Voting Station

Jules Mazarin

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Religious Figure

The Resume

    (July 14, 1602-March 9, 1661)
    Born in Pescina, Italy
    Birth name was Giulio Mazarino
    Named a cardinal of the Roman Catholic church (1641)
    Succeeded Cardinal Richelieu as chief minister of France

Why he might be annoying:

    His elevation to cardinal had more to do with his political qualifications than religious ones.
    He was a high-stakes gambler.
    His manner with Anne of Austria, the French regent, was so intimate that there were rumors that the two had secretly married.
    His policies, especially regarding taxes, were so unpopular that a revolt broke out, forcing him, Anne and a young Louis XIV to flee Paris (1648-53).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He acted less imperiously than Richelieu had.
    He was a skilled diplomat.
    He expanded French territory, gaining Alsace in the Treaty of Westphalia (1648) and parts of Flanders and Catalonia with the Peace of the Pyrenees (1659).
    His personal library became the Bibliotheque Mazarine, France's oldest public library.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 15 Votes: 86.67% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 5 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 6 Votes: 83.33% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 14 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 67 Votes: 67.16% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 18 Votes: 77.78% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 13 Votes: 84.62% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 18 Votes: 72.22% Annoying