Jules Cardinal Mazarin, Duke of Mayenne, Rethel and Nevers, born Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino or Mazarini, was an Italian Catholic prelate, diplomat and politician who served as the chief minister to the Kings of France Louis XIII and Louis XIV from 1642 to his death. In 1654, he acquired the title Duke of Mayenne and in 1659 that of 1st Duke of Rethel and Nevers.
Portrait of Jules Mazarin by Pierre Mignard (1658)
Mazarin carrying the peace agreement to the armies at Casale, crying "Peace! Peace!" (18th century engraving)
Mazarin as a papal envoy in Paris (1632)
Portrait of Cardinal Jules Mazarin by Simon Vouet (before 1649, private collection)
The chief minister of France or, closer to the French term, chief minister of state, or prime minister of France were and are informal titles given to various personages who received various degrees of power to rule the Kingdom of France on behalf of the monarch during the Ancien Régime. The titles were however informal and used more as job descriptions.
Image: Corneille de Lyon Portrait of Anne de Montmorency
Image: French School Portrait of Francis I of France c. 1530
Image: Brune Claude d'Annebaut (1495 1552) MV 973
Image: Clouet montmorencyanne
