Charles-Maurice Talleyrand: Everything is for sale. Talleyrand Charles - biography, facts from life, photographs, background information The Great French Revolution
Talleyrand Charles(in full Charles Maurice Talleyrand-Périgord; Talleyrand-Perigord), French politician and statesman, diplomat, Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1797-1799 (under the Directory), in 1799-1807 (during the Consulate and Empire of Napoleon I), in 1814-1815 (under Louis XVIII). Head of the French delegation at the Congress of Vienna 1814-1815. In 1830-1834 ambassador to London. One of the most outstanding diplomats, a master of subtle diplomatic intrigue.
Talleyrand's early life
Charles Maurice was born into a noble family. The parents were absorbed in service at court, and the baby was sent to a wet nurse. One day she left the baby on the chest of drawers, the child fell, and Talleyrand remained lame for the rest of his life. The boy received his education at the Paris College Harcourt, theological seminary and the Sorbonne (1760-78). He was ordained, and at the age of 34 he became Bishop of Autun (1788).
Bishop-defrocked
Elected to the Estates General from the clergy (1789), Talleyrand actively worked in the constitutional committee, edited the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen, and initiated a decree on the nationalization of church lands (December 1789), for which the Pope excommunicated him. After the fall of the monarchy, the revolutionary bishop left France (1792), which saved him from reprisals (papers were discovered exposing his secret connections with the royal court). Talleyrand spent two years in America, where he was engaged in financial speculation.
Talleyrand the diplomat
Everything contributed to Talleyrand's success in the diplomatic field - noble manners, brilliant education, the ability to speak beautifully, unsurpassed skill in intrigue, the ability to win people over. Having taken the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs under the Directory (1797), Talleyrand quickly created an effectively working apparatus of the department. He took millions in bribes from kings and governments, not for a fundamental change in position, but just for editorial changes to some minor article in the treaty. As a minister of the Directory, Talleyrand relied on General Bonaparte and became one of the organizers of the coup on November 9, 1799. He was a minister during the period of his rise and greatest success (1799-1807) and played an important role in the formation of Napoleonic power. But gradually common sense began to tell Talleyrand that France’s struggle for European dominance would not bring him dividends. And then the Napoleonic nobleman, senator, Prince Benaventsky (1806), behind the back of his emperor, comes into contact with England, becomes a secret Russian agent “Anna Ivanovna”. At the time of Napoleon's abdication (1813), Talleyrand headed the provisional government, and at the Vienna Congress of European Powers (1814-15) he represented France as a minister of Louis XVIII. Having put forward the principle of legitimism (legality), Talleyrand managed to defend not only the pre-war borders of France, despite its defeat, but also to create a secret alliance of France, Austria and England against Russia and Prussia. France was brought out of international isolation. The Congress was the pinnacle of Talleyrand's diplomatic career.
After the Hundred Days, Talleyrand retired for a long time (1815-30). The returning aristocrats abhorred the stripped hair and the bribe-taker. And he, in turn, despised the ultra-royalists for their desire to turn back the wheel of history. After the revolution of 1830, Talleyrand immediately supported the new king Louis-Philippe d'Orléans. The 76-year-old diplomat was again in demand and was sent as ambassador to London (1830-1834).
Talleyrand's personality
A deeply cynical person, Talleyrand did not bind himself to any moral prohibitions. Brilliant, charming, witty, he knew how to attract women. Talleyrand was married (by the will of Napoleon) to Catherine Grand (1802), from whom he soon separated. For the last 25 years, Talleyrand's wife was his nephew, the young Duchess Dorothea Dino. Talleyrand surrounded himself with exquisite luxury and owned the richest court in Valence. Alien to sentimentality, pragmatic, he gladly recognized himself as a major owner and acted in the interests of his own kind.
A French politician and diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs under three regimes, starting with the Directory and ending with the government of Louis Philippe, a famous master of political intrigue, Charles Maurice Talleyrand was born on February 2, 1754 in Paris, into a noble but poor aristocratic family.
At the age of three he suffered a serious leg injury and was left lame for life. This incident deprived him of his right to primary inheritance and closed the path to a military career.
