Fresh Batch #48: Cardinal Richelieu and the Execution of His Revenge

By Dylan Saccoccio

In a letter to Reis Effendi, Principal Secretary of the Ottoman Empire, Mahmut wrote about Cardinal Richelieu, “I believe Father Joseph was the worse belov’d for being Cardinal Richlieu’s Confessor. It was observ’d that he died suddenly, without confessing himself.

“Everybody suspects the Cardinal had a Hand in his precipitate Death, to prevent his telling of Tales: For he knew all his Secrets; and the Cardinal was known to be with him when he died. It was during the Siege of Brisac (Breisach), a City on the Rhine, which was then upon the Point of surrendering to the French: And the News coming to the Cardinal, just as Father Joseph was in his last Agonies, he came to his Bedside, and laying his Mouth close to the poor Friar’s Ear, cried as loud as he could, Courage, Courage, Mon Pere, Nous avez pris Brisac (Courage, Courage, My Father, We have taken Brisac). A strange Cordial for a dying Man.”

The accounts get more interesting, and cruel, but those in the Church have always been cruel. Certain behavior is required when dealing with treachery in the game of thrones. If you’d like to learn about the origins of the Church, read my latest book Spirit Whirled: Terminalia (click the image).

The accounts of the Cardinal’s vengeance only get more entertaining and disturbing. Become a member to access the rest of this article. If you’ve never been a member and want a comped month to see if my work is a good fit for you, follow these simple instructions:

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