Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord

Talleyrand was born in 1754.  His father, Count Daniel de Talleyrand-Périgord and mother Alexandrine de Damas d'Antigny both held positions at court.  Due to a possible clubbed foot Talleyrand was denied access to the military academy.  Talleyrand would have to seek an alternative career so it was decided that he would enter the church.  With this path in mind he would attend the Sorbonne studying theology and be ordained as a priest in 1779.  His rise through the ranks of the church would be rapid he became an Agent General of the Clergy in 1780.  This position saw him act as a representative of the church to Louis XVI.  It was through this office that he was able to connive his way into the post of Bishop of Autun in 1789 just as the Revolution began.

Talleyrand would attend the Estates General as a representative from the First Estate.  He would firmly embrace the Revolution helping in the nationalisation of church properties and assisting in the writing of the Declaration of the Rights of Man.  He proposed the Civil Constitution of the Clergy which saw massive opposition from the conservative areas of the country.  He was only of only seven bishops out of one hundred and thirty six who would take the oath.  Although shortly after this he would renounce his ecclesiastical robes so as to become foreign minister during the constitutional monarchy.

In 1792 he went to Britain in an effort to avoid the two countries sliding into war.  He was evidently unsuccessful and was expelled from Britain by Pitt.  An arrest warrant had been issued by the National Convention so he was forced to flee to America.  He would call on various friends, including Germaine de Staël (who some believe was his lover) to ask for him to be allowed back in the country.  On his return to France he would be appointed foreign minister and then be embroiled in a bribery crisis (referred to as the XYZ Affair) with the United States which saw the two on the brink of war.  He would also begin a friendship with a young Napoleon Bonaparte.

Talleyrand was central to the coup of 18 Brumaire.  He managed to convince director Paul Barras (possibly with the aid of a hefty bribe) to step down as Director smoothing the way for Napoleon’s creation of the Consulship.

As part of the ensuing Concordat of 1801 with the Pope Talleyrand would have his excommunicated rescinded.  Talleyrand would be central to the Treaty of Amiens in 1802 between France and Britain.  At this stage Napoleon wished for Talleyrand to formalise the relationship he was having with Catherine Worlée.  So he married her in 1802, it is not believed that this put an end to his womanising.  Talleyrand was central to the destruction of the Holy Roman Empire as he created the new territories.  It would appear that he became quite rich from this as Princes sought to hold onto their land or extend their Kingdoms.  Napoleon would shower him with titles including the Grand Chamberlain of the Empire and Prince of Benevento a newly created province in the South of Italy.

Talleyrand appeared to be increasingly concerned about what he saw as Napoleon’s expansionist tendencies.  He disliked the draconian peace that was imposed on the Austrians in 1805.  This would see him resign as minister of foreign affairs in 1807.  He would further disapprove of Napoleon’s actions in Spain which resulted in the long Peninsular War.  Napoleon sensing the tension between the two reportedly called the former bishop "shit in a silk stocking" and that he could "break him like a glass, but it's not worth the trouble" on leaving the room Talleyrand retorted, "Pity that so great a man should have been so badly brought up!"

He would criticise the French invasion of Russia in 1812 and in 1814 he would establish provisional government through the central government.  It was through this that Napoleon officially deposed on 2nd April.  Talleyrand would see the coronation of Louis XVIII.  He acted as foreign minister for the newly installed Bourbon at the Congress of Vienna.  He managed to influence the proceedings by championing the rights of the smaller powers such as the Spanish. Tensions between all the victorious powers saw Talleyrand able to sign a secret treaty with Austria’s Metternich and Britain’s Representative Castlereagh, committing themselves to a defensive alliance against a possible Prussian and Russian alliance.  His acclaim at maintaining France’s borders of 1792 evaporated quickly when Napoleon returned to France.  His short lived return to power and subsequent defeat and abdication saw the allies adopt a harsher treaty with the France.  Talleyrand resigned as foreign minister.  In his later years he would become ambassador to Britain under the restored Bourbons.

In his last years, near death he became reconciled to the Catholic faith.  He died in 1838.