Red Box
Guards of Cardinal Richelieu 1/72 Scale Plastic Model Kit Red Box 72147
Theme: Military
Era : 1501-1799
Scale : 1/72
Material : Plastic
Series: Figures
Recommended Age Range: 12 Years & Up
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The Cardinal's Guards are the personal guards of Cardinal Richelieu, best known for the novel The Three Musketeers by Dumas, in which the Cardinal's Guards are sworn enemies of the royal musketeers.
In France of that time, not only the king had detachments of personal guards, but also members of the royal family, princes of the blood. In particular, the brother of the cardinal, Henri de Richelieu, was once killed in a duel by the captain of the guards of the Queen Mother Marie de Medici de Temin.
In 1629, when it became known about the preparation of the next, already the third, attempt on Richelieu, a similar detachment appeared at the cardinal himself. King Louis XIII allocated 50 horse arquebusiers for him, to which the cardinal himself added another 30 guards. Armed guards accompanied their master everywhere, and only when he was in the Louvre, Richelieu left them outside the gates of the palace. Each residence of Richelieu had a separate room for the captain of the guards.
By 1634, the cardinal's detachment had increased to 320 people: 120 people in a company of light cavalry, 100 people in a company of gendarmes and 100 musketeers. By 1642, due to the recruitment of 100 additional musketeers, the total number had increased to 420, at the same time the king's musketeer company consisted of 150 people. Actually, it was customary to call only the cavalry company "guards of the cardinal" [comm. 2]. Its personnel were recruited from reliable people who had the recommendations of Richelieu's good friends. The candidate had to be at least 25 years old and have at least three years of military service. Unlike the royal musketeers, who were mostly natives of Gascony and Béarn, the Cardinal's officers were mostly Bretons. The uniform of the guardsmen consisted of a red cape, a wide-brimmed hat with a white sultan and boots. The cloak was sewn from four wedges, it could be worn wide open or fastened with buttons, a white Greek cross was depicted in front and behind. These distinctive cloaks were worn by the Guards before the blue cloaks of the Musketeers. The salary of the guardsmen Richelieu paid from his own funds, it was very significant and paid regularly, which favorably differed from the meager and often delayed payment to the musketeers.
In France of that time, not only the king had detachments of personal guards, but also members of the royal family, princes of the blood. In particular, the brother of the cardinal, Henri de Richelieu, was once killed in a duel by the captain of the guards of the Queen Mother Marie de Medici de Temin.
In 1629, when it became known about the preparation of the next, already the third, attempt on Richelieu, a similar detachment appeared at the cardinal himself. King Louis XIII allocated 50 horse arquebusiers for him, to which the cardinal himself added another 30 guards. Armed guards accompanied their master everywhere, and only when he was in the Louvre, Richelieu left them outside the gates of the palace. Each residence of Richelieu had a separate room for the captain of the guards.
By 1634, the cardinal's detachment had increased to 320 people: 120 people in a company of light cavalry, 100 people in a company of gendarmes and 100 musketeers. By 1642, due to the recruitment of 100 additional musketeers, the total number had increased to 420, at the same time the king's musketeer company consisted of 150 people. Actually, it was customary to call only the cavalry company "guards of the cardinal" [comm. 2]. Its personnel were recruited from reliable people who had the recommendations of Richelieu's good friends. The candidate had to be at least 25 years old and have at least three years of military service. Unlike the royal musketeers, who were mostly natives of Gascony and Béarn, the Cardinal's officers were mostly Bretons. The uniform of the guardsmen consisted of a red cape, a wide-brimmed hat with a white sultan and boots. The cloak was sewn from four wedges, it could be worn wide open or fastened with buttons, a white Greek cross was depicted in front and behind. These distinctive cloaks were worn by the Guards before the blue cloaks of the Musketeers. The salary of the guardsmen Richelieu paid from his own funds, it was very significant and paid regularly, which favorably differed from the meager and often delayed payment to the musketeers.
