Grey Eminence
Preserved but no longer current.
The name given to Francois Leclerc du Tremolay (1577-1638), or Pere Joseph, as he was called, the Capuchin agent and trusty counsellor of Cardinal Richelieu. He owed his sobriquet to the fact that his influence and his policy inspired the Cardinal's actions, and that he was, as it were, a shadowy cardinal in the background.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Grey Eminence” mean?
The name given to Francois Leclerc du Tremolay (1577-1638), or Pere Joseph, as he was called, the Capuchin agent and trusty counsellor of Cardinal Richelieu. He owed his sobriquet to the fact that his influence and his policy inspired the Cardinal's actions, and that he was, as it were, a shadowy cardinal in the background.
Is “Grey Eminence” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.