Editing Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord

{{short description|French secularized clergyman, statesman, and diplomat (1754–1838)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord
| honorific-suffix    = [[Duke of Talleyrand|Prince of Talleyrand]]
| honorific_prefix    = [[His Serene Highness]]
| image               = Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord - Pierre-Paul Prud'hon.jpg
| caption             = Portrait by [[Pierre-Paul Prud'hon]] (1817)
| office              = [[List of Ambassadors of France to the United Kingdom|Ambassador of France to the United Kingdom]]
| appointer           = [[Louis Philippe I]]
| term_start          = 6 September 1830
| term_end            = 13 November 1834
| predecessor         = [[Anne-Adrien-Pierre de Montmorency-Laval|Pierre de Montmercy-Laval]]
| successor           = [[Horace François Bastien Sébastiani de La Porta|Horace Sébastiani de La Porta]]
| office1             = [[Prime Minister of France]]
| monarch1            = [[Louis XVIII]]
| term_start1         = 9 July 1815
| term_end1           = 26 September 1815
| predecessor1 = Office established
| successor1          = [[Armand-Emmanuel de Vignerot du Plessis, Duc de Richelieu]]
| office2             = [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development (France)|Minister of Foreign Affairs]]
| monarch2            = Louis XVIII
| term_start2         = 13 May 1814
| term_end2           = 19 March 1815
| predecessor2        = [[Antoine de Laforêt]]
| successor2          = [[Armand-Augustin-Louis de Caulaincourt|Louis de Caulaincourt]]
| 1blankname3         = {{nowrap|First Consul}}
| 1namedata3          = [[Napoleon|Napoleon Bonaparte]] (1799–1804)
| monarch3            = [[Napoleon|Napoleon I]] (1804–1807)
| term_start3         = 22 November 1799
| term_end3           = 9 August 1807
| predecessor3        = [[Charles-Frédéric Reinhard]]
| successor3          = [[Jean-Baptiste de Nompère de Champagny]]
| 1blankname4         = {{nowrap|Head of State}}
| 1namedata4          = [[French Directory|Directory]]
| term_start4         = 15 July 1797
| term_end4           = 20 July 1799
| predecessor4        = [[Charles-François Delacroix]]
| successor4          = Charles-Frédéric Reinhard
| office5             = [[National Constituent Assembly (France)|Member of the National Constituent Assembly]]
| term_start5         = 9 July 1789
| term_end5           = 30 September 1791
| constituency5       = [[Autun]]
| office6             = [[Estates-General of 1789|Deputy to the Estates-General]]<br />for the [[Clergy|First Estate]]
| term_start6         = 12 April 1789
| term_end6           = 9 July 1789
| constituency6       = Autun
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1754|2|2|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Paris]], [[Kingdom of France]]
| death_date          = {{death date and age|1838|5|17|1754|2|2|df=y}}
| death_place         = Paris, Kingdom of France
| party               = {{plainlist|
* [[Independent politician|Independent]] (1789–1799)
* [[Bonapartist]] (1799–1814)
* [[Legitimist|Royalist]] (1814–1815)
* [[Doctrinaires]] (1815–1830) }}
| alma_mater          = [[University of Paris]]
| education           = [[Church of Saint-Sulpice, Paris|Seminary of Saint-Sulpice]]
| profession          = [[Clergyman]], [[politician]], [[diplomat]]
| signature           = Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord signature.svg
| module              = {{Infobox clergy | child=yes
| church           = [[Roman Catholic Church]]
| ordained         = 19 December 1779 (priest) <br /> 4 January 1789 (bishop)
| laicized         = 29 June 1802
| congregations    =
| offices_held     = [[Agent-General of the Clergy]] (1780–1788) <br /> [[Bishop of Autun]] (1788–1791) }}
}}
'''Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|æ|l|ɪ|r|æ|n|d|_|ˈ|p|ɛr|ɪ|g|ɔr}};<ref>[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/talleyrand+perigord "Talleyrand-Périgord"]. ''[[Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary]]''.</ref> {{IPA|fr|ʃaʁl mɔʁis də tal(ɛ)ʁɑ̃ peʁiɡɔʁ, moʁ-|lang}}; 2 February 1754 – 17 May 1838), '''1st Prince of Benevento''', then '''Prince of Talleyrand''', was a French [[secularization|secularized]] clergyman, statesman, and leading diplomat. After studying theology, he became [[Assembly of the French clergy#Agents-General|Agent-General of the Clergy]] in 1780. In 1789, just before the [[French Revolution]], he became [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Autun|Bishop of Autun]]. He worked at the highest levels of successive French governments, most commonly as foreign minister or in some other diplomatic capacity. His career spanned the regimes of [[Louis XVI]], the years of the French Revolution, [[Napoleon]], [[Louis XVIII]], [[Charles X of France|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.

