300px|thumb|François Leclerc du Tremblay is the figure in black, depicted descending the staircase in this oil painting [[Éminence Grise (painting)|Éminence Grise (1873) by Jean-Léon Gérôme.]]
François Leclerc du Tremblay (4 November 1577 – 17 December 1638), also known as Père Joseph, was a French Capuchin friar, confidant and agent of Cardinal Richelieu. He was the original éminence grise ("grey eminence")—the French term for a powerful advisor or decision-maker who operates secretly or unofficially.
Biography
Leclerc was the eldest son of Jean Leclerc du Tremblay, president of the chamber of requests of the Parlement of Paris, and of Marie Motier de Lafayette.
References
Sources
External links
- Article in The Columbia Encyclopedia