Britannica Sources used in this answer

Why did French government spending rise sharply between 1620 and 1640?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

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.

Between 1620 and 1640, French government spending tripled primarily due to the ambitious and expensive foreign policy pursued by Cardinal Richelieu on behalf of Louis XIII.12

During this period, two-thirds of all government expenditure was directed toward the military. Richelieu sought to secure France's frontiers and undermine the power of the Habsburgs by involving the country in the Thirty Years’ War and the War of the Mantuan Succession. These efforts included paying significant subsidies to foreign allies, such as the one million livres per year promised to Gustav II Adolf of Sweden under the Treaty of Bärwalde in 1631, and eventually committing France to direct conflict with the Habsburgs in 1635.12

To fund these military endeavors, the crown drastically increased taxes, which placed a heavy burden on the population and sparked a series of provincial rebellions throughout the 1630s.12