Richelieu
Richelieu
TV ShowEnded

Richelieu

Richelieu: behind the purple, lies secrecy and strategy.

9.5 / 10
1977
1 season
6 episodes
War & PoliticsFamily

In a France fractured by court rivalries and personal ambitions, Richelieu moves without ornament. No flourish, no glory — only the cold machinery of power. Caught between a hesitant king, a nobility dreaming of defiance, and enemies multiplying on every front, the cardinal enforces his line: centralize, control, crush resistance. The series follows a strategist who doesn’t hide behind morality. He acts to keep the State standing, even if it means breaking those who stand in his way. Espionage, secret negotiations, decisive strikes… Richelieu plays a game where mistakes are fatal, and the survival of the kingdom rests on one man willing to go further than all the others

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Cast

Seasons

The series follows Richelieu’s rise in a kingdom still shaken by the Wars of Religion. The nobility challenges royal authority, the Protestants hold their fortified strongholds, Spain maneuvers at the borders, and Louis XIII struggles to assert himself. Richelieu returns to the Council in this unstable climate. Initially reserved, he earns the king’s trust by outwitting intrigues and conspiracies, then asserts himself as crises unfold: the Protestant revolt, pressure from the queen mother, the ambitions of the great lords, and growing tensions with the Habsburgs. As obstacles multiply, he imposes a policy of centralization that gradually reshapes the kingdom. The final episode shows a France regaining its authority, carried by the vision of a man determined to rebuild the State.

  • The Flight of the Squire

    1.The Flight of the Squire

    13-10-197752m

    Born into a family very loyal to the crown, Armande du Plessis de Richelieu, fatherless, but cherished by an attentive mother, experienced the insecurity of a troubled time. Howeve...

  • Episode 2

    2.Episode 2

    20-10-197752m

    In 1616, Richelieu reappears as the bishop of the Madernie of Monsieur de Inel. As a man seeking influence at court, he must also be able to ride a horse, shoot, and court ladies,...

  • Episode 3

    3.Episode 3

    27-10-197752m

    As contemporary chroniclers report, the Duke of Buckingham fell madly in love with the Queen of France, Anita, and swore that he would make his way to her in Paris. He therefore be...

  • Episode 4

    4.Episode 4

    03-11-197752m

    November 10, 1630 entered history as the “Day of the Dupes.” Marie de’ Medici, no longer Richelieu’s confidante and ally but now his worst enemy, attempted to overthrow him and rai...

  • Episode 5

    5.Episode 5

    10-11-197752m

    Father Joseph is on a secret mission for Richelieu. The King of Sweden, Gustavus Adolphus, receives financial support for his struggle against the Emperor, and Wallenstein is promi...

  • Episode 6

    6.Episode 6

    17-11-197752m

    The Thirty Years’ War brought France significant territorial gains, but within the country the tax burden increased, deepening poverty and popular discontent. Richelieu also provok...

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