Some time before his death, Richelieu had obtained a cardinal's hat for Mazarine, and bad introduced him into the king's council. It was therefore supposed that he would succeed his patron as prime minister ; but Louis resolved to govern himself. The servants of the crown were retained in their situations ; and the only change W Ilia marked the death of the Cardinal, from banishment, and releasing from confinement, the principal objects ol• the Cardinal's resentment and jealousy. The war was prosecuted with diligence and vigour ; though the Swedes, who were at first doubtful of the politics of Louis after the death of the Cardinal, had begun to think. of concluding a separate treaty with the Emperor. Maza rine was not, in-Iced, possessed of the situation, or the in fluence of the Cardinal ; but he had sufficient power over the King to persuade him (to what indeed he was by no means indisposed) to pursue the line of politics marked out by that statesman. All the operations of war were concerted with the same judgment as formerly : supplies of every kind were furnished with equal punctuality. In Germany, Guehriant, in conjunction with the Swedes, triumphed over the Imperialists ; while, in Piedmont, Lor raine, Roussillon, and Catalonia, Schoenberg, L'Hospital, and two other French generals, were equally successful.
Louis, in the midst of these successes, was fast ap proaching his latter end ; and, as the tender years of his son would expose the kingdom to dissensions, unless a wise and vigorous regency were appointed, this subject occupied his whole attention during the remainder of his days. His queen, Anne of Austria, never partook of his confidence ; and the Duke of Orleans had discovered him self totally unfit for the high office, by his want of steadi ness and vigour of mind ; and unworthy of it by his seditious intrigues. He therefore resolved to distribute into different hands the power that lie bequeathed, in order to preserve the tranquillity of the kingdom during the minority of his successor. The cave of the children was entrusted to the Queen, who had also the nominal character of regent ; the Duke of Orleans was appointed head of the council, and lieutenant-general of the kingdom. But these appointments were counterbalanced by others, from which Louis hoped that neither the Queen nor his brother would be able to create intrigues, or to weaken the kingdom by the incapacity or folly of their government. In case of the death of the Duke, the Prince of Conde was to fitl his situa tion ; and, after him, the Cardinal Al azarine and it was, in fact, on the last, that Louis, by his arrangements, devolved the real management of the kingdom during the minority or his son. As a farther guard against the Duke of Orleans, the King directed that all affairs which came before the council should be derided by a majority of votes. Ti.e Queen and the Duke swore solemnly to preserve inviolate the deed which they had subscribed ; and Louis, to rende,r it still more authentic, commanded it to lie registered parliament. After these arrangements were completed, Louis lived but a very short time, expiring in the 42d year of his age, and on the very day that he had completed tile 33i1 of his reign. This sovereign was so completely under the influence of Richelieu, that his character is not inai ked very decidedly by his actions : he acquired the epithet of Just ; but his title to it may well be disputed, unless the severity and the cruelty of some of the public mcasui es of his reign be entirely ascribed to his minister.
Louis XIV. was only 4i years of age when his father died. The pi ospects of France during his minority were by no means of a satisfactory nature; the internal state of the country exhibited discontent and exhaustion, created by the measures of Cardinal Richelieu. The war which he had commenced with the house of Austria still con tinued. The Emperor Ferdinand ill. less formidable than his father, struggled against the forces of Sweden and France, even though. the forces of the empire, in many cases, resisted his will and his plans. Philip IV. of Spain had lost Rousillon, Catalonia, and Portugal ; but lie still continued the struggle against the Portuguese, the Dutch, and the French. England, though involved in civil wilt, was already beginning to exercise that energy which these troubles had created or brought into action, and threatened to become more formidable than ever.
The will of Louis XIII. which has been noticed, was violated almost immediately after his death ; his widow being invested by an arret of the parliament of Paris with continued powers. She immediately gave herself entirely
up to the direction and influence of Cardinal I11azarine, who was of a subtle and insinuating character.
The court of Spain, imagining that the minority of Louis afforded them an excellent opportunity of invading France, marched an army from the Low Countries into Champagne, besieged Rocroy, and spread alarm on every side ; but they were mistaken, and unexpectedly were opposed by a gene ral who, at this period, commenced that glorious career which has exalted him to the highest pitch of military fame. Previous to the death of Louis XIII. Louis of Bourbon, Duke of Enghien, afterwards honoured with the title of the great Conde, had received the command of the French forces on the frontiers of Flanders. When the Spaniards invaded Champagne, he was scarcely twenty one years of age ; but his want of experience was amply compensated by his genius. His orders were not to risk a battle ; yet, on receiving intelligence of the siege of Rocroy, he resolved to attack the besiegers. Hitherto the Spanish infantry had been deemed invincible, but in this battle, the courage of the French, directed by the talents of their young general, deprived them of that character : They were broken by his impetuous charge ; the Count of Fuentes, who commanded the army, perished on the field ; 9000 were killed, 20 pieces of cannon taken, Rocroy was saved, and the character of the Duke of Enghien stamped as a great general. \Vhen he heard of the death of the Spanish general, he exclaimed, " I could wish to have died like him, had I not been victorious !" Thionville, which had long been the object of Richelieu's ambition and intrigues, but from the reduction of which, by force of arms, lie had been deterred by its strength, next fell before the Duke. After this he passed the Rhine, and ad vanced to avenge the death of Guibriant, who had fallen at the siege of Rotuil. On tile death of this general, divi sions and dissensions took place, of which the Imperialists took advantage, and gained the battle of Dutlingen, as well as other inferior engagements in Swabia ; Fribourg also was reduced by them. The Imperialists, after the reduc tion of this place, had formed an entrenched camp under its walls, on hearing of the approach of the French ; but the Duke was not intimidated by their formidable position, 'nor their superior numbers; he attacked them in their camp, and, after a battle which lasted three days, he de feated them. Philipsburgh and Mentz were the fruits of this victory ; while General Merci retreated in such good order, as to prove that, at the battle of Fribourg, he had •only yielded to a general of the first rate talents. In Flan ders, during the years 1645, 1646, the Duke of Orleans reduced Gravelines, Mardyke, and Courtray ; but the French were not so successful in Catalonia, where Philip IV. defeated the Marshal de la Motte, and took Lerida and Balaguier. In Bohemia, the Swedish general Tortensten, 'lad gained a great victory : to. improve the advantages of which, Marshal Turenne was ordered to advance into the heart of Germany ; but he committed an error in separat ing himself from his allies, and thus exposed himself to defeat. At first, indeed, he was successful ; he crossed the Rhine at Brisac, and, advancing towards the sources of the Danube, routed the Imperialists. He next attempted to relieve Fribourg, which was invested by the Bavarian army, tinder the command of a brother of General Merci, but he was defeated. As soon as Cardinal Mazarine learn ed this, he ordered the Duke of Enghien to join Turenne with a reinforcement ; and the two generals attacked the Count de Merci near Fribourg with such impetuosity, that he was obliged to retire with the loss of 3000 men. '['his battle, which lasted seven hours, was immediately follow ed by another, in which the Bavarians at first were suc cessful, but the Duke rallied his troops, and drove the enemy three times from their entrenchments, which they as often regained, till at last Merci, having lost nearly one half of his army, resolved to retreat. This lie effected in good order, notwithstanding all the attempts of the French to harass him, leaving behind all their artillery and bag gage. The consequences of this victory, were the reduc tion of all the towns situated between the Rhine and the Moselle, from Mentz to Landau.