The parents directed their son to the church path. Charles Maurice entered the College d'Harcourt in Paris, then studied at the Seminary of St. Sulpicius (1770-1773), and at the Sorbonne in 1778 he became a licentiate in theology. In 1779, after much hesitation, he was ordained a priest.
Talleyrand, thanks to the influence of his uncle, who later became the Archbishop of Reims, was able to lead an easy social life in Parisian society. His wit made him a favorite of literary salons, where a passion for card games and love affairs was not considered incompatible with the prospect of achieving high clergy.
The strength of his intellect, as well as the patronage of his uncle, helped him to be elected in 1780 as one of the two general representatives of the French Spiritual Assembly. For the next five years, Talleyrand, along with his colleague, was responsible for managing the property and finances of the French Church. Thanks to this, he gained experience in financial affairs and discovered a talent for negotiations.
Louis XVI's prejudice against the bohemian lifestyle of the young abbot hampered his career, but his father's dying request persuaded the king to appoint Talleyrand in 1788 as Bishop of Autun.
1789 he was elected to the constitutional committee of the National Assembly. Contributed to the adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. He initiated the decree on the transfer of church property to the disposal of the nation.
After the overthrow of the monarchy (1792) and the revelation of his secret connections with the royal court, he was excommunicated and went into exile, first in Great Britain (1792-94), then in the USA. He returned to France in 1796, after the establishment of the Directory regime.
In 1797, thanks to the influence of his friend Madame de Stael, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs. In politics, Talleyrand relies on Bonaparte, and they become close allies. In particular, the minister helps the general carry out a coup (1799). However, after 1805, Talleyrand became convinced that Napoleon's unfettered ambitions, as well as his growing megalomania, were drawing France into continuous wars.
In addition, Talleyrand could not forgive the emperor for the fact that in 1802 he insisted on his marriage to the notorious Madame Grand. After many affairs, she became Talleyrand's mistress and took on the official duties of the wife of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Napoleon sought not only to resolve the scandalous situation, but also to humiliate Talleyrand.
In 1807, Talleyrand resigned as Minister of Foreign Affairs. However, he continued to advise Napoleon on foreign policy issues and used his position to undermine the emperor's policies.
Considering Napoleon's desire to create a world empire through wars of conquest as unrealistic and foreseeing the inevitability of the fall of Napoleon I, in 1808 he entered into secret relations with the Russian Emperor Alexander I, and then with the Austrian Foreign Minister Metternich, informing them about the state of affairs in Napoleonic France. After the defeat of Napoleon and the entry of troops of the anti-French coalition into Paris (1814), he actively contributed to the Bourbon restoration.
Then he did not take active part in political life for almost 15 years. From 1830 to 1834 was ambassador to London.
He was distinguished by great insight, the ability to exploit the weaknesses of his opponents and at the same time treachery, extreme indiscriminateness in the means of achieving the goal. He was distinguished by his greed, took bribes from all governments and sovereigns who needed his help. “The servant of all masters,” who betrayed and sold everyone one by one, is a clever politician, a master of behind-the-scenes intrigue. The name “Talleyrand” has become almost a common noun to denote cunning, dexterity and unscrupulousness.
Charles Maurice Talleyrand died on May 17, 1838, in Paris, and was buried in his luxurious country estate in the Loire Valley.
Charles Mauricede Talheiran-Périgord
In politics there are no convictions, there are circumstances.
Politician and diplomat, Bishop of Autun (defrocked), Minister of Foreign Affairs of three governments.
Talleyrand was born into a noble but poor aristocratic family. The ancestors of the future diplomat came from Adalbert of Périgord, a vassal of Hugo Capet. The father of the newborn, Charles Daniel Talleyrand, was only 20 years old. His wife Alexandrina Maria Victoria Eleonora was six years older than her husband. The couple were completely absorbed in their service at court, they were constantly traveling between Paris and Versailles, and the child was sent to a wet nurse, where, apparently, he received a leg injury, which is why he limped so much for the rest of his life that he could not could walk without a cane.
