Richelieu

In a France fractured by court rivalries and personal ambitions, Richelieu moves without ornament. No flourish, no glory — only the cold machinery of power. Caught between a hesitant king, a nobility dreaming of defiance, and enemies multiplying on every front, the cardinal enforces his line: centralize, control, crush resistance. The series follows a strategist who doesn’t hide behind morality. He acts to keep the State standing, even if it means breaking those who stand in his way. Espionage, secret negotiations, decisive strikes… Richelieu plays a game where mistakes are fatal, and the survival of the kingdom rests on one man willing to go further than all the others

Directed by Jean-François Chiappe, Philippe Erlanger, Richelieu leans on a strong ensemble — Marco Perrin, Maria Wimmer, Maryvonne Schiltz — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The series landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about war & politics titles of 1977.