In history, was there ever a real "evil cardinal" by the side of the king?

Question

It pops up in movies all the time... the evil Cardinal taking over the throne from a weak / young king. Was there ever a real instance of this in history?

Answer 1

Cardinal Richilieu and  Cardinal Woolsy with Henry VIII and Richilieu with Louis XIV

Answer 2

Cardinal Richilieu and Cardinal Woolsy  are good example

Answer 3

Richelieu

Answer 4

Cardinal Richelieu was the one all these others are modeled after.  He was the force behind a very young king (Louis IV, I think) who came to the throne when he was just a few years old.  

Richelieu was not evil, but he didn't give up power very well.  There were several reforms he put into place that stayed in place.  

Oh,Richelieu never tried to take the throne from the young king.  He was content to make decisions for the king.

Answer 5

Are there no there Anglophiles here? No Sir Thomas Moore admirers?

If so your man is Cardinal Wolsey, the man behind the thrones of Henry VII and Henry VIII, who sanctioned Henry's divorces, split England from Rome,and was considered to be the most powerful man in Europe in his time.

Answer 6

Here's a brief overview from the Columbia Encyclopedia. Richelieu's birth name was du Plessis:

A bright child, Armand-Jean du Plessis studied theology as a teen and at the young age of 21 was appointed Bishop of Lucon. In 1622 he was made a cardinal and from there rose to become head of the Royal Council and prime minister of France. King Louis XIII was a weak ruler and Richelieu filled the void, more or less running the empire via his advice to the king. A clever politician and strategist, Richelieu expanded royal power, punished dissent harshly, and built France into a great European power. At the same time he supported the arts and learning and founded the famous French Academy. Novelist Alexandre Dumas made Richelieu a crafty villain in his 1844 book The Three Musketeers, and Richelieu's name has since become synonymous with political intrigue and ambitious power "behind the throne."

Richelieu is also called the Red Eminence, or in French L'Eminence Rouge.

If you ever watch old Monty Python reruns the character of Richelieu is often lampooned.

Answer 7

Depends on your definition of "evil," just a little bit.

But as far as being a powerful cardinal, yes.  Richelieu was a very, very powerful cardinal. However, he was quite the patron of the arts, including theatre (which was looked down upon in his contemporary culture).

Actually, you might want to look into the Spanish Inquisition if you want "evil" tossed in with a monarchy. While the inquisition was really spearheaded by the Spanish monarchy to solidify their reign and the Catholic church (they had been pushing out the Moors / Muslims in wars at this point). So while it was the monarchy doing it, the Catholic church did not remain blameless.

Answer 8

cardinal richileau(sp?)