Editing Cardinal Richelieu (section)

==Early life==
Born in Paris on 9 September 1585, Armand du Plessis was the fourth of five children and the last of three sons: he was delicate from childhood and suffered frequent bouts of ill-health throughout his life. His family belonged to the lesser nobility of [[Poitou]]:<ref>Bergin, pp. 14–15.</ref> his father, [[François du Plessis]], seigneur de [[Richelieu, Indre-et-Loire|Richelieu]], was a soldier and courtier who served as the Grand [[Prévôt|Provost]] of France,<ref>Treasure, p. 3.</ref> and his mother, Susanne de La Porte, was the daughter of a famous jurist.<ref>Bergin, pp. 18–19.</ref>

When he was five years old, Richelieu's father died of fever in the [[French Wars of Religion]],<ref>Bergin, p. 24.</ref> leaving the family in debt; however, with the aid of royal [[Grant (money)|grant]]s, the family was able to avoid financial difficulties. At the age of 9, young Richelieu was sent to the [[College of Navarre]] in Paris to study philosophy.<ref>Bergin, p. 55.</ref> Thereafter, he began to train for a military career.<ref>Wedgwood, p. 187.</ref> There, he learned mathematics, fencing, horse riding, dancing skills, courtly manners, and military drill.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Treasure |first=Geoffrey Russell Richards |url= |title=Cardinal Richelieu and the Development of Absolutism |date=1972 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |isbn=978-0-7136-1286-8 |pages=10 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Levi |first=Anthony |url= |title=Cardinal Richelieu and the Making of France |date=2000 |publisher=Constable |isbn=978-0-09-480190-5 |pages=224 |language=en}}</ref> His private life seems to have been typical for a young officer of the era; in 1605, aged twenty, he was treated by [[Théodore de Mayerne]] for [[gonorrhea]].<ref>Bergin, p. 58; Trevor-Roper, p. 66.</ref>

[[Henry III of France|Henry III]] had rewarded Richelieu's father for his participation in the Wars of Religion by granting his family the [[Bishopric of Luçon]].<ref>Bergin, p. 57.</ref> The family appropriated most of the revenues of the bishopric for private use; they were, however, challenged by clergymen who desired the funds for [[ecclesiastical]] purposes. To protect the important source of revenue, Richelieu's mother proposed to make her second son, [[Alphonse-Louis du Plessis de Richelieu|Alphonse]], the bishop of Luçon.<ref name=autogenerated1>Bergin, p. 61.</ref> Alphonse, who had no desire to become a bishop, became instead a [[Carthusian]] monk.<ref>Bergin, p. 62.</ref> Thus, it became necessary that the younger Richelieu join the clergy. He had strong academic interests and threw himself into studying for his new post.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Federn|first=Karl|title=Richelieu|publisher=Haskell House Publishers|year=1928|isbn=1432516361|location=New York|pages=57}}</ref>

In 1606, [[Henry IV of France|Henry IV]] nominated Richelieu to become Bishop of Luçon.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> As Richelieu had not yet reached the canonical minimum age, it was necessary that he journey to Rome for a special dispensation from [[Pope Paul V]]. This secured, Richelieu was consecrated bishop in April 1607. Soon after he returned to his diocese in 1608, Richelieu was heralded as a [[Counter-Reformation|reformer]].<ref>Munck, p. 43.</ref> He became the first bishop in France to implement the institutional reforms prescribed by the [[Council of Trent]] between 1545 and 1563.<ref>Bergin, pp. 132–133.</ref>

At about this time, Richelieu became a friend of [[François Leclerc du Tremblay]] (better known as "''Père Joseph''{{-"}} or "Father Joseph"), a [[Capuchin friar]], who would later become a close confidant. Because of his closeness to Richelieu, and the grey colour of his robes, Father Joseph was nicknamed ''[[L'éminence grise]]'' ({{lit|the Grey Eminence}}). Later, Richelieu often used him as an agent during diplomatic negotiations.<ref>Wedgwood, p. 189.</ref>