Who are called "gray cardinals". Great "gray cardinals" in history

13.10.2019

Eminence grise

Eminence grise
From French: Eminence grise. Literally: Gray Eminence.
In France in the 17th century. this was the nickname of the assistant to Cardinal (from 1622) Richelieu (1585-1642), the Capuchin monk Father Joseph François le Clerc du Trambey, who was the right hand of the cardinal and exerted considerable influence on him, while keeping a low profile. Father Joseph wore a gray cassock (hence the nickname), in contrast to his patron, who was dressed in a scarlet cardinal's robe.
In modern language, the nickname “gray cardinal” usually refers to Richelieu himself, referring to the enormous influence that he had on the King of France, Louis XIII the Just (in 1624, Cardinal Richelieu became the head of the royal council, that is, the de facto ruler of France).
Allegorically: about someone who acts behind the scenes, secretly, in the shadows, but at the same time really determines the actions of the formal leader (disapproved).

Encyclopedic Dictionary of winged words and expressions. - M.: “Locked-Press”. Vadim Serov. 2003.

Synonyms:

See what "Gray Cardinal" is in other dictionaries:

Noun, number of synonyms: 1 puppeteer (6) ASIS Dictionary of Synonyms. V.N. Trishin. 2013… Synonym dictionary

Francois du Tremblay. Artist Jean Leon Gerome The Gray Cardinal ... Wikipedia

eminence grise- about someone who has great power, but does not occupy a corresponding high position and remains in the shadows. The turnover is associated with the name of the monk - Father Joseph, confidant, inspirer and participant in the intrigues of Cardinal Richelieu... Phraseology Guide

CARDINAL, ah, husband. 1. For Catholics: the highest (after the pope) spiritual rank, as well as the person who has this rank. 2. unchangeable Same as crimson (the color of a cardinal's robe). The eminence grise is a person who has great power, but does not occupy... ... Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

cardinal- I. CARDINAL a, m. cardinal m., lat. cardinalis. 1. The highest clergyman in the Catholic Church after the pope, whose distinctive sign is a red hat and mantle; a person having this rank. BAS 1. There are cases in which the smallest number... Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language

This term has other meanings, see Cardinal (meanings). The vestments of cardinals Cardinal ... Wikipedia

Adj., used. very often Morphology: grey, grey, grey, grey; grayer; adv. gray 1. Gray is a color intermediate between black and white, as well as an object of this color. Gray building. | Gray screen. | Gray overcoat. | The car is gray. |… … Dmitriev's Explanatory Dictionary

This article lacks links to sources of information. Information must be verifiable, otherwise it may be questioned and deleted. You can... Wikipedia

Cardinal Color coordinates HEX #C41E3A RGB¹ (r, g, b) (196, 30, 58) CMYK² ... Wikipedia

Eminence grise is the name given to influential people (especially in politics) who act behind the scenes and usually do not hold formal positions with such powers. Contents 1 Origin of the concept 2 Examples in history 3 Literature ... Wikipedia

Books

Banker. The Gray Cardinal, Dick Francis. We present to your attention a collection of novels by D. Francis...

The most famous image of a cardinal in the post-Soviet space is, of course, Richelieu - thanks to Alexandre Dumas with his “The Three Musketeers”. According to historians, this hero of Dumas is almost identically copied from the Richelieu who was in life, but, without a doubt, very much in the literary image is still fiction...

System-vector psychology of Yuri Burlan distinguishes people according to their innate properties - vectors. For certain reasons, many myths and legends have been formed around one of the vectors. Not often, but it happens that life collides with those whom rumor calls gray cardinals. Moreover, “puppeteers” are found in a variety of positions. Mysterious and powerful. Frightening and powerful. Shrouded in dark glory, but often remaining in the shadows. Who are they, gray cardinals? How to behave with them? Why are they in our lives? What makes them so omnipotent?

