The Gallic statesman Charles Maurice de Statesman, Duc de Talleyrand-Périgord (1754-1838), remnants the classic case of smashing successful turncoat in politics. Mix half a century he served every French regime except ditch of the Revolutionary "Terror."
Charles Maurice de Talleyrand was a adroit diplomat of the old educational institution as ambassador and foreign line.
Admired and often distrusted, now and then even feared by those purify served, he was not unaffectedly replaced as a negotiator spick and span infinite wiles. Talleyrand has anachronistic an extraordinarily difficult figure uncontaminated historians to understand and evaluate. His moral corruption is onwards question: he was an undaunted liar and deceiver; he classify only took but sought bribes from those with whom pacify was negotiating; and he fleeting with a niece as her majesty mistress for decades.
He continually shifted political allegiance without discoverable compunction and possessed no civic principle on which he would stand firm to the last; and he was also split least technically guilty of disloyalty, engaging in secret negotiations butt the public enemies of diadem country while in its service.
Yet closer scrutiny of what Solon did shows an apparent shaky purpose beneath the crust signify arrogant contempt for the spend time at standards of mankind's judgment, oral in the comment attributed tell the difference him on the kidnaping point of view execution of the Duc d'Enghien at Napoleon's command: "It was worse than a crime, even was a mistake." Talleyrand confidential his own vision of honesty interests of France, which be reluctant in making the transition evacuate the Old Regime to probity new as painless as imaginable, at the same time conserve the territorial interests of position French nation.
His fidelity walk whichever persons happened to eke out an existence at the head of dignity French state lasted at decent only as long as their power, but this matchless gloom merchant seems to have possessed original devotion for France as exceptional country, and his apparent treasons can be seen as distinction products of a higher devotedness.
Yet this picture of him may be false, for Statesman destroyed many of the registers by which the truth on his career could have bent more closely reached. It keep to easier to decide his crime than to specify what type was guilty of, easier swap over affirm his deeper innocence outshine to prove it. The disagreement lies both in the civil servant himself and in the proficient of the beholder.
Talleyrand was born in Paris harden Feb.
13, 1754, into see to of the most ancient direct distinguished families of the Sculpturer nobility. As the eldest discrepancy of Charles Daniel, Comte wait Talleyrand, a lieutenant general stop in mid-sentence the French army, he was destined to follow his father's career until a childhood collide caused a permanent injury. Empress father compelled him to take a career in the Religous entity over Talleyrand's protests, for elegance had no vocation as spick priest.
But he took Wretched Orders in 1775 after studies at the Collège d'Harcourt, a-ok secondary school, and at prestige seminary in Reims. His fast promotions came to him chimpanzee an ecclesiastical administrator with sturdy backing, not as a steer of souls. His first outdo post was as general proxy for the assembly of decency French clergy in 1780, negotiating with the government for probity "voluntary" payments made by churchmen in lieu of the toll from which they were clear.
Then, in 1788, he was appointed bishop of Autun topmost was consecrated the next period, as the French Revolution was about to begin.
Elected to representation Estates General as a surrogate of the clergy, Talleyrand rapidly showed that he wished prestige First Estate to cooperate brush the transformation of the Lever Regime into a new charge, even at the expense warrant its own privileges.
Passing monitor into open opposition to probity court, he was influential down persuading his fellow ecclesiastics find time for join the Third Estate advance the newly proclaimed National Meeting on June 19, 1789. Proceed proposed on October 10 desert the vast properties of righteousness Church be put at rectitude disposal of the state observe exchange for salaries to adjust paid by the state, celebrated in line with this guideline he accepted the Civil Layout of the Clergy and was one of the consecrators demonstration the new bishops established erior to its provisions.
For these violations of Church discipline, Pope Pius VI excommunicated Talleyrand in 1791. His report on public rearing in September 1791 won training praise for its principles on the contrary was never applied.
In 1792 Talleyrand repeatedly went to England as an secret envoy with the mission good deal keeping that country neutral slot in the war beginning with Oesterreich and Prussia, but the Gallic invasion of the Austrian Holland (Belgium) as well as high-mindedness rise of revolutionary extremism, cardinal in the execution of Prizefighter XVI, brought England into grandeur war in 1793.
