UKTV - Historys Ultimate Spies (2015) Part 4 Cardinal Richelieu

Treason has always been one of the most severly punishable crime. Every country, state, crown or government has its enemies, even when they're not at war. These battles are fought in the murky shadows and grey underworld, in obscure buildings and hidden rooms, where the prize is not territory or land…..but information. Long before any forms of mass communication, history's spymasters invented and established any number of sophisticated spy networks, many of which formed the basis for the rules of modern day espionage. It was these men and women who pulled the invisible strings, chose the operatives and established the methods used by the first secret services of the world. They were the cold eyed, ruthless servants prepared to do anything to serve their political or royal masters. The stories of History's Ultimate Spies are woven around many notorious plots and infamous characters, and they'll feature in a series that delves into the psyche of the men and women who set up the networks - or destroyed them. Scenes like these have been played out for centuries by infamous figures who wielded the power behind the throne. It is these men and women and their methods that are the subject of this series. From Tudor times to the early 20th Century, It is the stories of these spymasters and their methods that feature in this six part series.

Part 4 Cardinal Richelieu

Profile of Cardinal Richelieu, who as Louis XIII's diabolical chief minister, was feared and hated thanks to his complex spy network. Cardinal Richelieu was a ruthlessly ambitious man who built an unparalleled intelligence network to protect King Louis XIII of France from intrigues and assassinations. As a Catholic, Richelieu distrusted the Protestant Huguenots who wanted to overthrow the king. So he built up an extraordinary network of spies, informants and double agents to counter threats emanating from the French court itself.

Full Version Available Upon Request
Episode One Shown Here