My Kingdom for a Valley: The Valtelline Episode and Richelieu's Raison d'Etat

Abstract

Cardinal Richelieu, the First Minister of King Louis XIII's council, spent his entire career strengthening the position of France in seventeenth century Europe. Coming to power in 1624 during the Thirty Years' War, several major internal and external threats confronted his administration. The French Calvinists, or Huguenots, prepared to launch more revolts against the king; despite the rights and protection they received under the Edict of Nantes. The Catholic nobility also resisted the authority of Louis XIII, attempting to maintain their autonomy and prevent the establishment of absolute monarchy. The House of Hapsburg, the ruling family of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain, presented a constant danger to the borders of France. Their efforts to eliminate Protestant resistance in Germany and the Netherlands insinuated the development of Hapsburg hegemony across the continent. Recognizing the imminent threat posed by their recent military successes, Richelieu decided to make the Hapsburgs his first priority. Returning to the foreign policy of King Henry IV two decades earlier, the new First Minister occupied the Valtelline, a crucial valley in the Alps necessary for Spain to reinforce its army in the Spanish Netherlands. Catholics in Europe were outraged by the Cardinal's actions, claiming he declared war on his own religion. The ultramontane French Catholics, or devots, felt personally betrayed, since they supported his rise to power. However, he defended his policy in the French Court and in public, asserting that as a faithful Catholic kingdom, the growth of France coincided with the strengthening of the Church. This belief, formed during the Valtelline episode, established Cardinal Richelieu' s raison d'etat and the justification for his actions throughout the Thirty Years' War.