It’s a pity that in Dumas’s time there was no access to the knowledge provided by the system-vector psychology of Yuri Burlan - perhaps Richelieu would have turned out completely different in the book. Or maybe Dumas would have made the main intriguer a completely different person - Father Joseph, the man in the gray cassock, Richelieu's secret adviser, who, in fact, is worth thanking for the well-known term. However, this personality that evokes fear and reverence in people was incomprehensible to the novelist. His name was pronounced in a whisper - it seemed that the head of Richelieu’s office had an omnipresent and all-seeing eye. System-vector psychology of Yuri Burlan designates such people as endowed with an olfactory vector.

And only thanks to the system-vector psychology of Yuri Burlan, mere mortals had the opportunity to look into the unknown inner world of the olfactory observer, who, undoubtedly, was the mysterious and powerful Father Joseph, who, according to contemporaries, surpassed his famous patron in resourcefulness of mind and influence.

Chief's Shadow

The classic “gray cardinal” is a shadow of his leader. A shadow that weaves intrigues and plots. Advisor. Prompter. Puppeteer. I remember a whole series of flattering and unflattering epithets. On the one hand, Richelieu as an example of a literary “influential shadow” is indicative - intrigues, traps, squabbles, incitement, persecution of “good” musketeers, intrigues... However, a real “gray cardinal” will never become an obvious instigator - he knows how not only to remain in shadows, but also masterfully avoid conflicts. Even if he is the real initiator of a conflict situation, he will not be personally involved in it, and one can only guess about his true role.

All the actions of the “influential advisor” have a hidden meaning, background, and clearly verified goals of the intriguing spider. Romantic Dumas, in his bestseller, explained the ungentlemanly behavior of the cardinal with his tender feelings for Queen Anne, because of which, in fact, the main plot mess brewed. In real life, “gray cardinals” are driven by other reasons, which are easy to reveal by understanding the system-vector psychology of Yuri Burlan - and in particular, the nature of the olfactory vector.

But let’s leave Richelieu for a moment and descend from the literary clouds to the sinful earth. A friend once told me about a chance meeting with the father of a friend of his, whose place of work is vaguely but succinctly designated by the word “organs.” I quote the story verbatim: “I went to see her, we sat and chatted. Then the front door slammed. She jumped: “Oh, daddy has come!” We go out into the corridor. A stocky man stands under a lamp, his face in the shadow. I extended my hand to him. He swung towards me and just shot me with his eyes! What a look! It was as if he saw right through me. There was a tingling feeling in the pit of my stomach! But I still didn’t shake my hand... I’m not one of the cowardly ones, but for some reason a chill ran through my skin.”

What kind of look is this? Congenital feature? Trained eye sensitivity? The look of a hypnotist, practiced to suppress someone else's will? As it turned out later, “dad” made a good career, moving from rank to rank without any obvious patronage. Moreover, in a field where they are taught to suspect everyone and everything, including their own reflection in the mirror, he managed to acquire such connections and acquaintances that even the minister would envy. At the same time, as his unreasonable daughter chatted in confidence, he calmly survived several internal “cleansings”, emerging unscathed from the streams of dirt that poured on his colleagues.

Are you lucky? Or maybe a person has a powerful analytical mind that, like a computer, calculates all situations in advance? Or a professional instinct trained over years of specific work? Or maybe just good innate intuition? You can guess and make assumptions for a long time, but why? After all, there is already an answer to these questions, proven by years of successful practice. The answer is in two words: .

What kind of vector is this?

In short, this is a force that, in a social unit (a human pack), is capable of balancing the impulses of the leader with its cold snake instinct. The living embodiment and bearer of this power is the emotionless eminence grise. A person who is able to see the essence of everyone who is nearby. A person who senses the slightest danger before it becomes a threat. The only one who subconsciously knows how to use the laws of system-vector psychology, being unfamiliar with it.

The theoretical basis for olfactory super-abilities is extremely interesting, but those interested in the theory should listen directly to Yuri Burlan, since no one can explain this complex issue in a fascinating and accessible way better than he. And we will return to Richelieu, whom we abandoned.

