Armand Jean du Plessis, Cardinal Richelieu

A feared statesman, church dignitary, and chief supporter of Louis XIII, he was one of the most powerful men in 17th-century France. Through diplomacy, calculated intrigues, and an unyielding will, he significantly strengthened royal power, suppressed resistance from the nobility and the Huguenots, and helped lay the foundations of the modern French state. To this day, he remains a symbol of political skill and cold decisiveness.