According to his memoirs, Talleyrand spent the happiest years of his childhood at the estate of his great-grandmother, Countess Rochechouart-Montemar, Colbert’s granddaughter. “She was the first woman in my family who showed love for me, and she was also the first who let me experience the happiness of falling in love. May my gratitude be given to her... Yes, I loved her very much. Her memory is still dear to me,” Talleyrand wrote when he was already sixty-five years old. - How many times in my life have I regretted her. How many times have I felt with bitterness how valuable it is for a person to have sincere love for him in his own family.”
In September 1760, Charles Maurice entered the College d'Harcourt in Paris. By the time he finished his studies, in 1768, the fourteen-year-old boy had received all the knowledge traditional for a nobleman. Many character traits have already developed: external restraint, the ability to hide one’s thoughts.
He then studied at the Seminary of Saint-Sulpice (1770-1773) and at the Sorbonne. Received a licentiate degree in theology. In 1779 Talleyrand was ordained a priest.
In 1780, Talleyrand became the General Agent of the Gallican (French) Church at court. For five years, he, together with Raymond de Boisgelon, Archbishop of Aachen, was in charge of the property and finances of the Gallican Church. In 1788 Talleyrand became Bishop of Autun.
The revolutionary events of 1789 were approaching. Talleyrand at all costs wanted to become a deputy from the local clergy to the Estates General. He proposed a program of reforms leading to a bourgeois monarchy:
1) legally determine the rights of each citizen;
2) recognition of any public act as legal in the kingdom only with the consent of the nation;
3) the people also have control over finances;
4) the foundations of public order - property and freedom: no one can be deprived of freedom except by law;
5) punishments should be the same for all citizens;
6) conduct an inventory of property in the kingdom and create a unified national bank.
On April 2, 1789, he was elected deputy to the Estates General from the clergy of Autun. On April 12, Easter Day, he left for Paris.
The French scientist Albert Soboul noted: “Talleyrand always remained Talleyrand. For him, personal interests, his lame self, were at the center of the universe, but he was talented. In 1789-1791 he was as if drunk from the fresh air of the revolution. He objectively, regardless of his inner motives and calculations, worked for the rising class - the big bourgeoisie, to which he was attracted by the ringing of gold and the feeling of the proximity of power.
On May 5, 1789, the Estates General began its work in Versailles. There, the young bishop energetically and for good money sold his vote to one faction or another. Mirabeau spoke about him in his hearts: “Talleyrand would have sold honor, friends and even his soul for money. And I wouldn’t go wrong if I received gold for a dung heap.”
Talleyrand was one of the few who openly advocated the inviolability of the king's personality. He sincerely believed in the inviolability of the laws of France regarding the power of the king and tried to help Louis XVI. Talleyrand demanded an audience. In a conversation with the king, he proposed to Louis XVI a project for saving the crown, where the main role was given to a military clash between the king’s army and the rebel forces. Talleyrand in his memoirs describes two ways to save the monarchy, but then states that “the king himself had already resigned himself to his fate and did not at all want to resist the impending events.” Upon learning of the capture of the Bastille, Talleyrand was horrified. He hated the crowd and was afraid of it, realizing that it would destroy all the “sweetness of life” that he loved.
On October 11, 1789, Bishop Talleyrand demanded the confiscation of the property of the clergy on behalf of the committee established on August 28 for the purpose of considering the loan project. Talleyrand's parliamentary career unfolded brilliantly; he was entrusted with reports on the most important issues. On February 16, 1790, Talleyrand was elected chairman of the Constituent Assembly as “ardently devoted to the cause of the revolution.” Talleyrand's popularity especially increased after on June 7, 1790, from the rostrum of the Constituent Assembly, he proposed from now on to celebrate Bastille Day as a national holiday of the Federation.
Having forced people to talk about himself, the prince still chose not to occupy the first roles in this not very stable society. He could not, and did not strive to become a people's leader, preferring more profitable and less dangerous work in various committees. Talleyrand had a presentiment that this revolution would not end well.
“To make a career, you should dress in all gray, stay in the shadows and not show initiative”
In 1792, Talleyrand traveled to Great Britain twice for informal negotiations to prevent war. In May 1792, the English government confirmed its neutrality. And yet Talleyrand’s efforts were not crowned with success - in February 1793, England and France found themselves drawn into war.
