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Gray cardinals, who decided the fate of other people, while remaining in the shadows, were at all times. It was with their submission that the most important strategic decisions were made and global changes took place. Responsibility for these changes fell on the people who were directly in power.
The influence of shadow leaders on the development of countries turned out to be so high that these people went down in history as the greatest manipulators and strategists.
For the first time we come across the concept of "gray cardinal" in the famous novel by Alexandre Dumas "The Three Musketeers". The author tells about the times of the reign of the monarch Louis XIII in France. Despite the fact that he was formally the bearer of power, in fact, the country was governed by Armand-Jean du Plessis de Richelieu, known to us as Cardinal Richelieu, who received the nickname "red cardinal" because of the color of his cap.
However, Richelieu was not the only shadow leader at the time. Behind him was Father Joseph, who did not occupy a formal post. Here is what Alexander Dumas says about him in his novel: “There was, however,“ Father Joseph ”... But his name was pronounced only in a whisper: so great was the fear of the“ gray reverend, ”a friend of Cardinal Richelieu.”
Often, a gray cardinal takes his position as a shadow leader so firmly that he is assigned the status of a de facto leader. A shadow control system with its own mechanisms, processes and hierarchy begins to form around it.
Gray cardinals share some common traits. As a rule, these are smart, calculating, self-confident people who have developed intuition, excellent manipulative skills and are able to think strategically.
Most often, they do not strive for publicity and universal recognition, but they have a huge need for power. They are rather reserved and often trust a limited number of people.
They have a well-developed emotional intelligence: they perfectly define the emotions of other people, while perfectly controlling their own. The ability to keep a cold mind even in the most stressful situations allows them to wait for the right moment to achieve the desired result.
Shadow leaders are excellent players and manipulators, capable of reaching the goal with the wrong hands, using any methods, even the most dirty and immoral, while remaining in the shadows.
Despite their avoidance of publicity, gray cardinals have, for the most part, gained popularity in world history. Let's meet 9 great shadow leaders who changed the history of their countries.
After meeting with Cardinal Richelieu, who later became the most influential person at the court of Louis XIII, Father Joseph became the cardinal's closest associate and friend, later heading the country's political intelligence. His task was to carry out all orders of Richelieu, who also loved espionage intrigues. He did not disdain any, sometimes the dirtiest, methods of achieving the goal: deception, slander, bribery, blackmail and even murder.
Father Joseph did not have official cardinal status, except for the last few months of his life, when a friend of his won the position for him. However, his absence did not prevent the monk from concentrating power in his hands, which, nevertheless, he did not use for his own enrichment. His main mission, as a zealous Catholic and patriot, was to serve the motherland, the king and God.
The literary hero of the novel by Alexandre Dumas is depicted as a lover of palace intrigues, especially espionage. This fact corresponded to the real state of affairs. In achieving his goal, the cardinal used absolutely all methods: espionage, denunciations, gossip, insidious and vile deeds. Full of distrust of those around him, he said: "Anyone who recognizes my thoughts must die." He infinitely trusted only Father Joseph, who carried out all his orders and was the only friend.
Richelieu really had an insightful mind and knew how to think strategically. However, unlike the literary hero, famous for his vile deeds, he really did a lot for his country.
Thanks to him, duels were banned, the French Academy of Sciences was founded, the French fleet was enlarged, feudal fragmentation was completed, and trade relations with other countries were established.
The cardinal was famous for his deeds not only in France, but also in other countries. So, the Russian emperor Peter I, visiting the grave of Richelieu, said that he would give such a minister half his kingdom to help him manage the other half.
At the time of meeting with her future spouse, Livia was already married and was expecting her second child, being six months pregnant. Octavian himself left his wife Scribonia for his new beloved immediately after she gave birth to his daughter. The marriage of Octavian and Libya lasted 52 years - quite a long time by the standards of those times.
Libya had a tremendous influence on the decisions of her husband and constantly interfered in state affairs. At her request, many people sentenced to death were pardoned. Augustus, as a sign of gratitude and love for his wife, built a city that was named Liviada.
The main goal of Libya was to strengthen the influence of the sons from the first marriage in the political arena of the country. She successfully married the eldest son Tiberius to the daughter of Octavian. Contemporaries wrote that all the competitors of Tiberius on the bride's hand were mysteriously eliminated, in which many see Libya's "merit".
