The life of Father Joseph, Cardinal Richelieu's aide, was a shocking paradox. Af
ter spending his days directing operations on the battlefield, Father Joseph wou
ld pass the night in prayer, or in composing spiritual guidance for the nuns in
his care. He was an aspirant to sainthood and a practising mystic, yet his ruthl
ess exercise of power succeeded in prolonging the unspeakable horrors of the Thi
rty Years War.
In his masterful biography, Huxley explores how an intensely r
eligious man could lead such a life and how he could reconcile the seemingly opp
osing moral systems of religion and politics.
