Richelieu

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…ranteed religious freedom. Richelieu, by vigorous and effective measures, succeeded in breaking the political power of the great families of France-making the king an absolute ruler-and in establishing France as the first military power of Europe. He encouraged French exploration and colonization in Canada, where there is a river named for him, and the Indies. A liberal patron of literature, Richelieu was the founder of the French Academy. He died in Paris on December 4, 1642.