crimean coast better than the Duke of Richelieu. Well, the latter was definitely true!

There was evidence that the Duke was still planning to return to Odessa. In January 1822, he wrote to an old friend, Odessa merchant Sicard:

“I intend to visit you next summer. I can’t do this earlier, because they won’t fail to say that I’m going to sell France’s secrets to Russia.”

Richelieu did not live to see that summer. He, a man of Spartan training, who had never been ill, having passed unharmed through Turkish bullets and the plague, died instantly, at the age of 55, as they wrote “from a nervous blow.” The Odessa mayor was the last of the Richelieu family...

The inscription on the brass plate of the Duke monument on Primorsky Boulevard in Odessa:

"To Duke Emmanuel de Richelieu,
manager from 1803 to 1814
Novorossiysk region and laid the foundation
welfare of Odessa, grateful
residents of all classes to his unforgettable works.”

Lyudmila Tretyakova

Armand Jean du Plessis, duc de Richelieu, Cardinal Richelieu, nickname "Red Duke" (French: Armand-Jean du Plessis, duc de Richelieu). Born September 9, 1585 in Paris - died December 4, 1642 in Paris. Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, aristocrat and statesman of France.

Cardinal Richelieu was Secretary of State from 1616 and head of government ("chief minister of the king") from 1624 until his death.

The father's family belonged to the noble nobility of Poitou. The father, François du Plessis de Richelieu, was a prominent statesman during the reign of Henry III, and after his tragic death served Henry IV.

Armand's mother, Suzanne de La Porte, was by no means of aristocratic origin. She was the daughter of the lawyer of the Parisian Parliament, François de La Porte, that is, in essence, the daughter of a bourgeois, who was granted nobility only for his length of service.

Armand was born in Paris, in the parish of Saint-Eustache, on the Rue Boulois (or Bouloir). He was the youngest son in the family. He was baptized only on May 5, 1586, six months after his birth, due to his “frail, sickly” health.

Armand's godfathers were two marshals of France - Armand de Gonto-Biron and Jean d'Aumont, who gave him their names. His godmother was his grandmother, Françoise de Richelieu, née Rochechouart.

In 1588, Armand's father became one of the organizers of the flight of Henry III from the rebellious Paris. The mother and children also left Paris and settled in the family estate of Richelieu's husband in Poitou. After the assassination of the king, Armand's father continued to successfully serve the new king Henry IV of Bourbon. François du Plessis-Richelieu died unexpectedly of a fever on July 19, 1590 at the age of 42, leaving behind only debts. The family began to experience significant financial difficulties. To organize a worthy funeral, Suzanne was even forced to lay the chain of the Order of the Holy Spirit, of which her late husband was a holder. King Henry IV, in recognition of the merits of the late provost, twice allocated funds to the widow totaling 36 thousand livres.

A few years later, Armand returned to Paris, where he was enrolled in the College of Navarre, where both Henry III and Henry IV studied. At college, Armand studied grammar, art and philosophy. After graduating from college, Arman, by family decision, entered the Pluvinel Military Academy. But suddenly circumstances change, since Armand Richelieu must now take the place of Bishop of Luzon, an ecclesiastical diocese granted to the Richelieu family by Henry III. Arman is forced to change his military uniform to a cassock, since this diocese is the only source of income for his family. At this time he is 17 years old. Armand, with his characteristic ebullient energy, begins to study theology.

He was consecrated Bishop of Luzon on April 17, 1607 by Cardinal Givry. Henry IV personally interceded for Richelieu with the Pope, asking permission to be ordained a bishop. Thus, Armand became a bishop at a very early age, which caused a storm of fables and gossip. He defended his dissertation at the Sorbonne for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Theology on October 29, 1607.

On December 21, 1608, he assumed the office of bishop in Luzon. The diocese of Luzon was one of the poorest in France. Richelieu made great efforts to correct this situation. Under his leadership, the Luzon Cathedral was restored, the bishop's residence was restored, he personally considers the requests of his flock and, to the best of his ability, helps those who turn to him.

