Richelieu — Season 1, Episode 2: Episode 2
War & Politics, Family • 52 min • 1 season, 6 episodes • ★ 9.5/10
Episode synopsis
In 1616, Richelieu reappears as the bishop of the Madernie of Monsieur de Inel. As a man seeking influence at court, he must also be able to ride a horse, shoot, and court ladies, even as a member of the clergy. As the confidant of Marie de’ Medici, he is now able to do all this with excellence — and much more. For the moment, he relies on Maria and not on her son, King Louis, who has been declared of age but left without a will. Richelieu seeks to overthrow Louis’s favourites. Nevertheless, his calculations do not hold.
About Richelieu
In a France fractured by court rivalries and personal ambitions, Richelieu moves without ornament. No flourish, no glory — only the cold machinery of power. Caught between a hesitant king, a nobility dreaming of defiance, and enemies multiplying on every front, the cardinal enforces his line: centralize, control, crush resistance. The series follows a strategist who doesn’t hide behind morality. He acts to keep the State standing, even if it means breaking those who stand in his way. Espionage, secret negotiations, decisive strikes… Richelieu plays a game where mistakes are fatal, and the survival of the kingdom rests on one man willing to go further than all the others