…showed first 75 words of 426 total…

…showed last 75 words of 426 total…ranteed religious freedom. Richelieu, by vigorous and effective measures, succeeded in breaking the political power of the great families of France-making the king an absolute ruler-and in establishing France as the first military power of Europe. He encouraged French exploration and colonization in Canada, where there is a river named for him, and the Indies. A liberal patron of literature, Richelieu was the founder of the French Academy. He died in Paris on December 4, 1642.