The main question - why he is plotting against everyone's favorite book heroes, handsome men and brave fellows - is, alas, never revealed in the book. Unrequited love for the queen as the driving force behind book intrigues against a beautiful lady is an excellent reason to write a novel. But knowing that the characteristic property of the olfactory vector is cold unemotionality, we understand that Richelieu is not an olfactory specialist. He's just an ordinary cardinal. A simple man in a cardinal's robe, endowed with other vectors. The real olfactory observer remained behind the scenes. This is how it happens in life. Ah, if only Dumas knew at least the basics of system-vector psychology! Perhaps he would have changed the plot of his most popular novel...

In life, the main reason for the olfactory cardinal (as well as the olfactory advisor, boss, president, etc.) is to preserve himself by preserving the flock. This subtle point provides deep insight into the secret recesses of the olfactory personality. Why does he never live as a hermit? How he manages to see right through people. Why is he able to influence the leader? Why doesn't he smell? Why there are no secrets and closed doors for him. What is the secret of his power. Why does he inspire people with awe? Why is he never “involved” in anything? And many more “whys”.

To be or not to be. A victim.

What relation does the gray eminence standing behind the leader, who, it would seem, can never be reached from the sinful earth, have to do with us, mere mortals? The most direct.

“People are trash to him,” says one movie character about his offender. He speaks rashly and in vain. But this phrase itself ideally describes the sensations of the olfactory observer regarding the human mass. Having no scent of his own, he is endowed with the ability to sense the slightest nuances of human “flavors”. And he feels, sensing that people are full of stench. He can smell fear. By elusive emissions of specific unconscious odors, he can unmistakably understand that a person is lying. No, the olfactory observer does not at all look like some serial sniffer. He dispenses with cheap external effects, drawing his conclusions instantly, on a subconscious level, and not after a demonstrative sniff.

The olfactory observer is not the only one in the whole country behind the leader’s back. There are few people with the olfactory vector, but they still exist. Civilization has instilled in them the task of preserving the flock - even if it is for the sake of preserving themselves. And therefore, in any human community they are fairly evenly distributed. Having lived a long life, you can meet more than one “gray eminence,” especially if the temptation or opportunity arises to “go to power.” And even without touching power, you can encounter an olfactory person - at least while visiting a “friend.”

What can be opposed to the olfactory sense? Deduction a la Sherlock Holmes? So the famous detective used to cheat, not relying on his method. One day, sitting with his back to Watson, he began to describe his cane in detail. He was taken aback by such insight, but Mrs. Hudson immediately handed Holmes over: “He sees your reflection in the coffee pot!” Such things do not work with the olfactory sense - he instantly senses any trick or falsehood. Don't even try to play on an equal footing with him. Not the case. Without knowledge of system-vector psychology of Yuri Burlan, only an olfactory observer can accurately draw such conclusions. Everyone else runs the risk of making a big mistake.

So how to behave with the owner of the olfactory vector? Is it possible to somehow protect yourself if you suddenly end up on his “black list”? And if you can’t count on your own strengths, then what can you count on? There cannot be two answers here: you can only count on systemic knowledge and understanding of the essence of the olfactory vector. The less benefit you provide to the flock, the more active and effective the attacks and intrigues from the olfactory observer will be. A paradoxical but primitively simple conclusion: be needed by the pack so that you don’t get eaten. This simple conclusion is due to the main goal of the olfactory life, which we mentioned above. No more, no less.

So, if you haven’t directly crossed the path of the “gray eminence” anywhere, then in case of troubles on his part, you don’t need to look for those to blame - envious people, spiteful critics, slanderers, etc. – we need to change our own need for the pack (society). That’s the only thing and that’s the main reason why the olfactory puppeteer is gnawing on you with someone else’s teeth.

Lectures on system-vector psychology by Yuri Burlan talk about how to find your place in society and understand yourself, learn to identify vectors and their states. You can start getting acquainted with this science at free introductory online lectures. Registration can be found at the link: See you!

The article was written based on training materials “ System-vector psychology»

Publicity is not characteristic of serious politics. Most of the “rulers of the masses” had so-called “gray cardinals”. It was they who made fateful decisions, while remaining in the shadows.

