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How did Richelieu use a security organization to uncover conspiracies?

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Full-length portrait of Cardinal Richelieu by Philippe de Champaigne, showing him in red clerical robes holding a red book, standing beside a balustrade with a draped curtain behind. — Cardinal Richelieu As both statesman and churchman, Cardinal Richelieu was the acknowledged architect of France's greatness in the 17th century. In 1640, when this full-length portrait was painted (likely by Philippe de Champaigne), he was embroiled in a dispute with the pope and other religious controversies along with many other consequences of expanding French power across Europe. He would die two years later, facing conspiracies against his life and suffering ill health.

Cardinal Richelieu maintained a sophisticated security organization that was instrumental in identifying and neutralizing threats to his administration and the French crown. By effectively ferreting out the disaffected, he was able to suppress various conspiracies, including the final plot led by the royal favorite Henri Coiffier de Ruzé, marquis de Cinq-Mars, who was exposed by the cardinal's secret service and subsequently executed.12

Richelieu’s approach to security was rooted in his belief that the state required absolute order and that he, as a statesman, was uniquely equipped to judge policy through the use of all available information. His intelligence-gathering efforts were broad; for instance, he utilized French religious missions across Africa, the Middle East, and America to create a vast network that supported his political and economic designs.1

While his success in uncovering conspiracies and his manipulation of state trials made him a feared and often detested figure, he viewed these actions as necessary to maintain domestic stability and uphold the moral principles of government. Ultimately, his ability to manage these internal crises ensured that he retained the support of Louis XIII throughout his tenure.13