He was Napoleon's chief diplomat during the years when French military victories brought one European state after another under French hegemony. However, most of the time, Talleyrand worked for peace so as to consolidate France's gains. He succeeded in obtaining peace with [[Habsburg monarchy|Austria]] through the 1801 [[Treaty of Lunéville]] and with [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Britain]] in the 1802 [[Treaty of Amiens]]. He could not prevent the renewal of war in 1803 but by 1805 he opposed his emperor's renewed wars against [[Austrian Empire|Austria]], [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]], and [[Russian Empire|Russia]]. He resigned as foreign minister in August 1807, but retained the trust of Napoleon. He conspired to undermine the emperor's plans through secret dealings with Tsar [[Alexander I of Russia]] and the Austrian minister [[Klemens von Metternich]]. Talleyrand sought a negotiated secure peace so as to perpetuate the gains of the French Revolution. Napoleon rejected peace; when he fell in 1814, Talleyrand supported the [[Bourbon Restoration in France|Bourbon Restoration]] decided by the Allies. He played a major role at the [[Congress of Vienna]] in 1814–1815, where he negotiated a favorable [[wikisource:Declaration at the Congress of Vienna|settlement]] for France and played a role in unwinding the [[Napoleonic Wars]].

Talleyrand polarizes opinion. Some regard him as one of the most versatile, skilled and influential diplomats in European history, while some believe that he was a traitor, betraying in turn the [[ancien régime]], the French Revolution and Napoleon.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://restorus.org/articles/culture/remembering-talleyrand/|title=Remembering Talleyrand|date=17 May 2016|work=Restorus|access-date=25 July 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=25 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725063731/http://restorus.org/articles/culture/remembering-talleyrand/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Early life==
Talleyrand was born in [[Paris]] into an aristocratic family which, though ancient and illustrious, was not particularly prosperous.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jarrett |first=Mark |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c6SmDwAAQBAJ&dq=talleyrand+family+aristocratic+not+wealthy&pg=PT88 |title=The Congress of Vienna and its Legacy: War and Great Power Diplomacy after Napoleon |year=2013 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-0-85773-570-6 |language=en}}</ref> His father, Count Charles Daniel de [[House of Talleyrand-Périgord|Talleyrand-Périgord]], was 20 years of age when Charles was born. His mother was Alexandrine de [[House of Damas|Damas d'Antigny]]. Both his parents held positions at court, but as the [[Cadet branch|youngest children]] of their respective families, had no important income. Talleyrand's father had a long career in the [[French Royal Army]], reaching the rank of lieutenant general, as did his uncle, Gabriel Marie de Périgord, despite having the same infirmity from which Talleyrand would suffer throughout his life. His father served all through the [[Seven Years' War]].<ref>{{Cite book |last= |title=Chambers's Encyclopaedia: Vol. IX |publisher=Outlook Verlag |year=2023 |isbn=978-3-382-50769-5 |location=Frankfurt |pages=277 |language=en}}</ref>

From childhood, Talleyrand walked with a limp, which caused him to later be called ''{{lang|fr|le diable boiteux}}''<ref>Royot, Daniel (2007). ''Divided Loyalties in a Doomed Empire''. University of Delaware Press, {{ISBN|978-0-87413-968-6}}, p. [https://archive.org/details/dividedloyalties00royo/page/138 138]: "Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord was the essence of the metamorphic talent inherent in French aristocracy. The so-called ''Diable boiteux'' (lame devil), born in 1754 was not fit for armed service."</ref> (French for "the lame devil") among other nicknames. In his ''Memoirs'', he linked this infirmity to an accident at age four, but recent research has shown that his limp was, in fact, congenital.{{Sfn|Waresquiel|2004|p=31}} It might have been a congenital [[clubfoot]].<ref name=Britannica>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Maurice-de-Talleyrand-prince-de-Benevent|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica|title= Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand, prince de Bénévent: French statesman and diplomat|first=Jacques|last=Godechot|accessdate=15 July 2024}}</ref> In any case, his handicap made him unable to inherit his father's title, despite being the eldest surviving son.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Briton |first1=Crane |title=The Lives of Tallyrand |publisher=W. W. Norton |isbn=978-0393001884 |page=36 |url=https://openlibrary.org/works/OL17026172W/The_lives_of_Talleyrand |access-date=12 April 2025 |language=en}}</ref> The alternative, chosen for him by his parents, was a career in the [[Catholic Church in France|Church]].<ref name=Britannica />

