Cardinal Jules Mazarin - Prime Minister for Louis XIII and Louis XIV

Giulio Mazzarino was born on July 14, 1602, in Pescina, in the Abruzzo province of Italy, to Pietro Mazzarino and Hortensia Bufalini. The Mazzarino family was of Genoese origin. Mazzarino's grandfather, Giulio, had moved from Genoa to Sicily and settled in Palermo as a private citizen. His two sons, Mazzarino's uncle Hieronimo and the cardinal's father, Pietro Mazzarino, were therefore born in Sicily. The family's relative success in trade made it possible for Mazzarino's father to receive a decent education. At the age of 14, Pietro was sent to Rome to complete his studies with letters of recommendation for Filippo Colonna, who was the constable of the Kingdom of Naples. Pietro entered Colonna's service, although it is not clear in what capacity. It was as a member of the Colonna family that Pietro Mazzarino was able to socially advance. Through his skillful and prudent conduct, Pietro was betrothed to Hortensia Bufalini in 1600. Hortensia was the goddaughter of Filippo Colonna and she belonged to a noble but penniless family from Città di Castello in Umbria. Although little is known about Mazzarino's childhood, it is suggested that he was a gifted boy. His intellectual ease became apparent at a very early age. At the age of 7, the little Giulio Mazzarino entered the Jesuit college in Rome. Being a brilliant student, Mazzarino gave a public lecture on theories explaining Halley's Comet, which appeared that year. Mazzarin grew up with the children of the Colonna family, which enabled him to frequent the houses of great nobles, although he was not a part of their scene. It seems that from his adolescence, Mazzarino developed a passion for gambling and women. His father disapproved of his developing gambling habits and decided to send him abroad. Mazzarino went to Spain where he completed his studies of civil and canon law. During his stay in Spain, he gained the perfect command of Spanish, which would prove to be very useful throughout his career. When Mazzarino agreed to marry the daughter of a notary to whom the still-gambling addicted Mazzarino owed money, he was ordered to return to Rome by his father. Upon his return to Rome, Mazzarino completed his studies, after which he entered the service of the Pope and in 1622 he joined the Pontifical Army. In diplomatic circles, he was noticed for his role as mediator on behalf of the Pope in the Montjuan War of Succession. In 1630, Mazzarin met the Cardinal Richelieu in Lyon. Richelieu hired Mazzarin as a French diplomatic agent in Italy. The result of Mazzarin's first diplomatic efforts resulted in the Treaty of Cherasco, which very much pleased Richelieu and Louis XIII. Mazzarin went on to become a cleric in 1632. In 1634, Mazzarin arrived in the papal city-state of Avignon as a vice-legate. From 1634 to 1636, he was apostolic nuncio to Paris and in 1641 he received the rank of Cardinal. It was not until 1639 that he officially entered into the service of France. His strong diplomatic reputation and his charm quickly made him popular with the French king Louis XIII. In 1642, on his deathbed, Richelieu recommended Mazzarin to the French king as his successor as prime minister. When Louis XIII died himself one year later, Mazzarin made himself indispensable to the regent Anne of Austria. Historians question the exact nature of Mazzarin and Anne of Austria's relationship. Letters exchanged between them are sometimes very sentimental, although it was the style of the time to write with great emotion. Their relationship was in any case very close. It was no doubt strengthened by both their political isolation during the Fronde. Whether Mazzarin and Anne of Austria actually loved each other is a matter of debate. Some have analyzed their correspondence in such a way that they believe they could detect an affair or even a secret marriage between the cardinal and the dowager queen. All of this is however not historically proven. His possible paternity of Louis XIV, as historians have argued, is now proven to be inaccurate due to genetic analysis. Mazzarin continued Richelieu's foreign policy during the led to the peace of Westphalia. However, the oppressive taxes raised by Mazzarin in order to fund the war culminated into the Fronde. Twice, from February to December 1651 and from August 1652 to February 3rd 1653, Mazzarin had to leave the country, but from Brûle Castle near Cologne, he still directed French politics. He managed to cause divide between the Frondists and to restore order after his return from Cologne, after which his political powers were almost limitless. In the meantime, the cardinal educated the young King Louis XIV in politics. He taught him to be suspicious of every subject and to sacrifice everything for the interest of the state, even his family. He persuaded the King to marry the Infanta Maria Teresa of Spain and break with Mazzarin's own niece, Maria Mancini, with whom the young Louis was in love. Spain's inability to pay Maria Teresa's promised dowry was used as a pretext for a new conflict, the War of Devolution, in which the Spanish Netherlands became occupied by France. With time, Mazzarin's health declined. Although Mazzarin wasn't able to walk at the end of his life, he had lost nothing of his intelligence, his subtlety, his patience, his ability to follow ten plots at the same time or to write or dictate 40 letters a day. The astonishing vitality of his mind overcame the miseries of his body and kept Mazzarin able-minded until his last days in March 1661. Faced with numerous rumors about the illegal acquisition of his fortune, Mazzarin had a notary come to his bed on March 3, 1661 and dictated his will, in which he acknowledged that all his possessions, coming from Louis XIV, should be returned to the latter. However, the King, after several days of reflection, refused this testimony donation, not being able to accept the humiliation of such a from one of his subjects. Mazzarin foresaw this refusal and registered a new will on March 6, 1661, in which he bequeathed the greater part of his fortune to his niece Hortense Mancini and her husband, the Duc de la Meyeraille, who was a nephew of Richelieu. In addition, Mazzarin bequeathed diamonds to the King, the Sancy, and 18 diamonds which now bear his name, the Mazzarens. Cardinal Jules Mazzarin died on March 9, 1661. Following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Cardinal Richelieu, Mazzarin requested to be buried at the Sorbonne in the chapel of the Collège des Quatre Nations. His remains were placed in a temporary vault in the chapel of the Château de Vincennes before being transported with great pomp and circumstance on September 6, 1684. Although Mazzarin was outwardly a likeable man, he was extremely greedy. During his life, he amassed an astronomical fortune in not always legal ways. He left a legacy of a pacified Europe after the end of the Franco-Spanish War and the First Northern War, as well as the Kingdom of France, enlarged by the treaties of Westphalia and the Pyrenees. Mazzarin's greatest accomplishment, however, lies in the consolidation of absolutism in France. Thank you for watching.