The time of his stay in Luzon also included the writing of a number of interesting theological works addressed to the common people - “Admonitions to the Christian,” where Richelieu sets out the main aspects of Christian teaching in a form accessible to the people.

Among other works: “Fundamentals of the Catholic Faith”, “Treatise on the Perfection of a Christian”, “On the Conversion of Heretics”, “Synodal Ordinances”.

In Luzon, Richelieu’s first meeting took place with Father Joseph du Tremblay, a Capuchin monk; later Father Joseph would receive the nickname “gray cardinal” and would play a huge role in Richelieu’s domestic and especially foreign policy.

Richelieu became a member of the clergy at the Estates General of 1614, convened in Paris. He advocated strengthening royal power. This was the time of the regency of Marie de Medici. The Queen Mother actually ruled together with her favorite Concino Concini, and Louis XIII, the King of France, did not participate in governance due to his youth. Richelieu actively spoke at meetings of the States, and his activities were noticed. He became popular. True, Arman himself was disappointed by the States: in his opinion, they were useless, because the orders of the estates and representatives were not studied and taken into account, and economic issues and issues of government were not resolved at all. The court and the Queen Mother were busy preparing marriages: the French princess Elizabeth was given in marriage to the Spanish heir, and the Spanish Infanta Anna was planned to marry Louis XIII.

Soon, Marie de Medici appointed Richelieu as confessor to Anne of Austria. A little later, in November 1616, she appointed him to the post of Minister of War. Richelieu was resolutely opposed to the government's then existing policy aimed at an unequal alliance with Spain and neglect of the national interests of France, but then the Bishop of Luzon did not dare to openly confront the government. The state's finances were also in a deplorable state, and there was a constant threat of further riots and civil war.

On April 24, 1617, the queen's favorite K. Concini was killed. The presumptuous favorite is defeated, and King Louis XIII, who was at the head of this conspiracy, assumes his legal rights. The Bishop of Luson has been removed from his post; Louis does not want to see anyone associated with his mother.

Richelieu will follow Marie de' Medici, who was exiled to the castle of Blois. In Blois, Richelieu begins his most famous written work - Political Testament (French testament politique), which is a work of genius and a textbook on government. The bishop soon returned to Luzon, from where he was then exiled to Avignon in April 1618. But soon the king orders him to follow Maria de Medici in order to reason with her (the queen mother wanted to rebel against her own son). Richelieu copes brilliantly with this mission. Peace has been restored in the kingdom. The bishop's disgrace has been lifted.

In 1622 he was elevated to the rank of cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He began to actively appear at court and participate in political intrigues. Meanwhile, the situation in the state remained deplorable. King Louis XIII needed a man who could find a way out of the impasse, and Richelieu turned out to be that man. On August 13, 1624, Armand de Richelieu became the first minister of Louis XIII.

In his “Political Testament” Richelieu writes about the situation in France at that time: “When Your Majesty deigned to call me to your Council, I can certify that the Huguenots shared power in the state with you, the nobles behaved as if they were not your subjects, and the governors felt like sovereigns of their lands... alliances with foreign states were in a state of disrepair , and self-interest was preferred to personal benefit.”

Richelieu understood that the main enemies in the international arena were the Habsburg monarchies of Austria and Spain. But France was not yet ready for open conflict. Richelieu knew that the state lacked the necessary resources for this; it was necessary to solve internal problems. Meanwhile, he rejects an alliance with England and its first minister and, according to Richelieu, a great charlatan and adventurer, the Duke of Buckingham.

Inside the country, Richelieu successfully uncovers a conspiracy against the king, aimed at eliminating the monarch and placing his younger brother Gaston on the throne. Many noble nobles and the queen herself participate in the conspiracy. The assassination of the cardinal was also planned. It is after this that the cardinal gets a personal guard, which will later become the cardinal’s guard regiment.

