Cardinal Richelieu

Feudal lords representing the French aristocracy appeal to the pope for help against Richelieu's edict. They accuse Richelieu of being mad with lust for power and warn that the edict could spark civil war. While the pope weighs a decision, the king signs the edict, giving Richelieu greater leverage.

Count Baradas persuades the queen mother to visit the king at the Louvre to demand Richelieu's removal. His maneuver aims to turn the king against Richelieu and rally opposition to his policy. The scene sets the court for a power struggle that follows.

Richelieu enters through a secret doorway to address the accusation, explaining he accepted 10,000,000 francs from the Duke of Normandy. He says the money was used to strengthen the king's army so France could later seize the duke's domain. He asserts his sole ambition is to make France a great power and vows loyalty to the king.

Richelieu's ward Lenore, newly out of a convent, has fallen in love with Andre de Pons whom she has met only once. Richelieu recognizes that this romance could threaten the political balance at court. The development adds a personal stake to the looming power struggle.

The king, inspecting Richelieu's palace, becomes interested in Lenore and orders that she be brought to court so she can be married. Richelieu suspects the marriage could be a pretext for the king to seduce Lenore and resists vehemently. The scene tightens the tension around Lenore's fate.

Richelieu commands Andre to marry Lenore and tests his loyalty, threatening death if he refuses. Andre protests that he is in love and cannot comply, but Lenore's determination and revealed kinship with Richelieu complicate the choice. The test reveals the depth of Richelieu's political scheme.

Lenore and Andre marry, a union orchestrated within the palace to secure political objectives and unite the realm. The event unsettles the court but is framed as a peace offering to the king. The king mourns the prospect of ruling without Richelieu but accepts the arrangement.

The lords meet with representatives of England, Austria, and Spain and pledge their support against Louis. They push to keep the king's army from leaving Paris, leveraging crowd pressure to demand protection for the city. The foreign alliance intensifies the stakes for Richelieu's position.

Le Moyne refuses to move the troops due to an order preventing him from leaving Paris, so Richelieu takes command and leads the army out of the capital. This bold move aims to secure the field and force Le Moyne to take charge from afar. The maneuver shifts the balance of military power toward Richelieu's control.

Baradas tells Andre that Richelieu arranged his marriage as a peace offering and orchestrated his arrest to bring Lenore into the king's orbit. He then reveals that the queen mother is carrying a secret treaty to the Spanish, exposing a wider conspiracy. Andre weighs a deadly option in response.

Andre discovers Lenore is tied to Richelieu and realizes he has been manipulated by Baradas. The revelation shifts his loyalties and undermines the planned assassination. The personal and political lines blur as hearts and power collide.

Richelieu locates the queen mother and seizes the secret treaty, intending to present it to Louis as proof of treachery. Before he can reach the court, the king's troops move to seize him, forcing him to take a sanctuary stance with a cross to approach the king. He then presents the treaty and proclaims that France is now united as one great kingdom with Louis, while he remains Louis' shadow.