“...After August 10, 1792, I asked the temporary executive to give me an assignment to London for a certain period of time. To do this, I chose a scientific question, which I had some right to deal with, since it was related to the proposal I had previously made to the Constituent Assembly. The matter concerned the introduction of a uniform system of weights and measures throughout the kingdom. Once the correctness of this system has been verified by scientists throughout Europe, it could be accepted everywhere. Therefore, it was useful to discuss this issue jointly with England."
His true goal, according to Talleyrand himself, was to leave France, where it seemed to him useless and even dangerous to stay, but from where he wanted to leave only with a legal passport, so as not to forever close his path to return. He came to Danton to ask for a foreign passport. Danton agreed. The passport was finally issued on September 7, and a few days later Talleyrand set foot on the English coast. On December 5, 1792, by decree of the Convention, charges were brought against Talleyrand and an arrest warrant was issued against him, as an aristocrat. Talleyrand remains abroad, although he does not declare himself an emigrant.
In 1794, in accordance with Pitt's decree (Aliens Act), the French bishop had to leave England. He is heading to the USA. There he earns his living through transactions with finance and real estate, worrying about the possibility of returning to France. In September 1796, Talleyrand arrived in Paris.
“Betrayal is a matter of date. To betray in time means to foresee.”
In 1797, thanks to the connections of his friend, Madame de Staël, he became Minister of Foreign Affairs, replacing Charles Delacroix in this post. In politics, Talleyrand relies on Bonaparte, and they become close allies. After the general's return from Egypt, Talleyrand introduced him to Abbot Sieyes and convinced the Count de Barras to renounce his membership in the Directory. After the coup d'état on November 9 (18 Brumaire), Talleyrand received the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs.
During the era of the Empire, Talleyrand takes part in the kidnapping and execution of the Duke of Enghien.
In 1805, Talleyrand participated in the signing of the Treaty of Presburg, but even then he became convinced that Napoleon’s unbridled ambitions, his dynastic foreign policy, as well as his ever-increasing megalomania were dragging France into continuous wars. The prince, showered with Napoleon's favors, played a complex game against him. Encrypted letters informed Austria and Russia about the military and diplomatic situation of France. The astute emperor had no idea that his “most capable of all ministers” was digging his grave. In 1807, when signing the Treaty of Tilsit, he advocated a relatively soft position towards Russia. In August of the same 1807, openly speaking out against those resumed in 1805-1806. wars with Austria, Prussia and Russia, Talleyrand left the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs.
“In England there are only two sauces and three hundred denominations. In France, on the contrary, there are only two denominations and three hundred sauces."
At the Congress of Vienna 1814-1815. represented the interests of the new French king, but at the same time gradually defended the interests of the emerging French bourgeoisie. He put forward the principle of legitimism (recognition of the historical right of dynasties to decide the basic principles of government) to justify and protect the territorial interests of France, which consisted in maintaining the borders that existed on January 1, 1792, and preventing the territorial expansion of Prussia. This principle, however, was not supported, because it contradicted the plans of Russia and Prussia.
On January 3, 1815, a secret agreement was signed - a secret alliance was formed between France, Austria (Foreign Minister Clemens Metternich) and England (Foreign Minister Robert Stewart) against Russia and Prussia. The agreement was to be kept in the strictest confidence from Alexander and from anyone else at all. This treaty increased resistance to the Saxon project, so Alexander could decide to break or retreat. Having received everything he wanted in Poland, he did not want to quarrel, much less fight, with the three great powers.
A few days before the Battle of Waterloo, on June 9, 1815, the last meeting of the Congress of Vienna took place, as well as the signing of the Final Act, which consisted of 121 articles and 17 separate annexes. It took the form of a general treaty concluded by the eight powers who signed the Treaty of Paris; everyone else was invited to join him.
The return of Napoleon from the island of Elba, the flight of the Bourbons and the restoration of the empire took Talleyrand by surprise. Having restored the empire in March 1815, Napoleon let Talleyrand know that he would take him back into service. But Talleyrand remained in Vienna. He did not believe in the strength of the new Napoleonic reign. The Congress of Vienna was closed. On June 18, 1815, the Battle of Waterloo ended Napoleon's secondary reign. Louis XVIII was restored to the throne, and Talleyrand was dismissed three months later.