War with England and the siege of La Rochelle:

According to the Edict of Nantes, the Huguenots had their own organization, their own fortresses (the garrisons of which were paid by the king) and their own cities. This allowed the Huguenots to very effectively defend their privileges; for example, La Rochelle not only had self-government, but also paid practically no taxes.

The presence in the kingdom of such an independent organization as the Huguenots contradicted Richelieu's ideas about the centralization of the country. Therefore, the Cardinal began a fight against the Huguenots, including laying siege to La Rochelle.

In 1627, the English fleet captured the island of Re. The attack was led by the Duke of Buckingham. Buckingham seeks to incite a Huguenot uprising in France, the center of which is located in the fortified fortress of La Rochelle, and the Duke also incites the Duke de Rohan, the leader of the Huguenot opposition in France, to revolt. De Rohan managed to create a “state within a state” in the west of the country, where Huguenots predominated. In London, where the main goal was to prevent France from becoming a strong maritime power, they hoped to take advantage of this situation. La Rochelle demanded exceptional tax privileges for itself. Richelieu wanted to place all ports and all trade under strict control to ensure transparent control over taxes; special control was to be introduced in La Rochelle. These were the main reasons for the conflict, which should not be called religious: Richelieu acted exclusively as a statesman seeking to suppress internal opposition and unite the kingdom.

In September 1627, La Rochelle opposes the king's army. The siege of the city begins, commanded by the king and the cardinal. But attempts to storm lead to nothing - the city is heavily fortified, especially since the British supply food and supplies by sea. Then Richelieu proposes a method, which then seems crazy. A similar method, however, was used almost two thousand years earlier by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC. e. during the siege of Tire: a dam was built from the mainland to the island, and so the city was taken. It was this experience that the cardinal decided to repeat. By March 1628, the dam was built, and La Rochelle was blocked from the sea. The English fleet tried unsuccessfully to destroy the dam. Buckingham was eager to continue the war, but in August 1628 he was killed by the fanatic John Felton. In October 1628, La Rochelle fell. The capture of the city played an important role in suppressing political opposition.

Richelieu's actions in resolving the conflict with the rebellious Huguenots of La Rochelle led to accusations against the cardinal of neglecting the interests of the Catholic Church and unjustified connivance with heretics, many of whom were pardoned by the cardinal after they took an oath of allegiance to the King of France. Remaining a sincere Catholic, Richelieu clearly distinguished between political Huguenots, that is, those who advocated the existence of a political party independent from the center, and religious ones, whom he sought to convince through persuasion. The idea of ​​religious freedom, which Richelieu defended, was not supported by everyone. The First Minister is awarded the nickname “Cardinal of the Huguenots” and “Cardinal of the State.” Undoubtedly, Richelieu never made distinctions between the subjects of the state on religious grounds, but this gave many reasons to consider him a bad Catholic. It can be noted that by 1630 the problem of religious tension in France was resolved thanks to Richelieu, who put forward the idea of ​​unity along national and civil lines. Religious conflicts in the country have ceased. Their resumption will occur only after the death of the cardinal. At the same time, Catholics occupied all key positions, and Protestants were in the position of an oppressed minority.

The main opponent of the creation of a centralized state, which was Richelieu’s goal, was the French aristocracy.

The cardinal sought unconditional submission from the nobility to royal power, and wanted to abolish a number of privileges that infringed on the power of the monarch and harmed other classes and the interests of the state. It was mainly in the upper strata of society that the cardinal’s reforms provoked protest.

In 1626, the famous edict was issued prohibiting duels between nobles, on pain of depriving the duelists of their noble titles. The nobility perceived this as a violation of their right to defend their honor. But Richelieu proceeds from pure pragmatism: many nobles die in duels every year - strong, smart, healthy! Those who are fit to serve in the army and public service. And besides, it is the nobility that is the support of the monarchy, and this edict was only an attempt to save the class from self-destruction. Soon after the edict was issued, dueling statistics began to decline.

