Talleyrand
The "unsinkable" diplomat who survived the Revolution, Napoleon, the Restoration and the July Monarchy.
Life
Bishop
Born into a noble family, Talleyrand could not join the army because of a lame leg and entered the Church instead, becoming Bishop of Autun. In 1789 he proposed in the Constituent Assembly that Church property be confiscated, and he was later excommunicated by the pope.
Foreign minister
Under the Directory he served as foreign minister and backed Napoleon's Coup of 18 Brumaire, staying on as foreign minister. Later, convinced that Napoleon's expansion was bound to fail, he secretly made contact with Russia and Austria. In 1814 he helped bring about Napoleon's abdication and the Bourbon Restoration, and at the Congress of Vienna he secured great-power status for defeated France.
Congress of Vienna
After the July Revolution of 1830, nearly eighty years old, he became ambassador to the United Kingdom and helped secure Belgian neutrality. He died in 1838.
Legacy
Talleyrand was one of the most famous diplomats of the modern era, known for his skill at reading the times, and also much criticized for repeatedly switching allegiances.
Did you know? Napoleon once called him "shit in a silk stocking," yet he stayed in power after Napoleon's fall.
Key dates
- 1788Bishop of Autun
- 1797Foreign minister of the Directory
- 1799Backs the Coup of 18 Brumaire
- 1814Promotes the Bourbon Restoration
- 1815Congress of Vienna
- 1830Ambassador to the United Kingdom
- 1838Died