But before that, he had one more matter to settle. He was needed for a new diplomatic struggle. This was the name of the “second” Peace of Paris, worked out on September 19, 1815, which confirmed the previous treaty of March 30, 1814, except for several minor corrections of borders in favor of the allies. An indemnity was imposed on France.
“Coffee should be hot as hell, black as the devil, pure as an angel and sweet as love.”
On January 12, 1817, having finally made sure that he was removed from participation in government affairs for a long time, Talleyrand decided to start a profitable sale of one valuable product and wrote a letter to Metternich. He wrote that he secretly “stole” from the state archives a huge mass of documents from Napoleon’s correspondence. And although England and Russia, and Prussia, would give a lot, even five hundred thousand francs, but he, Talleyrand, in the name of his old friendship with Chancellor Metternich, wants to sell these documents stolen by him only to Austria and no one else. Would you like to buy it? Talleyrand made it clear that among the documents being sold there was something compromising the Austrian emperor and, having bought the documents, the Austrian government “could either bury them in the depths of its archives, or even destroy them.” The deal was completed. Talleyrand extremely shamelessly deceived Metternich: only 73 of the 832 documents sold were originals signed by Napoleon. Although, among the uninteresting official trash, Metternich still received the documents he needed, which were unpleasant for Austria.
Talleyrand's occupation at this time was writing memoirs and endless intrigues with London.
In 1829, Talleyrand began to get closer to Duke Louis Philippe of Orleans, a candidate for the throne. On July 27, 1830, a revolution broke out. Talleyrand sent a note to the sister of Louis Philippe, Duke of Orleans, with advice not to waste a minute and to immediately take the lead in the revolution, which at that moment was overthrowing the senior line of the Bourbon dynasty.
The position of Louis Philippe at first was not easy, especially in the face of foreign powers. Relations with Russia were completely ruined; all that remained was England, where in 1830 Louis Philippe sent old Talleyrand as ambassador. Soon, in the same 1830, Talleyrand's position in London became most brilliant.
Over the course of several months, Talleyrand manages to restore close contact between France and England: in fact, it is he who controls French foreign policy, and not the Parisian ministers, whom Prince Talleyrand did not always honor even with business correspondence, but, to their greatest irritation, communicated directly with King Louis Philip.
The wits joked: “Is Talleyrand dead? I wonder why he needed this?
In recent years, Talleyrand completed his memoirs, which he bequeathed to be published only after his death. These memoirs were kept by his mistress, Dorothea Sagan, Duchess of Dino.
During his life, by his own admission, he had to take 14 contradictory oaths. Talleyrand was distinguished by his phenomenal greed, took bribes from all governments and sovereigns who needed his help (thus, according to rough estimates, in 1797-1799 alone he received 13,650 thousand francs in gold; for softening some minor articles of the Treaty of Luneville of 1801 he received from Austria 15 million francs). In his memoirs, he is often extremely reluctant to talk about this or that episode of his life, but this is precisely what makes him believe more in what he speaks about openly. And yet he wrote in his memoirs: “I want people to argue about who I was many years after my death.”
His wish came true.
“This is a vile, greedy, low intriguer, he needs dirt and needs money. For money he would sell his soul, and he would be right, for he would exchange a dung heap for gold” - this is how Honore Mirabeau spoke about Talleyrand , as you know, he himself was far from moral perfection. Actually, such an assessment accompanied the prince all his life. Only in his old age did he learn something like the gratitude of his descendants, which, however, was of little interest to him.
An entire era is associated with the name of Prince Charles Maurice Talleyrand-Périgord (1753-1838). And not even alone. Royal power, Revolution, Napoleon's Empire, Restoration, July Revolution... And always, except, perhaps, from the very beginning, Talleyrand managed to be in the lead roles. Often he walked on the edge of an abyss, quite consciously exposing his head to blow, but he won, and not Napoleon, Louis, Barras and Danton. They came and went, having done their job, but Talleyrand remained. Because he always knew how to see the winner and, under the mask of greatness and inviolability, guessed the vanquished.
This is how he remained in the eyes of his descendants: an unsurpassed master of diplomacy, intrigue and bribes. A proud, arrogant, mocking aristocrat, gracefully hiding his limp; a cynic to the core and the “father of lies,” who never misses his advantage; a symbol of deceit, betrayal and unscrupulousness.