In the same year, another well-known edict was issued, according to which the rebellious aristocrats and many nobles of the non-border territories of France were ordered to tear down the fortifications of their castles in order to prevent the further transformation of these castles into strongholds of the opposition. This aroused the hatred of the nobility, which was deprived of fortified bases, but was nevertheless implemented.

Richelieu introduces the intendant system. These persons sent from the center did not buy their positions, like other officials, but received them from the hands of the king. Consequently, unlike officiers (officials who bought their posts), intendants could always be fired if they failed to cope with their duties. This turned them into reliable instruments of power. The support of the crown allowed the intendants to gradually subjugate the entire administrative apparatus of the provinces, strengthening the power of the center and thereby infringing upon representatives of the traditional local elite (the aristocracy and the office).

In the army, Richelieu strengthens control of the center. Firstly, he introduced duplication of military leaders, where each army was essentially assigned two generals. This system improved the crown's control over the army, but proved to be extremely ineffective and contributed to defeats in the initial period of the Thirty Years' War, so it was abolished. But the system of military quartermasters has been preserved. From now on, salaries for soldiers and officers are received not by unit commanders, but by the servicemen themselves from the hands of military quartermasters. This weakened the power of the creators of these units (aristocrats) over their subordinates and strengthened the position of the king.

In the central administrative apparatus, the importance of secretaries, each of whom controlled certain issues, and the superintendent is increasing. All of them were directly appointed by the king, that is, the positions of the aristocracy were weakened.

Increased control over the provinces allowed Richelieu to significantly increase the growth of the crown's income. But the increase in taxes aroused hatred against innovation, which led to uprisings and struggles against them, both during the life of the cardinal and after.

Representatives of the highest aristocracy sought to maintain their political independence, declaring themselves equal to the king - in the spirit of feudal traditions. The cardinal's understanding of the essence of the state was completely different from how the grandees imagined it. The cardinal deprives them of sovereignty on their lands in favor of the king, deprives them of the right to justice and the appointment of officials, the publication of laws in their own (noble) name.

A few years after taking office as first minister, the cardinal managed to win the almost universal hatred of the highest aristocracy, which put his life in serious danger. But for him, the interests of France were above all. King Louis XIII, realizing that he himself cannot cope with all the problems, completely trusts the cardinal and protects him from all attacks of the queen and the highest nobility. In 1632, Richelieu uncovered another conspiracy against the king, in which Gaston d'Orléans and the Duke of Montmorency participated.

In 1631, in France, with the support of Richelieu, the publication of the first periodical “Gazettes” began, which was published every week. Gazet becomes the official mouthpiece of the government. So Richelieu begins powerful propaganda of his policies. Sometimes the cardinal himself writes articles for the newspaper. The literary life of France was not limited to the work of pamphleteers and newspapermen. During his reign, Richelieu did a lot for the development of literature, culture and art. Under Richelieu, the Sorbonne was revived.

In 1635, Richelieu founded the French Academy and awarded pensions to the most outstanding and talented artists, writers, and architects.

By the time Richelieu began his reign, the navy was in a deplorable state: in total it consisted of 10 galleys in the Mediterranean Sea, and there was not a single warship in the Atlantic. By 1635, thanks to Richelieu, France already had three squadrons on the Atlantic and one in the Mediterranean. Maritime trade also developed. Here Richelieu established direct foreign economic relations, which made it possible to do without intermediaries. As a rule, Richelieu, along with political treaties, concluded trade agreements. During his reign, Richelieu concluded 74 trade agreements with various countries, including Russia. The cardinal contributed greatly to improving the financial situation of the population and improving the health of the treasury. To make life easier for the population, some indirect taxes were abolished, and laws were introduced to stimulate entrepreneurship and the construction of factories. Under Richelieu, the active development of Canada - New France - began. In the field of finance and taxation, Richelieu failed to achieve such success. Even before the cardinal came to power, the country's financial situation was deplorable. Richelieu advocated lowering taxes, but his position did not find support, and after France entered the Thirty Years' War, the first minister himself was forced to raise taxes.