Father Joseph

The expression “gray cardinal” itself appeared in France in the 17th century. Since childhood, we have all been familiar with the image of the Duke of Richelieu - the “red cardinal”. In the works of Dumas, he appears as a cunning and treacherous person, but in reality Richelieu was a talented politician and patriot of France. But even he could not fight alone against the powerful Spanish clique at the French court. His faithful assistant and participant in all the intrigues was a man named Francois Leclerc du Tremblay. He once dreamed of a military career, but suddenly changed his views and became a monk of the Capuchin Order under the name Joseph. Because of his nondescript brown vestments, he was nicknamed “gray,” but was respectfully called “Eminence,” just like his high-ranking patron, although Father Joseph became a cardinal only before his death, in 1638. “Two people are the embodiment of French politics at the beginning of the 17th century: one, Richelieu, was its architect, and the other, Father Joseph, its core,” wrote the French historian Pierre Benoit about him. Father Joseph was feared and hated by his contemporaries, and modern historians have not yet decided whether he was a genius or a villain. During the Thirty Years' War, he raised taxes significantly, forcing many French people into extreme poverty. But Father Joseph himself led an ascetic lifestyle: he ate bread and water, walked and even died in complete poverty. He ruled the international policy of Louis XIII, flooded Europe and the East with his spies, intrigued against England and France, and fought against Protestants. On the other hand, he is called a heartless person and even a sadist. He believed that the end justifies any means. A stern ascetic, a sincere patriot, a devoted friend, a religious fanatic, an unprincipled politician, an insidious intriguer - all this is one person who still remains a mystery to us, the “gray eminence” of the Duke of Richelieu.

Adolf Fredrik Munch

The “gray cardinals” helped their patrons not only in war, but also in love. The Swedish king Gustav III did not get along with his wife Sophia Magdalena, as they said, because of the sovereign’s unconventional preferences. But, nevertheless, the queen had to give birth to an heir to the throne. For help, Gustav III turned to his chamber-page named Adolf Frederic Munch. According to one version, the young man managed to reconcile the king and queen, and Sophia Magdalena conceived a legitimate heir. According to another, the king, having suffered a fiasco, sent the handsome Munch to the queen, who managed to seduce Sophia (then he was the father of the heir, the future Gustav IV). One way or another, Munch was generously rewarded by both the king and the queen, receiving the title of baron and the post of intendant of the royal palace. Munch later took a place in the Swedish order of chivalry - the Order of the Seraphim, which in terms of prestige can only be compared with the legendary Round Table of King Arthur. By that time, Munch already bore the title of count. Rumor has it that the former page received these favors not for his advice at all, but for sharing a bed with King Gustav. Gustav III listened to Munch in both love and war. During the conflict with Russia, the king, on the advice of Munch, launched the production of counterfeit Russian coins (and the counterfeit was of high quality, only the crowns above the heads of the coat of arms were different). Having won a victory on the economic front, Gustav III launched military operations, but after several victories he decided not to continue the war.

Li Lianying (1848–1911)

The East is a delicate matter and incomprehensible to the European mind, and the “gray cardinals” there are corresponding. The most influential people at the Chinese court have long been eunuchs. But not all (there could be more than 30 thousand of them in the emperor’s service), but the main ones, serving the imperial family and the most beloved concubines of the Son of Heaven. One of the many eunuchs at court was Li Lianying. According to legend, he was only a shoemaker's apprentice, but, having heard what influence a eunuch could achieve, he castrated himself and, having received medical treatment, went to take up the imperial service. At court, the young servant Li Lianying met with the fifth (lowest) rank concubine Lan Ke. She was in disgrace - the emperor visited her only once and found her neither attractive nor interesting. So the girl would have had to live out her life in the far corner of the garden, serving other concubines, if not for the help of the eunuchs. Having bet on the young beauty, Li Lianying hired her teachers, she studied music, drawing, and love skills. In return, the eunuch received a significant portion of her allowance. In her next meeting with the emperor, Lan Ke was able to please him, and soon gave birth to the only male heir. After this, the concubine received the name Cixi - Merciful and Sender of Happiness. In the future, this cruel and ambitious woman will become the last ruler of a dying empire. La Lianying also went upstairs with her patroness. He took the title "Lord of the Nine Thousand Years" - only one rank below the imperial one. He was the only one who could sit with the empress, and even on her throne. Together with Cixi, they squandered the state treasury and made bribery a legal practice. In the struggle for power, neither the eunuch nor his mistress disdained to use the most vile methods. Li Lianying did not survive his mistress for long. According to one version, he was poisoned, it is not known by whom: too many hated and feared this man.

