Britannica Sources used in this answer

Why did Richelieu consider the Huguenots a political threat to France?

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.

Cardinal Richelieu viewed the Huguenots as a significant political threat because they functioned as a "state within a state". Under the terms of the Edict of Nantes, the Huguenots were permitted to maintain their own administrative structures and, crucially, hold fortified cities, or places de sûreté.123

Richelieu believed that this military autonomy and the Huguenots' control over major cities undermined the absolute authority of the French crown, both domestically and in its foreign policy. He was particularly concerned that this internal division made France vulnerable to foreign interference, as seen when Huguenot communities became involved in the political intrigues of Protestant magnates who encouraged England to go to war with France.14

To eliminate this challenge to royal power, Richelieu led a military campaign against the Huguenot stronghold of La Rochelle in 1627–28. Following their defeat, the Peace of Alais in 1629 stripped the Huguenots of their military power and fortresses, though it allowed them to retain their religious and civil liberties.54