At the end of the 1620s, a trade and ambassadorial expedition to Moscow was organized. Two issues were discussed: Russia's joining the anti-Habsburg coalition and granting French merchants the right to land transit to Persia. On political issues, the parties managed to come to an agreement - Russia entered the Thirty Years' War on the side of France, although purely nominally. But no decision was made on trade issues. The French were allowed to trade in Moscow, Novgorod, Arkhangelsk; transit to Persia was not provided. But Russia, fighting Catholic Poland (an ally of the Habsburgs), with the help of the French, improved relations with Sweden and actually subsidized it (by providing permits for the export of grain at low prices), which contributed to the latter’s involvement in the Thirty Years’ War. At the same time, Russia itself averted the threat of Polish intervention against the Swedes by starting the Smolensk War. The role of French diplomacy in these matters remains controversial.

Thirty Years' War:

The Spanish and Austrian Habsburgs laid claim to world domination. Having become first minister, Richelieu made it very clear that from now on France was not becoming a victim of Spanish hegemony, but an independent state with an independent policy. Richelieu tried to avoid direct French involvement in the conflict as long as possible, so that others would fight and die for France's interests. Moreover, the country’s finances and army were not ready for large-scale actions. France would not enter the war until 1635. Before this, France's ally Sweden, which Richelieu willingly financed, was actively fighting. In September 1634, the Swedes suffered a crushing defeat at Nördlingen. Soon after this, part of France's allies in the anti-Habsburg coalition signed peace with the Empire. Sweden was forced to retreat from Germany to Poland. In March 1635, the Spaniards captured Trier and destroyed the French garrison. In April, Richelieu sent a protest to Spain demanding that Trier leave and release the Elector of Trier. The protest was rejected. It was this event that became decisive - France entered the war.

In May 1635, Europe gets the opportunity to see a forgotten ceremony that has not been used for a couple of centuries. Heralds in medieval attire with the coats of arms of France and Navarre leave Paris. One of them presents the act of declaration of war to Philip IV in Madrid.

On December 29, 1629, the cardinal, having received the title of Lieutenant General of His Majesty, went to command an army in Italy, where he confirmed his military talents and met Giulio Mazarin. On December 5, 1642, King Louis XIII appointed Giulio Mazarin as chief minister. About this man, who in an intimate circle was called “Brother Broadsword (Colmardo),” Richelieu himself said this: “I know only one person capable of becoming my successor, although he is a foreigner.”.

Richelieu based his policy on the implementation of the program of Henry IV: strengthening the state, its centralization, ensuring the primacy of secular power over the church and the center over the provinces, eliminating the aristocratic opposition, and countering Spanish-Austrian hegemony in Europe. The main result of Richelieu's state activities was the establishment of absolutism in France. Cold, calculating, often very stern to the point of cruelty, subordinating feelings to reason, Cardinal Richelieu firmly held the reins of government in his hands and, with remarkable vigilance and foresight, noticing the impending danger, warned it at its very appearance.

The cardinal, with his grant of January 29, 1635, founded the famous French Academy, which still exists today and has 40 “immortal” members. As stated in the charter, the Academy was created “to make the French language not only elegant, but also capable of interpreting all the arts and sciences.”

The Duke of Richelieu, or rather Armand Emmanuel du Plessis duc de Richelieu, Count of Chiron, Duke of Fronsac, was born in Paris in 1766. He was the great-nephew of the same Cardinal Richelieu, who was portrayed by the writer Alexandre Dumas on the pages of the famous novel “The Three Musketeers.”