Joseph Fouche

Some shadowy intriguers manage to serve not just one ruler, but several. The French politician Joseph Fouché was particularly unprincipled in this matter. He received an excellent spiritual education and was formally a monk, which did not stop him from mocking the Catholic Church and emphasizing his atheism in every possible way. Fouché greeted the French Revolution with joy - it opened up many new opportunities for him. He joined the Jacobin party and actively supported their policy of terror. Fouché advocated the execution of Louis XVI; during the uprising in Lyon, it was on Fouché’s orders that hundreds of people were shot. But as soon as the popularity of such methods began to decline, Fouche went over to the moderate wing and began to condemn terror. He even participated in the overthrow and execution of his former ally Robespierre. In August 1799, Fouché was appointed minister of police. Here his penchant for intrigue manifested itself in full: he collected compromising materials on the powerful, created an extensive spy network, a whole staff of provocateurs and “servants of the law”, who, in fact, were hired killers. At this time, Napoleon's star was rising in France. Fouché bet on the ambitious Corsican and did not lose. After the coup d'état, Fouché retains his post, but does not enjoy the trust of the emperor. And not in vain: already in 1809, anticipating the fall of Napoleon, Fouche negotiates with the royalists, republicans and the British, waiting for who will offer him more. After the restoration of the Bourbons, among their most devoted supporters is, of course, police chief Joseph Fouche. But Napoleon, who returned from exile, was greeted by Fouche as a liberator, and the emperor again appointed him to the same post. After Waterloo, Fouché contributed to the second restoration, and as gratitude, Louis XVIII again appointed him minister of police. Thus, Fouche managed to retain his post and his head under five governments in the most unstable times for France. Even more surprisingly, Fouche ended his days in his own bed, in self-imposed exile in Austria, surrounded by his family, to whom he left 14 million francs.

Heinrich Johann Friedrich Ostermann

Our country was also not spared from the intrigues of the “gray cardinals”. Under Peter I, many bright politicians appeared in Russia, the so-called “chicks of Petrov’s nest,” Menshikov alone was worth it. But some preferred to remain in the shadows and help those in power with their advice. One of these shadow figures was Count Heinrich Osterman, who in Rus' was simply dubbed Andrei Ivanovich. The future associate of Peter was born in Westphalia, in the family of a pastor, and studied at the University of Jena. But the young man got involved in a duel and had to flee from punishment to distant Russia. Osterman quickly learned Russian and ended up serving in the embassy department - the prototype of the modern Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There he was noticed by Peter I, who needed talented diplomats. Osterman participated in the conclusion of the Peace of Nystadt with Sweden, a profitable trade agreement with Persia, and an alliance with Austria. Successes in the diplomatic field brought Andrei Ivanovich the baronial title. It was on his advice that Peter I transformed the outdated embassy order into the Collegium of Foreign Affairs. According to Osterman’s instructions, a “table of ranks” is drawn up - a document that finally brought order to the tangled system of the Russian bureaucracy. Like many of his “gray” colleagues, Osterman was resourceful. After the death of Peter the Great, he supported Catherine I and was appointed vice-chancellor and member of the Supreme Privy Council. Under Anna Ioannovna he received the title of count. Anna Leopoldovna made him admiral general. And only Elizabeth dared to get rid of the powerful intriguer, and then at the last moment she replaced the execution with lifelong exile.

