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How did Jules Mazarin support his nieces through marriages and dowries?

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Jules, Cardinal Mazarin Jules, Cardinal Mazarin, detail of a portrait by Philippe de Champaigne; in the Musée Condé, Chantilly, France.

Following the Roman tradition of nepotism, Cardinal Jules Mazarin actively supported his Mancini and Martinozzi nieces by arranging noble marriages for them and providing them with rich dowries.1

By leveraging his influence and resources, he sought to secure their social standing and integrate them into the highest levels of the French aristocracy. For example, his niece Laure Mancini married the duke de Mercoeur, a grandson of King Henry IV, while Hortense Mancini married Armand Charles de la Porte, who subsequently assumed the Mazarin title.2

Despite his affection for his nieces, Mazarin remained a pragmatic statesman. He did not allow personal sentiment to override political considerations; notably, he intervened to prevent a marriage between his niece Marie Mancini and King Louis XIV, as the king was bound by treaty to marry the Spanish infanta.12