The Paradox of Mazarin

Should Cardinal Mazarin be viewed as a great French statesman or as an Italian adventurer whose luck never ran out? The element of paradox is central to Mazarin’s career.

Richard Bonney | Published in History Today Volume 32 Issue 2 February 1982

Cardinal Mazarin
Cardinal Mazarin by Pierre Mignard, c. 1660. Musée Condé.

Question: What is the doctrine of Mazarin?
Answer: It is the same that the French tyrants have taught, and that their followers embrace with all their hearts.

Question: What is the faith of Mazarin?
Answer: To believe that all belongs to the king; that he may take all without returning anything.

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