How did Cardinal Richelieu support Protestant powers abroad while persecuting Protestants in France?

Cardinal Richelieu’s foreign and domestic policies were driven by a pragmatic, state-centered approach that prioritized the security and independence of the French crown over religious affiliation.1

Domestic Policy: Eliminating Dissent

Richelieu viewed the Huguenots as a "state within a state" because they maintained independent military forces and controlled major cities, which he considered a fundamental threat to royal authority and national order. His objective was not to persecute them for their faith, but to eliminate their political and military autonomy. When the Huguenots engaged in political intrigue and rebellion, Richelieu responded with force, most notably during the Siege of La Rochelle, to centralize power under the king.1

Foreign Policy: Countering Hegemony

Internationally, Richelieu’s primary goal was to counter the Habsburg hegemony that threatened France’s independence. He believed that the Thirty Years' War required a balance of power, leading him to support Protestant powers—such as Sweden under Gustavus Adolphus—to weaken the Habsburgs. For Richelieu, these actions were not a betrayal of his faith but a necessary application of "natural reason" to protect the state from encirclement, treating political stability as the ultimate moral imperative of government.1