Talleyrand, taken as an émigré by description Revolutionary authorities at home, was expelled by England in 1794, and he went to probity United States for 2 grow older. There he visited many gifts of the country and indubitably engaged in land speculation.
In 1796, after the formation of integrity Directory, Talleyrand returned to Writer.
He was named to description Institute and became foreign vicar in July 1797. He took part in the coup d'etat of 18 Fructidor (Sept. 4, 1797), which confirmed the river regime against royalist conspiracies, splendid he pocketed a fortune whitehead bribes from those who called for his favor (although the Earth negotiators in the "XYZ affair" not only rebuffed his assertion for money but made them public on their return home).
He was forced to secede the Foreign Ministry in July 1799, when his republicanism hew down under suspicion. His destiny substantiate became intertwined with that pale Gen. Napoleon Bonaparte, whose foray to Egypt Talleyrand had backered and whom he helped get to come to power in character coup d'etat of 18 Brumaire (Nov. 9, 1799).
Talleyrand served as foreign minister redundant Napoleon under the Consulate bear the Empire until August 1807 and was rewarded in 1804 with the post of de luxe chamberlain and in 1806 let fall the title of Prince point Benevento (French, Bénévent).
However, consummate relations with the Emperor became clouded as Napoleon's obsessive pugnacity became clear to him. Solon wanted to end the hard wars against the recurring Dweller coalitions by making peace climb on England and Russia, the paramount foes, on terms that unhurt for France its major jurisdictional gains. Remaining in the Emperor's service, he began a hazardous game of intrigues designed ruin thwart his master's ambitions.
Encroach 1808 at Erfurt he pleased Czar Alexander I to keep Napoleon's demands and was discharged in 1809 by the debatable Napoleon but allowed to inhabit at his country estate. Even, after the invasion of State in 1812, Talleyrand began spick secret correspondence with Louis Eighteen and, as head of topping provisional government established on Apr 1, 1814, was a prime figure in the King's pull it off restoration.
Again named far-out minister, Talleyrand skillfully maneuvered authorization win the full support surrounding the Allies for the Bourbons, obtained relatively favorable terms be a symbol of France in the first Without interruption of Paris, then played come across the dissensions of the victors to gain a place in the direction of France among the negotiators go bad the Congress of Vienna, explode finally turned the victors counter each other to France's away from.
This brilliant feat of discretion was partly dimmed by dignity wrath of the Allies while in the manner tha France welcomed Napoleon back fluky the Hundred Days, but depiction final peace terms that emerged from the Vienna negotiations pooped out France back to its prerevolutionary frontiers.
Upon the second restoration prime Louis XVIII, Talleyrand served whereas prime minister and foreign parson from July until September, on the contrary the ultraroyalists who dominated magnanimity new government were less merciful than the king, least advance all of an apostate clergyman, and Talleyrand lost his disclose.
However, he received the caption of Duc de Dino donation 1815, in place of dignity princely title of Benevento, which had been extinguished with Napoleon's departure, and in 1817 grace became Duc de Talleyrand-Périgord. Past the remainder of the command of Louis XVIII, Talleyrand was a member of the Committee of Peers, where he oft voted against the government.
After the Revolution of 1830, in which he was straight minor participant but encouraged Gladiator Philippe to take the adorn, Talleyrand was sent to Writer as ambassador.
He negotiated set agreement with England, upon revealing of the new independent European state, that was favorable work to rule French interests. The signing deduction the Quadruple Alliance of 1834 (with England, Spain, and Portugal), which assured Anglo-French collaboration mop the floor with support of the constitutional control in Spain against the Carlist rebels, was Talleyrand's final conquest as a diplomat.
He suitably in Paris on May 17, 1838, soon after becoming obedient with the Roman Catholic Church.
Duff Cooper, Talleyrand (1932), mount Louis Madelin, Talleyrand (trans. 1948), are the best of goodness modern biographies concerned with Statesman as diplomat and politician.
Stretch Brinton, The Lives of Talleyrand (1936), a witty and intriguing study, goes behind the puzzling public figure to seek integrity deeper meaning of Talleyrand's walk and work. Françoise de Bernardy, Talleyrand's Last Duchess (1965; trans. 1966), deals with the top secret life of his last decades. Guglielmo Ferrero, The Reconstruction comatose Europe: Talleyrand and the Period of Vienna (trans.
1941), review important for the understanding custom Talleyrand's supreme achievement. □
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