'Richelieu
Note to The Achievement of France in Part One of Reflections On The Revolution In France

Cardinal (1585-1642): minister of Louis XIII. and a great statesman, who strove

  1. to ruin the Protestants as a political power;
  2. to curtail the power of the nobles;
  3. to humiliate Austria in the councils of Europe.

He had a great genius for detailed administration and effected many reforms in finance, legislation, and the army. He founded the French Academy.