G. I. Bayazitova, F. E. A. Giral. Letter from Cardinal de Richelieu to the French Ambassador
to Switzerland, Brulard de Leon (April 9, 1630) // Petersburg Historical Journal, no. 1, 2026,
pp. 246–255.

DOI: 10.51255/2311–603X_2026_1_246

Abstract:

The article is devoted to the study of a manuscript letter by Cardinal de Richelieu, First Minister to King Louis XIII of France, who managed the internal and foreign policy of France from 1624
to 1642. The autograph of Richelieu is kept in the Russian National Library in St. Petersburg as part of the Dubrovsky Collection. Although it was already known to M. Avenel, the first editor of Cardinal de Richelieu’s correspondence, it had not yet been introduced to the scholarly community. Also, a transcription of the letter without commentary or translation is contained in the latest monograph by A. D. Lyublinskaya. The letter dates back to the War of the Mantuan Succession and is addressed to de Leon, French ambassador in Switzerland. The letter concerns Marshal de Bassompierre’s role in the negotiations with the Cantons of Switzerland. The introductory article provides the context for the document’s appearance, reconstructs the series of events that preceded its creation based on historical sources, and draws a conclusion about the message’s place in Cardinal Richelieu’s correspondence. The article provides a transcription, translation, annotated commentary, and a reproduction of the original letter. The publication of this autograph adds to the research on 17th-century French documents located in Russia, initiated by A. Lyublinskaya, and advances ourunderstanding of Cardinal de Richelieu’s activities.

Key words: Richelieu, France, manuscripts, correspondence, 17th century, Leon, Bassompierre, War of the Mantuan Succession.

Author:

Bayazitova, Gulnara Ilgizovna — PhD in History, Associate Professor of the Department of International Relations, Foreign Regional Studies and Tourism, Tyumen State University (Tyumen, Russia).
E-mail: g.bayazitova@utmn.ru
ORCID: 0000–0003–2858–9518

Author:

Giral, Florian Hervé André — Associate Professor at the Center for Foreign Languages, Tyumen State University (Tyumen, Russia).
E-mail: f.giral@utmn.ru
ORCID: 0009-0005-2765-8982

References:
Jouhaud, C. Richelieu et l’Écriture du pouvoir. Autour de la journée des Dupes. Paris, Gallimard, 2014. 309 p.

Knekht, R. Rishel’e [Richelieu. In Russ.]. Rostov-na-Donu, Feniks publ., 1997. 384 p.

Levi, E. Kardinal Rishel’e i stanovlenie Frantsii [Cardinal Richelieu and the Rise of France. In Russ.].
Moscow, AST, Astrel’, publ., 2007. 415 p.

Lyublinskaya, A. D. Frantsiya pri Rishel’e. Frantsuzskii absolyutizm v 1630–1642 gg. [France under Richelle. French Absolutism in 1630–1642. In Russ.]. Leningrad, Nauka publ., 1982. 275 p.

Lyublinskaya, A. D. Frantsiya v nachale XVII v. (1610–1620 gg.) [France at the Beginning of the
17th Century (1610–1620). In Russ.]. Leningrad, Nauka publ., 1959. 362 p.

Pagès, G. Le Conseil du Roi sous Louis XIII. In Revue d’Histoire Moderne. 1937. T. 12, no. 29–30, pp. 293–324.

Souluyerau Vinal, M.-C. Richelieu ou la quête d’Europe. Paris, Pygmalion, 2008. 389 p.

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