Charles Maurice Talleyrand came from an old aristocratic family, whose representatives served the Carolingians in the 10th century. An injury suffered in childhood did not allow him to pursue a military career that could improve the financial affairs of an impoverished aristocrat. His parents, who had little interest in him, directed their son along the spiritual path. How Talleyrand hated this damned cassock, which got underfoot and interfered with social entertainment! Even the example of Cardinal Richelieu could not motivate the young abbot to voluntarily reconcile with his position. Striving for a public career, Talleyrand, unlike many nobles, understood perfectly well that the age of Richelieu was over and it was too late to take an example from this great figure in history. The only thing that could console the prince was the staff of Bishop Ottensky, which brought him, in addition to its antique value, some income.
The purple cassock did not particularly interfere with the bishop's amusement. However, behind the secular leapfrog and cards, for which the prince was a great hunter, he sensitively guessed the coming changes. A storm was brewing, and it cannot be said that this upset Talleyrand. Bishop Ottensky, for all his indifference to the ideas of freedom, considered some changes in the political system necessary and saw perfectly well the dilapidation of the old monarchy.
The convening of the Estates General spurred the ambition of Talleyrand, who decided not to miss the chance and join the power. Bishop Ottensky became a delegate from the second estate. He quickly realized that the Bourbons were ruining themselves with indecision and stupid actions. Therefore, adhering to moderate positions, he very soon abandoned his orientation towards the king, preferring the government of the Feyants and Girondins. Not being a good speaker, Prince Talleyrand nevertheless managed to attract the attention of the now Constituent Assembly by proposing to transfer church lands to the state. The gratitude of the deputies knew no bounds. The bishop’s entire dissolute life faded into the background when he, as a faithful follower of the poor prophets, called on the church to voluntarily, without ransom, give up its “unnecessary” property. This act was all the more heroic in the eyes of citizens because everyone knew: the diocese was the only source of income for Deputy Talleyrand. The people rejoiced, and the nobles and clergy openly called the prince an apostate for his “selflessness.”
Having forced people to talk about himself, the prince still chose not to take the first roles in this not very stable society. He could not, and did not strive to become a people's leader, preferring more profitable and less dangerous work in various committees. Talleyrand had a presentiment that this revolution would not end well, and with cold mockery he watched the fuss of the “people's leaders”, who in the near future were to personally familiarize themselves with the invention of the revolution - the guillotine.
After August 10, 1792, much changed in the life of the revolutionary prince. The revolution has moved a little further than he would like. The sense of self-preservation took precedence over the prospects of easy income. Talleyrand realized that a bloodbath would soon begin. I had to get out of here. And he, on Danton’s instructions, wrote a lengthy note in which he outlined the principle of the need to destroy the monarchy in France, after which he preferred to quickly find himself on a diplomatic mission in London. How timely! Two and a half months later, his name was added to the lists of emigrants, having discovered two of his letters from Mirabeau, exposing his connection with the monarchy.
Naturally, Talleyrand did not go to make excuses. He remained in England. The situation was very difficult. There is no money, the British are not interested in him, the white emigration sincerely hated the defrocked bishop, who, in the name of personal gain, threw off his mantle and betrayed the interests of the king. If given the chance, they would destroy it. The cold and arrogant Prince Talleyrand did not attach much importance to the yapping of this pack of dogs behind his back. True, the emigrant fuss still managed to annoy him - the prince was expelled from England, he was forced to leave for America.
In Philadelphia, where he settled, the boredom of provincial life awaited him, accustomed to social entertainment. American society was obsessed with money - Talleyrand quickly noticed this. Well, if there are no secular salons, you can start a business. Since childhood, Talleyrand dreamed of becoming minister of finance. Now he had the opportunity to test his abilities. Let's say right away: he had little success here. But he began to like the developments in France more and more.
The bloody terror of the Jacobins was over. The new Thermidorian government was much more loyal. And Talleyrand persistently begins to seek the opportunity to return to his homeland. True to his rule of “letting women go first,” he, with the help of beautiful ladies, and first of all Madame de Stael, managed to get the charges against him dropped. In 1796, after five years of wandering, 43-year-old Talleyrand re-entered his native land.