Mikhail Suslov

Mikhail Suslov’s path to Brezhnev’s “gray cardinals” lay from the very bottom. Mikhail Andreevich was born into a poor peasant family, after the revolution he became a Komsomol member, and already in 1921 he joined the Bolshevik Party. He received an economic education and even taught at Moscow State University. His career made a huge leap in the post-war years. Under Stalin, Suslov was responsible for the ideological sphere. He fought against “rootless cosmopolitanism,” edited the newspaper Pravda, and was a member of the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee. Publicist Zhores Medvedev even calls Suslov the “secret General Secretary” and believes that it was him that Stalin wanted to see as his successor. During Khrushchev's times, Suslov was also responsible for ideological issues. It was on his initiative that troops were sent into rebellious Hungary. In 1962, Suslov was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor. But he responded to this with black ingratitude, arranging for the removal of Khrushchev from the post of First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee in 1964. Under Brezhnev, Suslov still remained in the shadows, although his role increased. He was now responsible for culture, education, censorship and, of course, as before, for the ideological sphere. Suslov was known as a conservative and dogmatist; persecution of the intelligentsia, arrests of dissidents, and exile of Solzhenitsyn and Sakharov are associated with his name. The most public act in Suslov’s biography was, perhaps, his funeral. They were shown on television, and the whole country was plunged into three days of mourning. Suslov died at 79, a few months before Brezhnev, without seeing the collapse of the idea for which he had fought, albeit in a very peculiar way, all his life.

Edward Mandel House

In 1876, Edward House and his friend Oliver Morton became involved in the presidential election campaign. Morton's father was a senator, and the young men were able to get behind the scenes of the country's political life. It was then that Edward realized an important thing. “Only two or three in the Senate and two or three in the House of Representatives, along with the president, really rule the country. All the rest are just figureheads... so I did not strive for official positions and did not try to speak,” he would write later. Having received an inheritance, Edward happily went into business, but for him it was just a game. Only politics really occupied him. In 1892, he takes, at first glance, a reckless step: in the gubernatorial elections in deeply Republican Texas, he supports the Democratic candidate James Hogg. House behind the scenes manages Hogg's election campaign, and his candidate wins. Over the next 10 years, House served as an adviser to four governors without holding any official position. But only in 1912, during the next presidential election, he entered the world political arena. House helps Woodrow Wilson come to power, who responds to his “gray eminence” with gratitude and friendship. Wilson's further policy was determined by US financial circles, and above all by House, who called himself “the power behind the throne.” Thanks to House's policies, the United States began to actively intervene in European events. The League of Nations was practically his brainchild, as were many of the decisions of the Paris Conference that ended World War I. One of House’s projects, fortunately, was not implemented: he believed that the rest of the world would live more peacefully if in Russia’s place there were not one state, but four. At the end of his life, House left big politics and took up literary creativity.

Not a single detective or thriller is complete without the participation of an eminence grise. We will look at the meaning of phraseological units today to understand what kind of figure this is.

Alexandre Dumas the Father and Cardinal Richelieu

Anyone who has read the novel “The Three Musketeers” knows that there was such a historical figure as Cardinal Richelieu (1585–1642), he was also called the Red Cardinal because of the color of his clothes. But few people know that he had a right hand - the monk Joseph, who, according to historical sources, enjoyed the favor of the cardinal. It was Richelieu’s assistant who was nicknamed the Gray Cardinal (the meaning of the phraseological unit will be discussed a little later). Joseph received this nickname because the color of his cassock was gray, and he himself kept in the shadows. This servant of the Lord must have taken great pleasure in the role he deliberately chose. The irony of fate is that, in turn, the Red Cardinal was considered gray because he had considerable influence on the King of France, Louis the Thirteenth.

Meaning

A gray cardinal is someone who, without having official status or any legal, legitimate power, nevertheless determines the events and phenomena of the world. The perspicacious reader himself will easily and naturally remember examples even from recent Russian history.

Of course, the meaning of the phraseological unit “gray cardinal” is applicable for the most part to political phenomena, but not necessarily. In a broad sense, the eminence grise is the puppeteer who pulls the strings, and such figures are eternal and international. Unless the powers that be are strong enough in spirit to manage something on their own.

