The Founder
Jules Mazarin, the founder of the unrivaled Bibliothèque Mazarine, or “Mazarin Library”, was given a rather harsh portrayal in Alexander Dumas' sequel to his widely popular novel, The Three Musketeers. Like his predecessor, Cardinal Richelieu, Mazarin is portrayed as greedy, devious, and unscrupulous, and is the main antagonist working against the crown and the brave musketeers. Mazarin is an essential part of the plot, and I greatly admire Dumas' ability to blend history and fiction into a riveting story, but history paints a far different picture of Jules Mazarin than Dumas. In a time and place when political currents were far more complex than today, Mazarin excelled not only in gaining fame and riches, but especially in establishing lasting peace between political enemies and competing rulers, and doing so with unrivaled consistently.
Destined for Greatness
Born under the name of Giulio Mazzarino in Italy on July 14th, 1602, Mazarin's life is one of almost unbroken success. At the age of seven, he gained entrance to the best school in Italy, and performed well in science, theatrics, religion, and politics. His one vice, it seemed, was gambling, and he quickly found himself in debts, though even in this he made a mark, as Hox Mazarin, a game of chance played with cards, bears his name. He remained a gambler throughout his life, but mostly in the political sphere. His lifelong success and lasting legacy are proof that his political gambles had far greater results than his early gambling at cards.
As he grew older, his studies turned to law, and at the age of twenty-six, he gained the title of doctor in utroque jure, allowing him to practice both civil and religious law. That same year, Pope Urban VIII was forced to raise an army to defend the papal territory of Valtellina from Ferdinand II. Mazarin became a lieutenant in the regiment, but since he and his regiment both lacked fighting experience, were placed at a post away from the fighting. It might be expected that Mazarin gained great fame by some unexpected military battle, but Mazarin's abilities catered to diplomacy, rather than war. After hearing that his mother had fallen ill, Mazarin abandoned his post and returned to Rome. When Urban VIII summoned him to explain his desertion, Mazarin threw himself on the mercy of the Pope.
Mazarin's natural eloquence and diplomacy made such an impression on Pope Urban that he was asked to become a Papal Emissary, and agreed. He spent the next two years as a secretary and courier for Jean-François Sacchetti. During this time, Sacchetti was working tirelessly to prevent a war between France and Spain, and Mazarin was sent to Milan, Mantua, Turin, Casale, and France, working for a peaceful solution. Sacchetti's methods must have had a lasting impact on Mazarin, for the young Mazarin based his entire diplomatic stance on the same desperate desire to find peaceful solutions through diplomacy and trust, rather than threats of force and intrigue.
The Two Cardinals
It was during this tumultuous time that he first met Cardinal Richelieu, who he would eventually replace. Unlike Mazarin, Richelieu was pompous and suspicious. His methods were in total opposition to Mazarin's, and he considered Mazarin to be little more than a spy.
Contrary to Mazarin's hopes, Richelieu sent the French army into battle against the Spanish. The two armies met outside Casale, but the bloody battle never happened. Ignoring Richelieu's plans, Mazarin kept working to find a peaceful resolution, and at the moment of battle, he rushed headlong between the two armies, bearing a flag of truce and crying “Peace, Peace, Peace!” He called the two opposing commanders to a parley, and negotiated a treaty which both accepted. He had made a desperate gamble and won, preventing what might have been a long and bloody war.
He was sent to Paris to work out the details of the treaty, where he gained the respect of Richelieu and Louis XIII. Over the next several decades, his diplomatic skill managed to gain him many important allies, and few enemies. His reputation grew as a peacekeeper. Unlike the underhanded dealings of Richelieu, Mazarin retained a reputation of sincerity in his quest for peace. His sincerity gained him allies in many places, and though his modus operandi was the total opposite of Richelieu's, often disagreeing on policy, the two remained in communication during his time at Rome.
Mazarin eventually moved to Paris, and his connections in Rome made him a valuable advisor to Richelieu and King Louis XIII, not only diplomatically but culturally, as Mazarin's connections extended to the arts and sciences, as well. His political successes continued, and his skill as a negotiator became more evident. After the death of both Richelieu and Louis XIII, Anne of Austria became Regent until her son, Louis XIV, then four years old, came of age. She named Mazarin as her sole advisor. The contrast between Richelieu's thundering command and Mazarin's quiet sincerity was striking. His rivals often underestimated him due to his quiet demeanor.
The Cost of Diplomacy
Mazarin finally brought a successful conclusion to the war with the Hapsburgs which Richelieu had started, but the cost of the war had been heavy, and since Richelieu was dead, the blame fell on Mazarin. The discontent continued, and despite Mazarin's requests to the contrary, Anne of Austria, the reigning regent, had her political opponents arrested. Mazarin was blamed, and was forced to flee Paris along with Anne and the young Louis XIV, but his skill as a negotiator quickly brought the rebellion to a conclusion which kept the royal family in control of the throne. Unrest continued, however, and Mazarin was blamed by the malcontents more than ever, to the point that many songs and poems were written mocking Mazarin, and accusing him of nearly every sin and crime which could be imagined. Rather than respond with violence and force, like his predecessor would have done, Mazarin saw an opportunity in the united hatred against him. Realizing that the malcontents were united only in their hatred against him, he resigned, leaving Paris, and orchestrated the release of Condé, their leader, from prison, who had been arrested in a plot to overthrow the monarchy.