After the death of Octavian, Tiberius ascended the throne, but Livia continued to play the role of the gray cardinal already with him. However, unlike her husband, the son of Libya was very burdened by the fact that the mother interferes in all state affairs. Their relationship became more tense every day, until it finally escalated into open conflict, as a result of which Tiberius left the throne and left Rome for good.
Heinrich Ostermann was forced to flee Europe after he killed a man in a duel. Once in Russia, he managed to get to know Peter and, having won his trust, found himself in the circle of persons close to the emperor.
Having easily mastered the Russian language, the German became responsible for all international negotiations and the organization of secret meetings with the ambassadors of the European powers. Thanks to the skills of a brilliant negotiator, he managed to achieve favorable conditions for Russia on the world stage and quickly built a career at the imperial court.
Osterman played an important role in the Europeanization of Russia. He is also responsible for the development of the table of ranks - a well-known document that brought consistency and order to the political structure and assigned responsibilities for each position.
Despite all his positive qualities, Osterman was known as a calculating, cunning and resourceful strategist. He perfectly felt when it was necessary to flatter his patrons, and when it was better to step aside.
Thanks to the talents of a diplomat and the ability to adapt to any situation, Osterman remained a favorite with all subsequent rulers even after the death of Peter I.
After the palace coup, which was staged by the daughter of Peter I, Elizabeth, to overthrow the acting Empress Anna Ioannovna from the throne, Osterman fell into disgrace and was sentenced to exile, where he died 5 years later.
As a student, Heinrich joined the National Socialist German Workers' Party and became interested in the speeches of Adolf Hitler. The Chancellor of Germany, who was looking for reliable people at that time, drew attention to a young man who was famous for his responsibility, dedication, diligence and pedantry.
As a result, Himmler was appointed Reichsfuehrer SS and headed an organization of only 300 people. Obsessed with Hitler's ideas, he turned it into a huge structure of 50 thousand soldiers, which inspired fear even in the highest ranks of the Third Reich.
Gaining more and more control, the puny and inconspicuous Himmler, in poor health, turned from a small pawn to the second most important figure after Hitler. By the end of World War II, the SS controlled by him consisted of about 800 thousand people.
Heinrich Himmler became the ideological inspirer and apologist of racial politics. He bears great blame for the Holocaust and the deaths of millions of innocent people. In terms of the number of murders committed on his orders, he became the second person after Adolf Hitler.
After joining the National Socialist Workers' Party of Germany, young Bormann began to stubbornly move up the party ladder and was soon appointed a member of the high command.
Contemporaries characterized Bormann as a specialist in intrigue and political struggle, ready to go over their heads in order to achieve a goal. He was entrusted with managing Hitler's financial affairs, which in fact meant his complete control over the finances of the entire country. He really had tremendous influence over the Chancellor and later became his friend.
Behind the nondescript appearance was a competent strategist and a clever manipulator who possessed immense power. Having won the Fuhrer's favor with his dedication and hard work, and outwitting all his rivals, Martin Bormann became one of the most influential figures in Nazi Germany.
Having started his career during the reign of Joseph Stalin, Mikhail Andreevich became the country's main ideologist and received the nickname "secret general secretary". Many publicists of that time were sure that it was Suslov that Stalin wanted to see as his successor.
In 1962, on the initiative of Khrushchev, Suslov was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor. Despite this, in 1964 he participated in the removal of Khrushchev from the post of First Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU.
Under Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev, Suslov was still responsible for the education, censorship, culture and ideology of the party. Conservative by nature, he initiated the persecution of dissidents and intellectuals. It is he who is to blame for numerous arrests and exile.
One such influential eunuch at the Chinese court was Li Lianying. Legend has it that he was the son of a simple shoemaker, but driven by a lust for power, he made himself a eunuch and went to get a job with the emperor.
The young eunuch paved his way to power with the help of the concubine Lan Ke, who did not like the emperor at all and had the lowest rank among the other girls.
Lianying decided to take up the development of young Lan Ke and hired teachers who taught her music, drawing, poetry, dance, and love art. As a token of gratitude, she gave the eunuch most of her money.
After completing a training course, at the next meeting, Lan Ke charmed the emperor and soon gave birth to his only heir, after which she gained access to power and a new name Cixi.
Together with her, a faithful eunuch came to power, who became her favorite and her right hand.
