Cardinal Richelieu (1589-1642) was the prime minister for King Louis XIII of France during the mid 17th Century. Cardinal Richelieu’s main goal was to centralize power in France. He achieved this by removing much of the nobility’s power. He demanded that all castles, excepting those required for the defense of France, be destroyed, preventing nobles from aiding rebellions. Under him, the sale of court offices skyrocketed, which greatly enriched the king. But to pay all of these new officials, taxes needed to rise. To solve this problem, much of the nobility’s revoked power was transferred to local officials, called Intendants, who depended upon the king’s mercy to continue to receive income. These people collected taxes throughout France, answering to the king and his prime minister. Richelieu’s second major goal was to humble the Hapsburg dynasty. To do this, the Cardinal allied with Protestants, putting his country above his religion. Funding several Protestant causes, including Sweden’s involvement during the 30 Years War, Richelieu fought against the Hapsburgs off the battlefield. Cardinal Richelieu’s two main goals paved the way for Louis XIV to be the most absolute king of the time. France’s prime minister essentially ruled France during the mid 1600s.