After the victory of the French Revolution, the Duke was forced to leave the country. He arrived in the Russian Empire, considered the main stronghold of the monarchy in Europe, and quickly made a career. When Emperor Alexander I was looking for a candidate for the post of mayor of Odessa, he chose Richelieu.

A decade later, in 1813, Richelieu reported to the emperor: “Odessa has recently made such progress that no other country in the world has made.” Relying on the Zaporozhye Cossacks, to whom Richelieu allocated a settlement on the outskirts of Odessa to settle, he quickly restored order on the streets of the city and in the suburbs. With harsh measures, Richelieu was able to eradicate corruption. During the 10 years of his reign, city revenues increased 25 times, and customs revenues amounted to 2 million rubles (increased 90 times)!

Under Richelieu, the city begins to develop at a pace unprecedented for that time. Settlers of different nationalities and religions poured here. The memory of them is still preserved in the names of streets and districts: Moldovanka; Bulgarian, Greek, Polish and Jewish streets; Big and Small Arnaut (Arnauts are Albanians who fled from Turkish oppression), French and Italian boulevards; Armenian and Lutheran lanes.

Richelieu provided foreigners with the opportunity to do business on preferential terms. As a result, many Italians, Greeks, Persians, Germans, English, Spaniards, Egyptians and others hastened to become Odessans, giving the city its unique multinational atmosphere. Over 12 years, the population of Odessa quadrupled - 35 thousand residents lived in the city.

With his own money, the mayor purchased acacia seedlings in Vienna and distributed them free of charge to everyone who promised to plant trees and care for them. Odessa is still famous for its white acacia.

It is a known fact that when the first convoy with wheat arrived in the city, the trade of which was supposed to enrich the city, the Duke de Richelieu arranged a luxurious festive dinner, which was attended by all the eminent citizens of the city. All the guests, following the example of the mayor, sat at the table not on chairs, but on sacks of wheat.

In 1812, a plague struck the city. The city was immediately divided into 15 sections. Residents were strictly forbidden to leave their homes. They received provisions through the windows, while the money was dropped into a vessel with vinegar, which at that time served as a disinfectant.

Mortus (buriers) walked around the city. They appeared in black tarred clothes and in the same mittens, in masks with an elongated nose part, where they put grated garlic (another disinfectant). Armed with long poles with hooks and lassos, the mortus dragged the sick out of their apartments and placed them on carts. Each had its own flag. Those sick without obvious signs of the plague were taken away under the white flag, those infected with the plague under the red flag, and the dead under the black flag.

Odessa was cut off from the whole world. A cordon was established along the rivers Southern Bug, Dniester, Kodyma and along the land border with Podolia. The port was closed.

But even when the plague was raging in the city, Richelieu was not afraid to go into the houses of the sick and help them.

The plague raged until the end of the year. Of the 20 thousand residents of Odessa, 4038 fell ill and 2632 died: every eighth resident of the city.

All the dead were buried far outside the city, in the steppe. In a separate plague cemetery. Subsequently, city garbage began to be transported here - a high embankment had to be created over the cemetery so that the infection would not penetrate from underground. This is how a high hill appeared in the city, called “Plague Mountain”, “Chumka”.

In 1814, when Napoleon abdicated the throne, Richelieu - Odessa residents respectfully called him the Duke - decided to return to his homeland. The mayor left Odessa on September 26, 1814. Grateful Odessa residents carried their idol in their arms to the crew. In France, Richelieu became the country's prime minister, and held this post twice: in 1815-1818. and in 1820-1821.

In 1828, Odessa residents erected a bronze monument to their beloved mayor. (Its author was one of the most famous sculptors of that time, Ivan Martos, the author of the monument to Minin and Pozharsky in Moscow.) And so it happened that a monument to the “twice” prime minister of a large European state was erected in the Ukrainian city.