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The Political Testament of Cardinal Richelieu

Introduction and notes by Paul Sonnino - Translated by Paul Sonnino

The Political Testament of Cardinal Richelieu ranks with the confessions of Saint Augustine and Jean-Jacques Rousseau as one of the most revealing expressions of an individual’s sense of identity in all literature. It is also one the least appreciated outside of France, in part because of Richelieu’s popular image as a tyrant, in part because the history is unfamiliar to English-speaking readers, in part because historians have not yet considered the work closely. Leading scholar Paul Sonnino has now filled an essential gap with the first comprehensive translation of one of the most famous works on early modern statecraft.

This unique volume is the only edition in any language based on a comparison not only of all the known manuscripts but also of some that are virtually unknown, clearly distinguishing between the two principal revisions; and the first to include the sequel—the “Succinct Narration”—which has been almost entirely overlooked in past analysis of the work as a whole. It is thoroughly annotated with detailed notes that describe the characters and events, providing readers with the history of the period. Sonnino’s clear and incisive introduction demonstrates how a brilliant and practical seventeenth-century statesman could explain his service to an eccentric king, his merciless ministry, and his alliances with Protestants before a God who was an integral part of his belief system. The result is a fundamental treatise about the state, power, and political intelligence from an iconic figure at the conjunction of political practice and political theory.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 268 • Trim: 6 x 8¾

978-1-5381-3595-2 • Hardback • February 2020 • $104.00 • (£80.00)

978-1-5381-3596-9 • Paperback • February 2020 • $36.00 • (£28.00)

978-1-5381-3597-6 • eBook • February 2020 • $34.00 • (£26.00)

Subjects: Religion / Christianity / Catholic, History / Europe / France, Religion / Christianity / History

The Political Testament of Cardinal Richelieu

Hardback

Paperback

eBook

Summary

The Political Testament of Cardinal Richelieu ranks with the confessions of Saint Augustine and Jean-Jacques Rousseau as one of the most revealing expressions of an individual’s sense of identity in all literature. It is also one the least appreciated outside of France, in part because of Richelieu’s popular image as a tyrant, in part because the history is unfamiliar to English-speaking readers, in part because historians have not yet considered the work closely. Leading scholar Paul Sonnino has now filled an essential gap with the first comprehensive translation of one of the most famous works on early modern statecraft.

This unique volume is the only edition in any language based on a comparison not only of all the known manuscripts but also of some that are virtually unknown, clearly distinguishing between the two principal revisions; and the first to include the sequel—the “Succinct Narration”—which has been almost entirely overlooked in past analysis of the work as a whole. It is thoroughly annotated with detailed notes that describe the characters and events, providing readers with the history of the period. Sonnino’s clear and incisive introduction demonstrates how a brilliant and practical seventeenth-century statesman could explain his service to an eccentric king, his merciless ministry, and his alliances with Protestants before a God who was an integral part of his belief system. The result is a fundamental treatise about the state, power, and political intelligence from an iconic figure at the conjunction of political practice and political theory.

Details

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 268 • Trim: 6 x 8¾

978-1-5381-3595-2 • Hardback • February 2020 • $104.00 • (£80.00)

978-1-5381-3596-9 • Paperback • February 2020 • $36.00 • (£28.00)

978-1-5381-3597-6 • eBook • February 2020 • $34.00 • (£26.00)

Subjects: Religion / Christianity / Catholic, History / Europe / France, Religion / Christianity / History

Author

Paul Sonnino is professor of history at the University of California Santa Barbara.

Table of Contents

Introductory

Introduction

The Manuscripts

The Translation

Political Testament or Maxims of State of Cardinal Richelieu

To the King

Table

First Part

Second Part

Appendix

Continuation of the Succinct Narration

Bibliography

Manuscripts of the Political Testament

Editions of the Political Testament

Commentaries on the Political Testament

Key Printed Sources on Richelieu

Index

Reviews

In The Political Testament of Cardinal Richelieu, Paul Sonnino offers to historians of early modern France, and to anyone working on the history of the state or political theory, a second welcome gift—a fitting partner to his authoritative edition of Louis XIV’s Memoirs. Nonspecialists will particularly welcome his insightful commentary and contextual framing for a text so often misunderstood.
— James Collins, Georgetown University

At last we have a complete and learned translation of Cardinal Richelieu’s political testament, one of the two or three works about politics written by someone who actually wielded power, and who managed to execute almost all of his vision of a France endowed with a state capable of mobilizing resources sufficient to curb Spanish, Imperial, and papal challenges to its sovereignty. Sonnino’s introduction definitively explores all the questions about the history of the text, and engages the reader, whether a historian or not, in an adventure centered on all the moral issues that power brings to mind.
— Orest Ranum, emeritus, The Johns Hopkins University

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The Political Testament of Cardinal Richelieu

Introduction and notes by Paul Sonnino - Translated by Paul Sonnino

The Political Testament of Cardinal Richelieu

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