Cixi became famous as a cruel empress who, during her reign, together with Li Lianying, used any, even the most immoral, methods. One of their main "merits" was the legalization of bribery and embezzlement of the treasury. It was during their joint reign that the imperial Qing dynasty ended.
During his shadow leadership, Li Lianying made many enemies and, according to one of the versions, was poisoned.
In the spring of 2018, a huge scandal erupted in connection with the trial of the already former President of the Republic of South Korea Park Kun-hye. She was charged with abuse of power, corruption and violation of the independence of the parliamentary elections.
During the investigation, it turned out that President Choi Sun Sil's best friend actively intervened in government affairs, received a lot of money from state corporations, had access to state secrets of the country and had a direct influence on Park Kun-hye.
All the machinations were revealed when the old Sun Xil tablet, which contained secret documents and drafts of the president's speeches, fell into the hands of journalists. It turned out that she not only corrected Geun-hye's speeches, but also learned secret information, which she used for personal gain.
Sun Xil, thanks to her "friendship" with the president, headed several charitable foundations, and transferred the received millions of donations to the accounts of shell companies. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison by the court, while Park Kun-hye received 32 years in prison.
Conclusion
The term "gray cardinal" has long become a household name. Increasingly, it is used in a negative context, when they want to talk about a person who weaves intrigues, dissolves gossip, manipulates others and uses any methods to achieve a goal.
Shadow leaders have different motives. Some of them really believed in a country, religion or idea. Some were simply obsessed with power. Regardless, it is pointless to deny their influence. History does not tolerate the subjunctive mood, but if they were not in power, everything could be completely different.
The influence of shadow leaders on the development of countries turned out to be so high that these people went down in history as the greatest manipulators and strategists.
Who are the gray cardinals?
A gray cardinal is a person who, as a rule, does not hold a formal leadership position, but at the same time actually influences the entire management process. Most often, gray eminences are spoken of in the context of politics, but they can also be present in any organization.For the first time we come across the concept of "gray cardinal" in the famous novel by Alexandre Dumas "The Three Musketeers". The author tells about the times of the reign of the monarch Louis XIII in France. Despite the fact that he was formally the bearer of power, in fact, the country was governed by Armand-Jean du Plessis de Richelieu, known to us as Cardinal Richelieu, who received the nickname "red cardinal" because of the color of his cap.
However, Richelieu was not the only shadow leader at the time. Behind him was Father Joseph, who did not occupy a formal post. Here is what Alexander Dumas says about him in his novel: “There was, however,“ Father Joseph ”... But his name was pronounced only in a whisper: so great was the fear of the“ gray reverend, ”a friend of Cardinal Richelieu.”
Often, a gray cardinal takes his position as a shadow leader so firmly that he is assigned the status of a de facto leader. A shadow control system with its own mechanisms, processes and hierarchy begins to form around it.
Gray cardinals share some common traits. As a rule, these are smart, calculating, self-confident people who have developed intuition, excellent manipulative skills and are able to think strategically.
Most often, they do not strive for publicity and universal recognition, but they have a huge need for power. They are rather reserved and often trust a limited number of people.
They have a well-developed emotional intelligence: they perfectly define the emotions of other people, while perfectly controlling their own. The ability to keep a cold mind even in the most stressful situations allows them to wait for the right moment to achieve the desired result.
Shadow leaders are excellent players and manipulators, capable of reaching the goal with the wrong hands, using any methods, even the most dirty and immoral, while remaining in the shadows.
Despite their avoidance of publicity, gray cardinals have, for the most part, gained popularity in world history. Let's meet 9 great shadow leaders who changed the history of their countries.
Father Joseph
Our list begins with the person who made the term "gray cardinal" a household name - Father Joseph, in the world of François Leclair du Tremblay.After meeting with Cardinal Richelieu, who later became the most influential person at the court of Louis XIII, Father Joseph became the cardinal's closest associate and friend, later heading the country's political intelligence. His task was to carry out all orders of Richelieu, who also loved espionage intrigues. He did not disdain any, sometimes the dirtiest, methods of achieving the goal: deception, slander, bribery, blackmail and even murder.
Father Joseph did not have official cardinal status, except for the last few months of his life, when a friend of his won the position for him. However, his absence did not prevent the monk from concentrating power in his hands, which, nevertheless, he did not use for his own enrichment. His main mission, as a zealous Catholic and patriot, was to serve the motherland, the king and God.