It was a huge gamble, but in the end, it paid off. Condé raised an army and sacked Paris, but without Mazarin to blame, many of Condé's allies deserted him, and support for Anne of Austria and the young Louis XIV grew. Mazarin communicated constantly with Anne of Austria, orchestrating events from the outside while he waited in exile for the political winds to calm. He returned to France and was welcomed with thunderous approval where he had been ousted just three years before.
Mazarin's connections among the rich and influential of France, Spain, and Rome gained him an immense fortune over the course of his life, not only in money but also priceless pieces of art, literature, and jewelry. His collection was second only to the King, himself. When Mazarin was forced to flee Paris at the beginnings of the Fronde insurrection in 1652, his personal library contained 40,000 volumes, collected from his extensive travels and those of his personal librarian, Gabriel Naudé. During the upheavals, his palace was looted. Thousands of books were burned, and others were stolen, but the most valuable were hidden by Naudé, and Mazarin began again.
Mazarin's collections extended not only to books but all types of art. At his death, he owned 858 paintings, 128 statues, 185 busts, 150 carpets, 317 jewels, and many other countless treasures, including 450 pearls, and a 14 karat diamond called “The Rose of England”, and cash to the modern amount of 40 million dollars. His paintings included the Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione by Raphael, but his greatest legacy was his library.
The Mazarine Library
After returning to Paris, Mazarin rebuilt the library from what was left, and reinstated his policy of allowing scholars access to his collection one day per week, creating the first public library in France. Often, the number of scholars present on any given week was nearly a hundred at a time, but by now, Mazarin had upwards of twenty-five thousand volumes. By the time of his death in 1661, his personal collection was the largest in France, at over 200,000 manuscripts, including records of the insulting songs and poems which had been written about Mazarin during the upheaval during the reign of Anne of Austria. Mazarin apparently had a sense of humor, since after his return to Paris, he had a collection made of the various songs to be performed at his palace.
At the time of his death, Mazarin's library was matched by only three other libraries in all of Europe: the Bodleian at Oxford, the Ambrosian in Milan, and the Angelique in Rome. Much credit must go to his librarian, Naudé, who traveled extensively, using Mazarin's vast fortune to buy personal collections and entire libraries. Mazarin ensured that the library would remain open to the public after his death, and willed it to Collège des Quatre-Nations, which he had founded from his vast fortune. The Mazarine Library continued to grow, and escaped the fires of the French Revolution. As a public library, it was allowed to continue operation. During the Revolution, as nobles fled to escape execution, their collections were added to the Mazarine, adding thousands of manuscripts and priceless artifacts which were saved from the bloody revolution by the then librarian, Abbé Gaspard Michel.
The Mazarine Library has steadily grown, and remains one of the best libraries in the world. It contains thousands of rare medieval manuscripts and countless documents on the history of France from the 12th to the 17th centuries, many collected by Mazarin, himself. It is still decorated with many of the treasures collected by Mazarin, including his original bookcases, which are ornately carved with Corinthian columns and the Cardinal's coat of arms. It currently contains over 600,000 volumes, and its greatest focus continues to be French history, but its most priceless artifact, by far, is an original Gutenberg Bible.
The Gutenberg Bible
The first mass-produced book created by movable type, the Gutenberg Bible marks the start of the revolution caused by the printing press. The Gutenberg Bible was printed around 1455, and only about 180 copies were made. It may seem like a small number today, but was truly incredible compared to the slow process of copying books by hand. Forty-nine copies exist today, though only 21 of those are complete. The Gutenberg Bible is also called the 'Mazarin Bible', because the first of of these to be recognized by modern bibliographers was discovered in Mazarin's original collection. The Mazarin Bible is complete, and currently housed in a secret vault of the Mazarine Library, though a facsimile is on display, and can be viewed. The Gutenberg Bibles are considered to be the world's most valuable book. In 1996, an incomplete copy was purchased by Keio University in Japan for 5.4 million dollars. It is unknown what price might be placed on a complete copy today.
The Final Gamble
While Mazarin's fortune grew, France struggled to recover from the financial costs of the Thirty Years War and the insurrection of the Fronde. During Mazarin's later years, rumors grew that he was filching from the royal treasuries, but there was no evidence to support this claim. Mazarin had continued to be a sincere and noble advisor to the young Louis XIV, and worked continually for the good of France and her King. His advice to Louis XIV is as needed today as it was then, as Mazarin advised him that kings were established “for watching over the well-being, safety, and peace of their subjects; and not to sacrifice this well-being and safety for their personal passions.”
This advice was lived out through Mazarin, who, though he did gain a great fortune through his service, never did so through deceit or dishonest dealings. Much of his fortune was also directed toward the establishment and growth of the Bibliothèque Mazarine and the Collège des Quatre-Nations. Yet, on his deathbed, the accusation that he had stolen money from the crown chafed him, and he made one final political gamble to silence those rumors and leave his legacy untarnished. He prepared a will which left his entire fortune to Louis XIV, the King of France. The King refused to accept it, knowing that if he accepted the vast fortune of his late advisor, the negative scrutiny would pass with it. A second will, prepared in advance by Mazarin especially for this outcome, was produced, which left a large sum to his College of the Four Nations, and many gifts to his countless allies and friends.
The Mazarine Library is a lasting legacy of a man who loved peace, knowledge, beauty, reconciliation, history, and art; and who worked tirelessly to find them, not only for himself, but for others as well.
For more information on the Mazarine Library, or my novel, Grayscale, check out these links:
Cardinal Mazarin - Catholic Answers
Gutenberg Bible - Britannica
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