24. Cardinal Richelieu
In every depiction of The Three Musketeers, Cardinal Richelieu has been turned into the villain. He was King Louis XIII’s minister, but the movies imply that he was planning a plot against the monarchy. In real life, he was concerned with power and money, and wanted to grow the strength of the Catholic Church in France. Because of this, he made sure to sign diplomatic agreements with Protestants Sweden and Germany. Yes, he raised taxes on the poor, but this was because he needed to raise money for combat. Historians can look back and criticize his actions, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he was the manipulative villain we see in the movies.