Please join us Monday, March 4th, for the Winter Quarter DeAndreis Rosati Memorial Archive Lecture, given by Dr. Caroline Maillet-Rao, entitled “Toward a New Reading of the Political Thought of the Devot Faction: the Opposition to Cardinal Richelieu’s Ministeriat.” A light lunch will be served prior to the talk.
When: Monday, March 4, 11:30am – 1:00pm
Where: John T. Richardson Library Room 115, 1st floor
For a long time, the political thought of the 17th century French Catholic devot party, led by Mathieu de Morgues and Michel de Marillac, has been considered by the official historiography to be supportive of a traditional monarchy. This factions political thought was in contrast to that of Cardinal Richelieu, which was regarded as profoundly absolutist and modern. This lecture will present new scholarly perspectives that demonstrate that the devots were, in fact, on the side of the absolutists, which explains why they were opposed to Richelieu. Indeed, the devots never actually criticized absolutism, but rather the illegitimate leadership of the government by an all-powerful prime minister: Cardinal Richelieu. According to the devots, such a ministriat actually betrayed the very essence of absolute monarchy.
Dr. Caroline Maillet-Rao is a lecturer at the University of Alberta’s Campus Saint-Jean. She is currently completing a book tentatively titled La Pense Politique des devots Mathieu de Morgues et Michel de Marillac: Une Opposition au Ministriat du Cardinal de Richelieu. Her publications include two articles on the lecture subject: “La Thologie Politique des Devots Mathieu de Morgues et Michel de Marillac, Opposants du Cardinal de Richelieu,” (Renaissance and Reformation/Renaissance and Rforme, 32:3), and “Mathieu de Morgues and Michel de Marillac: The Devots and Absolutism,” (French History, 25:3).
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The DeAndreis Rosati Memorial Archives Lecture series is jointly sponsored by the Office of Mission and Values, DePaul Library’s Special Collections and Archives, and the Vincentian Studies Institute. These quarterly lectures present authors and researchers who have used the DeAndreis Rosati Memorial Archives, held by Richardson Library, or who have written scholarly studies on topics of Vincentian history.