Talleyrand never tired of reminding the new government of himself with petitions and requests through friends. The Directory that came to power at first did not want to hear about the scandalous prince. “Talleyrand despises people so much because he studied himself a lot,” as one of the directors, Carnot, put it. However, another member of the government, Barras, feeling the instability of his position, looked with increasing attention towards Talleyrand. A supporter of the moderates, he could become “an insider” in the intrigues that the directors weaved against each other. And in 1797 Talleyrand was appointed Minister of External Relations of the French Republic. A clever intriguer, Barras did not understand people at all. He dug his own hole, first by helping Bonaparte advance, and then by securing the appointment of Talleyrand to such a post. It is these people who will remove him from power when the time comes.
Talleyrand managed to confirm his flawed reputation as a very dexterous person. Paris is accustomed to the fact that almost all government officials take bribes. But the new Minister of External Relations managed to shock Paris not with the number of bribes, but with their size: 13.5 million francs in two years - this was too much for the battered capital. Talleyrand took everything and for any reason. It seems there is no country left in the world , communicated with France and did not pay her minister. Fortunately, greed was not the only quality of Talleyrand. He was able to organize the work of the ministry. The more victories Bonaparte quickly realized that the Directory would not last long. Bonaparte is not the “sword” that Barras was counting on, but a ruler, and one should make friends with him after the victorious general returns to Paris.
Talleyrand actively supported his project of conquering Egypt, considering it necessary for France to think about colonies. The "Egyptian Expedition", a joint brainchild of the Foreign Minister and Bonaparte, was supposed to mark the beginning of a new era for France. It is not Talleyrand's fault that it failed. While the general was fighting in the hot sands of the Sahara, Talleyrand thought more and more about the fate of the Directory. Constant discord in the government, military failures, unpopularity - all these were disadvantages that threatened to develop into a disaster. When Bonaparte comes to power - and Talleyrand had no doubt that this is exactly what will happen - he is unlikely to need these narrow-minded ministers. And Talleyrand decided to untie himself from the Directory. In the summer of 1799 he unexpectedly resigned.
The former minister was not mistaken. Six months of intrigue in favor of the general were not wasted. On Brumaire 18, 1799, Bonaparte carried out a coup d'état, and nine days later Talleyrand received the portfolio of Minister of Foreign Affairs. Fate connected these people for 14 long years, seven of which the prince honestly served Napoleon. The Emperor turned out to be that rare person for whom Talleyrand felt, if not a feeling of affection, then at least respect. "I loved Napoleon... I enjoyed his fame and its reflections that fell on those who helped him in his noble cause,” Talleyrand would say many years later, when nothing connected him with the Bonapartes. Perhaps he was absolutely here sincere.
It was a sin for Talleyrand to complain about Napoleon. The emperor provided him with huge incomes, official and unofficial (the prince actively took bribes), he made his minister a great chamberlain, a great elector, a sovereign prince and the Duke of Benevento. Talleyrand became a holder of all French orders and almost all foreign ones. Napoleon, of course, despised the moral qualities of the prince, but also valued him very much: “He is a man of intrigue, a man of great immorality, but of great intelligence and, of course, the most capable of all the ministers I have had.” It seems that Napoleon fully understood Talleyrand. But...
1808 Erfurt. Meeting of Russian and French sovereigns. Unexpectedly, the peace of Alexander I was interrupted by the visit of Prince Talleyrand. The astonished Russian emperor listened to the strange words of the French diplomat: “Sir, why did you come here? You must save Europe, and you will succeed in this only if you resist Napoleon.” Maybe Talleyrand has gone crazy? No, that was far from the case. Back in 1807, when it seemed that Napoleon's power had reached its apogee, the prince thought about the future. How long can the emperor's triumph last? Being too sophisticated a politician, Talleyrand once again felt that it was time to leave. And in 1807 he resigned from the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs, and in 1808 he accurately determined the future winner.
The prince, showered with Napoleon's favors, played a complex game against him. Encrypted letters informed Austria and Russia about the military and diplomatic situation of France. The astute emperor had no idea that his “most capable of all ministers” was digging his grave.
