Armand-Emmanuel de Vignerot du Plessis, Duc de Richelieu 1766 – 1822

Biography

Armand-Emmanuel de Vignerot du Plessis, Duc de Richelieu, was born on September 25, 1766, in Paris during a transformative period in French history. As a member of the distinguished aristocratic family bearing the Richelieu name, he inherited both privilege and responsibility within French society. His life spanned the tumultuous years of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, a time that tested the resolve of France’s nobility and political leaders.

Throughout his life, the Duc de Richelieu devoted himself to public service as a politician, working during an era marked by profound change and challenge in his nation. His career reflected the complexities of navigating French politics through the Revolutionary period and its aftermath, when the role of the aristocracy was fundamentally questioned and transformed.

The Duc de Richelieu passed away on May 17, 1822, in his native Paris, having lived fifty-five years. He was laid to rest in Paris, concluding a life marked by his commitment to political service during one of France’s most consequential periods. His legacy remains part of the historical record of French statesmanship during the early nineteenth century.