Louis XIII determined in 1622 that he would rule by council. His mother returned from exile and entered this council, where Prince Condé recommended violent suppression of the Huguenots. The 1622 campaign, however, followed the pattern of the previous year: royal forces won some early victories, but were unable to complete a siege, this time at the fortress of Montpellier.

The rebellion was ended by the Treaty of Montpellier, signed by Louis and the Duke of Rohan in October 1622. The treaty confirmed the tenets of the Edict of Nantes: several Huguenot fortresses were to be razed, but the Huguenots retained control of Montauban and La Rochelle.

The French kingdom is literally surrounded by the Habsburg realms, for the Habsburgs are Kings of Spain as well as Holy Roman Emperors. In addition, the Spanish and Holy Roman empires include the territories of today's Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, and northern Italy.

He therefore found a better servitor in his Superintendent of Finances Charles de La Vieuville, who held similar views of Spain as the king, and who advised Louis to side with the Dutch via the Treaty of Compiègne.

However, La Vieuville was recently replaced. Pamphlets describing him as both arrogant and incompetent and calling for his dismissal were distributed as part of a campaign. The campaign was led by Cardinal Richelieu who soon replaced his council rival as the most important advisor of the King.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:03, Sat 08 June 2019.