# Cardinal Richelieu — The Three Musketeers character guide > Cardinal Richelieu in The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Cardinal de Richelieu, Richelieu, Monseigneur, the Cardinal **First appearance:** 0006-v-the-kings-s-musketeers-and-the-cardinal-s-guards ## Snapshot The chief minister of France, who knows everything, forgets nothing, and questions a complacent mercer about linen drapers while his agents close in on a queen. ## Who they are Richelieu rules from behind a silver bell, summoning Rochefort and dispatching guards with the ease of a man who has made surveillance a statecraft. He is patient, courteous, and utterly without scruple, and his quarrel with the queen is the engine driving the novel's early conspiracies. Every duel, letter, and diamond in the story eventually leads back to his study, where the Cardinal is always already waiting. ## Relationships ### [Athos](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/characters/athos) _rivalry_ Athos opposes Cardinal Richelieu as a loyal Musketeer, though they share a grudging mutual respect. ### [Duke of Buckingham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/characters/duke_of_buckingham) _rivalry_ Cardinal Richelieu and the Duke of Buckingham are political and personal enemies, each seeking to undermine the other's power. ### [Aramis](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/characters/aramis) _rivalry_ Aramis opposes Cardinal Richelieu as a Musketeer, though he occasionally engages in covert dealings with him. ### [Milady de Winter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/characters/milady_de_winter) _professional_ Cardinal Richelieu employs Milady as a deadly secret agent, using her for political assassinations. ### [Constance Bonacieux](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/characters/constance_bonacieux) _rivalry_ Cardinal Richelieu sees Constance as an obstacle and orders her imprisonment and death. ### [Athos](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/characters/athos) _rivalry_ Athos opposes Cardinal Richelieu as a loyal Musketeer, though they share a grudging mutual respect. ### [Aramis](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/characters/aramis) _rivalry_ Aramis opposes Cardinal Richelieu as a Musketeer, though he occasionally engages in covert dealings with him. ### [Athos](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/characters/athos) _rivalry_ Athos opposes Cardinal Richelieu as a loyal Musketeer, though they share a grudging mutual respect. ### [Milady de Winter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/characters/milady_de_winter) _professional_ Cardinal Richelieu employs Milady as a deadly secret agent, using her for political assassinations. ### [Duke of Buckingham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/characters/duke_of_buckingham) _rivalry_ Cardinal Richelieu and the Duke of Buckingham are political and personal enemies, each seeking to undermine the other's power. ### [Constance Bonacieux](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/characters/constance_bonacieux) _rivalry_ Cardinal Richelieu sees Constance as an obstacle and orders her imprisonment and death. ### [Duke of Buckingham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/characters/duke_of_buckingham) _rivalry_ Cardinal Richelieu and the Duke of Buckingham are political and personal enemies, each seeking to undermine the other's power. ## In the story ### [The Antechamber of M. de Tréville](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/chapters/ii-the-antechamber-of-m-de-tr-ville) Subject of mockery by the Musketeers; his private life and policies are criticized openly in the antechamber. ### [His Majesty King Louis XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/chapters/vi-his-majesty-king-louis-xiii) Mentioned as having made complaints against the Musketeers; the king is aware of the tension between the Cardinal's Guards and the Musketeers. ### [Monsieur Bonacieux](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/chapters/xiii-monsieur-bonacieux) Mentioned as the powerful minister whose authority looms over Bonacieux's interrogation and imprisonment. ### [The Man of Meung](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/chapters/xiv-the-man-of-meung) Conducts the interrogation, learns of the escape, and sends a letter to Milady. ### [Men of the Robe and Men of the Sword](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/chapters/xv-men-of-the-robe-and-men-of-the-sword) Manipulates the king against the queen and the musketeers; reluctantly agrees to Athos's release. ### [In Which M. Séguier, Keeper of the Seals, Looks More Than Once for the Bell, in Order to Ring It, as He Did Before](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/chapters/xvi-in-which-m-s-guier-keeper-of-the-seals-looks-more-than-once-for-the-bell-in-order-to-ring-it-as-he-did-before) Skillfully manipulates the king's suspicions, feigning reluctance while steering the king toward a confrontation with the queen; suggests M. Séguier for the search mission. ### [Bonacieux at Home](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/chapters/xvii-bonacieux-at-home) Referenced as the powerful minister who has won Bonacieux's loyalty through flattery and money. ### [Lover and Husband](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/chapters/xviii-lover-and-husband) The cardinal's money is used by Constance to fund the mission; Bonacieux hopes to gain favor with him. ### [XXII: The Ballet of La Merlaison](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/chapters/xxii-the-ballet-of-la-merlaison) Observes from a gallery, expecting the queen to be missing studs, but his plan fails. ### [A Terrible Vision](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/chapters/xl-a-terrible-vision) Offers d'Artagnan a position in his guards and warns him of enemies; withdraws his protection after the refusal. ### [The Sign of the Red Dovecot](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/chapters/xliii-the-sign-of-the-red-dovecot) Encountered by the musketeers on the road; questions them about the quarrel and takes them as his escort to the Red Dovecot. ### [The Utility of Stovepipes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/chapters/xliv-the-utility-of-stovepipes) Plans to send Milady to London to threaten Buckingham and agrees to help Milady against d'Artagnan. ### [XLV: A Conjugal Scene](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/chapters/xlv-a-conjugal-scene) Visits the musketeers, inquires about Athos, and later returns to camp after receiving confirmation. ### [Officer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/chapters/li-officer) Anxiously awaits news from England and continues to press the siege of La Rochelle, using propaganda to undermine the city's resolve. ### [Captivity: The Fifth Day](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/chapters/lvi-captivity-the-fifth-day) The Cardinal is referenced as Milady's protector and the instrument of her future fortune. She fears his judgment if she returns from a fruitless journey. ### [LXI: The Carmelite Convent at Béthune](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/chapters/lxi-the-carmelite-convent-at-b-thune) Referenced as the orchestrator of Milady's mission and the persecutor of the convent's boarder; Milady sends him a letter reporting her success. ### [Two Varieties of Demons](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/chapters/lxii-two-varieties-of-demons) Referenced as the one to be informed of events and who holds power over the situation. ### [Conclusion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/chapters/lxvii-conclusion) Interrogates d'Artagnan, learns of Milady's death, and ultimately rewards him with a commission. ### [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/chapters/endnotes) His former palace, the Palais-Cardinal, is noted as having been given to the king. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/characters/cardinal_richelieu - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_musketeers_se/characters