The Godfather trilogy and the expression “gray cardinal”

The Godfather trilogy is fundamentally built on the idea that the main villain is not who he seems at first glance. The films in the series are made in such a way that the heroes act out combinations that are very complex in execution and drama, and all the power and heaviness ultimately falls on someone whom the viewer is completely unaware of at the beginning of the action.

In the first part - this is Don Barzini. It can be called a gray eminence. We already know the meaning of the phraseological unit, so we can safely use it. Here, of course, there is a certain mistake in terms. You can’t say that a powerful mafia don has no power. No, that's right, she is. But Don Tattaglia moves to the foreground, to the forefront, and Barzini himself goes into the shadows.

In the second part, Hyman Roth plays the same role. But we will not describe all the moves of the film here, because the screenwriters did it much more talentedly. We’ll keep silent about the third part so that the reader, if he watches the trilogy for the first time, gets at least some pleasure.

Our task is to explain the phraseology “gray cardinal”, as it seems, we have coped with it. How successful? Let the reader judge about this.

The dark cardinal is:

Dark Cardinal

Eminence grise- this is the name given to influential people (especially in politics) who act behind the scenes and usually do not hold formal positions with such powers.

Origin of the concept

Father Joseph, Cardinal Gray

The expression is widely known thanks to the novel by A. Dumas the Father “The Three Musketeers”:

This threat completely intimidated the owner. After the king and Mister Cardinal, the name of M. de Treville was perhaps most often mentioned not only by the military, but also by the townspeople. There was also, however, “Father Joseph”... But his name was pronounced only in a whisper: so great was the fear of the “gray reverence”, a friend of Cardinal Richelieu

Examples in history

Mikhail Andreevich Suslov, who was secretly in charge of issues of ideological work in the CPSU Central Committee, was called the “gray cardinal”.

Alexander Voloshin, who previously held the position of head of the presidential administration of the Russian Federation, was also called the “gray eminence of the Kremlin.” Currently, this is the name given to Vladislav Surkov, the first deputy head of the presidential administration of the Russian Federation.

In the US, many Democrats believe that the eminence grise in the shadow of George Bush are US Vice President Dick Cheney and chief political strategist Karl Rove. Previously, Hillary Clinton, the wife of President Bill Clinton, was considered the eminence grise. In the Soviet press, the US Secretary of State was often called an eminence grise, especially Henry Kissinger, who was Secretary of State under R. Nixon.

Literature

Kokoshin A. A., Rogov S. M. Gray cardinals of the White House.- M.: Publishing house of the Novosti press agency, 1986.
Medvedev D., Ermakov D. Gray cardinal M. A. Suslov. Political portrait. - M., 1992.
Schwarzkopf B.S. Eminence grise// Magazine “Russian Speech”, 1991, No. 4.

Where did the expression "Grey Cardinal" come from and what does it mean?

Dmitry Martynov

http://www.gramota.ru/mag_arch.html?id=556
Quote: You will not find this stable expression either in phraseological dictionaries of the Russian language or in reference books of popular words. (...) The meaning of all the above examples allows us to formulate the meaning of the expression “gray cardinal”, to understand its semantic structure: it is based on the opposition of two fundamental components: “possession of significant actual power” (not only political...) – “lack of a sufficiently high official provisions”, in other words, “shadow power”. This semantic core associates another – additional – meaningful feature: as a consequence of the “lack of official status” component, there is a need to indicate the high person, thanks to whose patronage the “gray eminence” realizes his power. It is no coincidence that in the French language dictionary “Big Larousse” the title part of the dictionary entry is given as follows: “The gray eminence of someone.”

Olchik

“Grey cardinal” in Russian is already used as a metaphorical expression and means “power invisible to the common man.” These are those minds in the institution of any power (church, state, mafia structures, media, etc.) who prefer not to advertise their involvement to events, often of global importance. You will learn the names of these people only after their death, and even then not always.

What does the expression or phrase “gray cardinal” mean?