Cardinal Richelieu
Armand-Jean du Plessis de Richelieu, nicknamed "the red cardinal", according to the memoirs of his contemporaries, was distinguished by his extraordinary intelligence, eloquence and erudition.The literary hero of the novel by Alexandre Dumas is depicted as a lover of palace intrigues, especially espionage. This fact corresponded to the real state of affairs. In achieving his goal, the cardinal used absolutely all methods: espionage, denunciations, gossip, insidious and vile deeds. Full of distrust of those around him, he said: "Anyone who recognizes my thoughts must die." He infinitely trusted only Father Joseph, who carried out all his orders and was the only friend.
Richelieu really had an insightful mind and knew how to think strategically. However, unlike the literary hero, famous for his vile deeds, he really did a lot for his country.
Thanks to him, duels were banned, the French Academy of Sciences was founded, the French fleet was enlarged, feudal fragmentation was completed, and trade relations with other countries were established.
The cardinal was famous for his deeds not only in France, but also in other countries. So, the Russian emperor Peter I, visiting the grave of Richelieu, said that he would give such a minister half his kingdom to help him manage the other half.
Libya Drusilla
Livia Drusilla - the wife of the ancient Roman ruler Octavian Augustus, went down in history as a skillful manipulator, guided primarily by personal interests.At the time of meeting with her future spouse, Livia was already married and was expecting her second child, being six months pregnant. Octavian himself left his wife Scribonia for his new beloved immediately after she gave birth to his daughter. The marriage of Octavian and Libya lasted 52 years - quite a long time by the standards of those times.
Libya had a tremendous influence on the decisions of her husband and constantly interfered in state affairs. At her request, many people sentenced to death were pardoned. Augustus, as a sign of gratitude and love for his wife, built a city that was named Liviada.
The main goal of Libya was to strengthen the influence of the sons from the first marriage in the political arena of the country. She successfully married the eldest son Tiberius to the daughter of Octavian. Contemporaries wrote that all the competitors of Tiberius on the bride's hand were mysteriously eliminated, in which many see Libya's "merit".
After the death of Octavian, Tiberius ascended the throne, but Livia continued to play the role of the gray cardinal already with him. However, unlike her husband, the son of Libya was very burdened by the fact that the mother interferes in all state affairs. Their relationship became more tense every day, until it finally escalated into open conflict, as a result of which Tiberius left the throne and left Rome for good.
Andrey Osterman
During the reign of Emperor Peter I, the glory of the gray cardinal belonged to the German Heinrich Johann Friedrich Ostermann, who received the name Andrei in Russia.Heinrich Ostermann was forced to flee Europe after he killed a man in a duel. Once in Russia, he managed to get to know Peter and, having won his trust, found himself in the circle of persons close to the emperor.
Having easily mastered the Russian language, the German became responsible for all international negotiations and the organization of secret meetings with the ambassadors of the European powers. Thanks to the skills of a brilliant negotiator, he managed to achieve favorable conditions for Russia on the world stage and quickly built a career at the imperial court.
Osterman played an important role in the Europeanization of Russia. He is also responsible for the development of the table of ranks - a well-known document that brought consistency and order to the political structure and assigned responsibilities for each position.
Despite all his positive qualities, Osterman was known as a calculating, cunning and resourceful strategist. He perfectly felt when it was necessary to flatter his patrons, and when it was better to step aside.
Thanks to the talents of a diplomat and the ability to adapt to any situation, Osterman remained a favorite with all subsequent rulers even after the death of Peter I.
After the palace coup, which was staged by the daughter of Peter I, Elizabeth, to overthrow the acting Empress Anna Ioannovna from the throne, Osterman fell into disgrace and was sentenced to exile, where he died 5 years later.
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler is an inconspicuous man with poor health, who has become the most powerful and cruel gray eminent in Germany.As a student, Heinrich joined the National Socialist German Workers' Party and became interested in the speeches of Adolf Hitler. The Chancellor of Germany, who was looking for reliable people at that time, drew attention to a young man who was famous for his responsibility, dedication, diligence and pedantry.
As a result, Himmler was appointed Reichsfuehrer SS and headed an organization of only 300 people. Obsessed with Hitler's ideas, he turned it into a huge structure of 50 thousand soldiers, which inspired fear even in the highest ranks of the Third Reich.
