Historical Figure
Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord
1754–1838
French secularized clergyman, statesman, and diplomat (1754–1838)
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Biography
Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, 1st Prince of Benevento, then Prince of Talleyrand, was a French secularized clergyman, statesman, and leading diplomat. After studying theology, he became Agent-General of the Clergy in 1780. In 1789, just before the French Revolution, he became Bishop of Autun. He worked at the highest levels of successive French governments, most commonly as foreign minister or in some other diplomatic capacity. He served as the French representative to the Congress of Vienna. His career spanned the regimes of Louis XVI, the years of the French Revolution, Napoleon, Louis XVIII, Charles X, and Louis Philippe I. Those Talleyrand served often distrusted him but found him extremely useful. The name "Talleyrand" has become a byword for crafty and cynical diplomacy.
In Their Own Words (5)
"The tricolour flag, symbol of revolution, was raised on the cathedral's towers and the bells rang to the frantic acclamation of the crowd. 'Listen to the tocsin! We are triumphing' remarked the Prince de Talleyrand gleefully: 'Who are we?' he was asked: 'Quiet! Not a word. I will tell you tomorrow' was the reply."
"The July monarchy: a political history of France, 1830-1848" (1988) by H. A. C. Collingham, R. S. Alexander. Pg 9. , 1988
It is the beginning of the end.
Ascribed to Talleyrand in The Hundred Days (1815); reported in Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations (1922), p. 66. Also attributed to General Augereau. , 1815
Whoever did not live in the years neighboring 1789 does not know what the pleasure of living means.
Reported in Memoirs pour Servir a l'histoire de nous Temps by François Guizot, Volume I, p. 6. , 1789
It is not an event, it is a piece of news.
On hearing of Napoleon's death; reported in Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations (1922). , 1922
I know where there is more wisdom than is found in Napoleon, Voltaire, or all the ministers present and to come – in public opinion.
In the Chamber of Peers (1821); reported in Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations (1922), p. 570. , 1821
Timeline
The story of Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, told in moments.
As Bishop of Autun, joined the revolutionary cause. Proposed the nationalization of church property. An ordained bishop helping dismantle the church's power.
Appointed Foreign Minister under the Directory. Then served Napoleon in the same role. He had a talent for being indispensable to whoever held power.
Secretly began working against Napoleon while still in his government. Fed intelligence to Austria and Russia. "Treason is a matter of dates," he once said.
Helped engineer Napoleon's abdication and the Bourbon restoration. Then represented France at the Congress of Vienna. Managed to get a defeated nation treated as an equal at the peace table.
Became France's first Prime Minister under Louis XVIII. He'd now served the Ancien Regime, the Revolution, Napoleon, and the Restoration. No one else managed that.
Died in Paris at 84. Reconciled with the Catholic Church on his deathbed. He'd served five different French regimes across half a century. Napoleon called him "a silk stocking filled with mud."
Artifacts (6)
Portrait of Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord
Auguste Gaspard Louis Boucher Desnoyers|baron François Gérard
Le ministère de Talleyrand sous le Directoire / Avec introd. et notes par G. Pallain
INTRODUCTION Mirabeau, parlant de ses notes à la Cour, écrivait à son ami La Marck le 18 juillet 1790 : » Ou je serai moissonné bientôt, ou je laisserai dans vos mains de nobles éléments d'apologie....
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