User deleted

Gray cardinals are unofficial leaders who take charge of the organization's management processes. Often a formal leader, for example, a director, only thinks that he influences processes, but in fact, he only receives a director’s salary and is responsible for some general issues. In reality, the situation is controlled by some authoritative “gray cardinal”.
In some cases, the official leader consciously and voluntarily gives power or part of the “load” to the shadow leader, if this does not affect the salary and formal status. Gray cardinals are present to a greater or lesser extent in almost all large organizations. These are, as a rule, born leaders who are able to manage people and “solve issues” regardless of whether they have the formal right to do so.
It happens that the status of the de facto leader is so assigned to the gray eminence that many employees readily carry out all his orders, even if they do not officially obey him. Gradually, the “gray cardinal” forms a shadow management system around himself, which has its own hierarchy, subordination, job responsibilities and connections. This system often bypasses official business processes. Over time, the staff becomes so accustomed to this state of affairs that as soon as the shadow leader goes on vacation or gets sick, the organization becomes incapacitated.

In a puppet theater, we don’t see who pulls the strings of the puppets...
It’s the same in life... sometimes it turns out that we are not led by the president at all...
And some kind of eminence grise... a person who really controls...

Who is the eminence grise?

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By the way, I use the nickname Gray Cardinal. Let's take a pack of wolves for example. They have an Alpha male and a Beta male. The alpha male is the strongest male, he leads the pack, takes responsibility, he mainly participates in fights and battles, so he receives the most, in a double sense, he receives for everyone and gets everything. And the Beta male is the most cunning male, he remains on the sidelines and observes, leads the course of events in his direction, and at the same time receives benefits and remains unharmed. That is, he manages the situation using subtle tricks. Also in our society there are such people, remaining unknown, they get everything they need by regulating the situation. This is the term Gray Cardinal.

France, during the formal reign of the monarch Louis XIII, was in fact actually ruled by Richelieu (who was called the “red cardinal” because of the color of the cap assigned to the cardinal), behind whom stood Father Joseph, who did not hold a formal post, who was nicknamed the “gray cardinal”, because that he was a monk of the Capuchin Order, who wore a gray cassock.
Father Joseph, Cardinal Gray
The expression is widely known thanks to the novel by A. Dumas the Father “The Three Musketeers”:
This threat completely intimidated the owner. After the king and Mister Cardinal, the name of M. de Treville was perhaps most often mentioned not only by the military, but also by the townspeople. There was also, however, “Father Joseph”... But his name was pronounced only in a whisper: so great was the fear of the “gray reverence”, a friend of Cardinal Richelieu
[edit] Examples in history

Mikhail Andreevich Suslov, who was secretly in charge of issues of ideological work in the CPSU Central Committee, was called the “gray cardinal”.
“The gray eminence of the Kremlin” was called [who? ] and Alexander Voloshin, who previously served as head of the presidential administration of the Russian Federation.
In the United States, many Democrats believe that the eminence grise in the shadow of George Bush were US Vice President Dick Cheney and chief political strategist Karl Rove. Previously, Hillary Clinton, the wife of President Bill Clinton, was considered the eminence grise. In the Soviet press, the US Secretary of State was often called an eminence grise, especially Henry Kissinger, who was Secretary of State under R. Nixon.
[edit] Literature

Not a single detective or thriller is complete without the participation of an eminence grise. We will look at the meaning of phraseological units today to understand what kind of figure this is.

and Cardinal Richelieu

Anyone who has read the novel “The Three Musketeers” knows that there was such a historical figure as Cardinal Richelieu (1585-1642), he was also called the Red Cardinal because of the color of his clothes. But few people know that he had a right hand - the monk Joseph, who, according to historical sources, enjoyed the favor of the cardinal. It was Richelieu’s assistant who was nicknamed the Gray Cardinal (the meaning of the phraseological unit will be discussed a little later). Joseph received this nickname because the color of his cassock was gray, and he himself kept in the shadows. This servant of the Lord must have taken great pleasure in the role he deliberately chose. The irony is that, in turn, he was considered gray because he had considerable influence on the King of France, Louis the Thirteenth.