The experienced diplomat was not mistaken. Napoleon's growing appetites led him to collapse in 1814. Talleyrand managed to convince the allies to leave the throne not for the son of Napoleon, whom Alexander I initially favored, but for the old royal family - the Bourbons. Hoping for gratitude on their part, the prince did the possible and the impossible, showing miracles of diplomacy. Well, gratitude from the new rulers of France was not slow to follow. Talleyrand again became minister of foreign affairs and even head of government. Now he had to solve a difficult problem. The sovereigns gathered in Vienna for a congress that was supposed to decide the fate of Europe. The Great French Revolution and Emperor Napoleon redrawn the world map too much. The winners dreamed of snatching a bigger piece of the inheritance of the defeated Bonaparte. Talleyrand represented the defeated country. It seemed that the prince could only agree. But Talleyrand would not have been considered the best diplomat in Europe, "if it were so. With the most skillful intrigues, he separated the allies, forcing them to forget about their agreement during the defeat of Napoleon. France, England and Austria united against Russia and Prussia. The Congress of Vienna laid the foundations for Europe's policy on the next 60 years, and Minister Talleyrand played a decisive role in this. It was he who, in order to maintain a strong France, put forward the idea of legitimism (legality), in which all territorial acquisitions since the revolution were declared invalid, and the political system of European countries was to remain at the turn of 1792. France thereby retained its “natural borders”.
Perhaps the monarchs believed that in this way the revolution would be forgotten. But Prince Talleyrand was wiser than them. Unlike the Bourbons, who took seriously the principle of legitimism in domestic politics, Talleyrand, using the example of Napoleon’s “Hundred Days,” saw that it was madness to go back. It was only Louis XVIII who believed that he had regained the rightful throne of his ancestors. The Foreign Minister knew very well that the king was sitting on the throne of Bonaparte. The wave of “White Terror” that unfolded in 1815, when the most popular people fell victim to the tyranny of the brutal nobility, led the Bourbons to death. Talleyrand, relying on his authority, tried to explain to the unreasonable monarch and especially his brother, the future king Charles X, the destructiveness of such a policy. In vain! Despite his aristocratic origins, Talleyrand was so hated by the new government that it did not demand his head from the king. The minister's ultimatum demanding an end to the repression led to his resignation. The “grateful” Bourbons threw Talleyrand out of the political arena for 15 years. The prince was surprised, but not upset. He was confident, despite his 62 years, that his time would come.
Work on “Memoirs” did not leave the prince aside from political life. He closely monitored the situation in the country and looked closely at young politicians. In 1830 the July Revolution broke out. The old fox remained true to himself here too. As the guns roared, he told his secretary: “We are winning.” - “We? Who exactly, prince, wins?” - “Hush, don’t say another word; I’ll tell you tomorrow.” Louis-Philippe d'Orléans won. Talleyrand, 77, was quick to join the new government. Rather, out of interest in a complex matter, he agreed to head the most difficult embassy in London. Even if the free press poured mud on the old diplomat, recalling his past “betrayals,” Talleyrand was unattainable for her. He has already become history. His authority was so high that the prince’s mere appearance on the side of Louis Philippe was regarded as the stability of the new regime. By his mere presence, Talleyrand forced the reluctant European governments to recognize the new regime in France.
The last brilliant action that the seasoned diplomat managed to carry out was the declaration of independence of Belgium, which was very beneficial for France. It was an amazing success!
Let us not judge Talleyrand as he deserves - this is the right of a historian. Although it is difficult to blame a person for being too smart and perspicacious. Politics was for Talleyrand T"
the art of the possible,” a game of the mind, a way of existence. Yes, he really “sold everyone who bought it.” His principle was always, first of all, personal gain. True, he himself said that France was in first place for him. Who knows. .. Any person involved in politics certainly turns out to be dirty with dirt. And Talleyrand was a professional. So let the psychologists decide.
“Is Prince Talleyrand really dead? Curious to know why he needed this now?” - joked the sarcastic mocker. This is high praise for a person who knows well what he needs. He was a strange and mysterious person. He himself expressed his last will this way: "I I want them to continue to argue throughout the centuries about who I was, what I thought and what I wanted.” These disputes continue to this day.
