Giulio Raimondo Mazarin, an Italian-born diplomat and statesman, rose to prominence as Louis XIV’s trusted advisor, shaping 17th-century European politics and culture. A master of Baroque spectacle, he used art and diplomacy to consolidate royal power and elevate France’s global standing. Mazarin introduced Italian opera, amassed an extraordinary art collection, and founded lasting institutions like the Bibliothèque Mazarine. His legacy embodies the grandeur and contradictions of the Baroque era.