Gaining more and more control, the puny and inconspicuous Himmler, in poor health, turned from a small pawn to the second most important figure after Hitler. By the end of World War II, the SS controlled by him consisted of about 800 thousand people.
Heinrich Himmler became the ideological inspirer and apologist of racial politics. He bears great blame for the Holocaust and the deaths of millions of innocent people. In terms of the number of murders committed on his orders, he became the second person after Adolf Hitler.
Martin Bormann
Another influential gray eminent from Germany is Martin Bormann.After joining the National Socialist Workers' Party of Germany, young Bormann began to stubbornly move up the party ladder and was soon appointed a member of the high command.
Contemporaries characterized Bormann as a specialist in intrigue and political struggle, ready to go over their heads in order to achieve a goal. He was entrusted with managing Hitler's financial affairs, which in fact meant his complete control over the finances of the entire country. He really had tremendous influence over the Chancellor and later became his friend.
Behind the nondescript appearance was a competent strategist and a clever manipulator who possessed immense power. Having won the Fuhrer's favor with his dedication and hard work, and outwitting all his rivals, Martin Bormann became one of the most influential figures in Nazi Germany.
Mikhail Suslov
Mikhail Andreevich Suslov was a gray eminence during the time of several leaders of the country.Having started his career during the reign of Joseph Stalin, Mikhail Andreevich became the country's main ideologist and received the nickname "secret general secretary". Many publicists of that time were sure that it was Suslov that Stalin wanted to see as his successor.
In 1962, on the initiative of Khrushchev, Suslov was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor. Despite this, in 1964 he participated in the removal of Khrushchev from the post of First Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU.
Under Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev, Suslov was still responsible for the education, censorship, culture and ideology of the party. Conservative by nature, he initiated the persecution of dissidents and intellectuals. It is he who is to blame for numerous arrests and exile.
Li Lianying
Gray cardinals have ruled at all times and on all continents. In the East, the most influential people were considered eunuchs close to the imperial family.One such influential eunuch at the Chinese court was Li Lianying. Legend has it that he was the son of a simple shoemaker, but driven by a lust for power, he made himself a eunuch and went to get a job with the emperor.
The young eunuch paved his way to power with the help of the concubine Lan Ke, who did not like the emperor at all and had the lowest rank among the other girls.
Lianying decided to take up the development of young Lan Ke and hired teachers who taught her music, drawing, poetry, dance, and love art. As a token of gratitude, she gave the eunuch most of her money.
After completing a training course, at the next meeting, Lan Ke charmed the emperor and soon gave birth to his only heir, after which she gained access to power and a new name Cixi.
Together with her, a faithful eunuch came to power, who became her favorite and her right hand.
Cixi became famous as a cruel empress who, during her reign, together with Li Lianying, used any, even the most immoral, methods. One of their main "merits" was the legalization of bribery and embezzlement of the treasury. It was during their joint reign that the imperial Qing dynasty ended.
During his shadow leadership, Li Lianying made many enemies and, according to one of the versions, was poisoned.
Choi Sun Sil
Choi Sun Sil is a gray cardinal from South Korea who, unlike the previous 8 people, did not hold any official posts.In the spring of 2018, a huge scandal erupted in connection with the trial of the already former President of the Republic of South Korea Park Kun-hye. She was charged with abuse of power, corruption and violation of the independence of the parliamentary elections.
During the investigation, it turned out that President Choi Sun Sil's best friend actively intervened in government affairs, received a lot of money from state corporations, had access to state secrets of the country and had a direct influence on Park Kun-hye.
All the machinations were revealed when the old Sun Xil tablet, which contained secret documents and drafts of the president's speeches, fell into the hands of journalists. It turned out that she not only corrected Geun-hye's speeches, but also learned secret information, which she used for personal gain.
Sun Xil, thanks to her "friendship" with the president, headed several charitable foundations, and transferred the received millions of donations to the accounts of shell companies. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison by the court, while Park Kun-hye received 32 years in prison.
Conclusion
The term "gray cardinal" has long become a household name. Increasingly, it is used in a negative context, when they want to talk about a person who weaves intrigues, dissolves gossip, manipulates others and uses any methods to achieve a goal.
Shadow leaders have different motives. Some of them really believed in a country, religion or idea. Some were simply obsessed with power. Regardless, it is pointless to deny their influence. History does not tolerate the subjunctive mood, but if they were not in power, everything could be completely different.