The latter held out the hope for Charles-Maurice of succeeding his uncle, [[Alexandre Angélique de Talleyrand-Périgord]], then [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Reims|Archbishop of Reims]], one of the most prestigious and richest dioceses in France.{{Sfn|Greenbaum|1957|pp=226–236}} At eight years old,{{sfn|Rose|1911|p=373}} Talleyrand attended the [[Lycée Saint-Louis|Collège d'Harcourt]], the seminary of [[Saint-Sulpice (Paris)|Saint-Sulpice]],<ref>"''il est admis, ... en 1770, au grand séminaire de Saint-Sulpice''": http://www.talleyrand.org {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719181947/http://www.talleyrand.org/ |date=19 July 2011 }}</ref> while studying theology at the [[University of Paris|Sorbonne]] until the age of 21. In his free time, he read the works of [[Montesquieu]], [[Voltaire]], and other writers who were beginning to question the authority of the [[ancien régime]] in matters of church and state. As [[subdeacon]] he witnessed the [[coronation of Louis XVI]] at [[Reims]] in 1775.{{sfn|Rose|1911|p=373}}

He was not ordained a [[Catholic priest]] until four years later, on 19 December 1779, at the age of 25.<ref name="hierarchy">{{Catholic-hierarchy |bishop|btape| (Layman) Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord † |access-date= 7 June 2019}}</ref> Very soon, in 1780, he attained the influential position of Agent-General of the Clergy,{{Sfn|Greenbaum|1963|pp=473–486}} and was instrumental in promoting the drawing up of a general inventory of Church properties in France as of 1785, along with a defense of "inalienable rights of the Church", the latter being a stance he later denied. In 1788, the influence of Talleyrand's father and family overcame the King's dislike and obtained his appointment as [[Bishop of Autun]], with a stipend of 22,000 [[French livre|livres]]. He was consecrated a bishop on 4 January 1789 by [[Louis-André de Grimaldi]].<ref name="hierarchy" /> The undoubtedly able Talleyrand, though hardly devout and even free-thinking in the [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]] mold, was outwardly respectful of religious observance. In the course of the Revolution, however, he was to manifest his cynicism and abandon all orthodox Catholic practice. He resigned his bishopric on 13 April 1791.<ref name="hierarchy" /> On 29 June 1802, [[Pope Pius VII]] [[Loss of clerical state|laicized]] Talleyrand, an event most uncommon at the time in the history of the Church.<ref name="hierarchy" /><ref>{{cite book|title=Controversial concordats|publisher=Catholic University of America Press|year = 1999|url=https://archive.org/details/controversialcon0000fran|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/controversialcon0000fran/page/50 50]|quote=talleyrand laicization.|isbn=978-0813209203}}</ref>

==French Revolution==
Shortly after he was consecrated as Bishop of Autun, Talleyrand attended the [[Estates-General of 1789]], representing the clergy, the [[Estates General (France)|First Estate]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Polley |first=Martin |title=An A–Z of Modern Europe Since 1789 |publisher=Routledge |year=2003 |isbn=978-1-1346-6503-7 |location=New York |pages=147 |language=en}}</ref> During the French Revolution, Talleyrand strongly supported the anti-clericalism of the revolutionaries. Along with [[Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau|Mirabeau]], he promoted the appropriation of Church properties.{{Sfn|Bernard|1973|pp=87–89}} He participated in the writing of the [[Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen]] and proposed both the [[Decree on the goods of the clergy placed at the disposal of the Nation]] in 1789 and the [[Civil Constitution of the Clergy]] that nationalized the Church in preference to allegiance to the Pope. He also swore in the first four constitutional bishops, even though he had himself resigned as Bishop following his [[excommunication]] by [[Pope Pius VI]] in 1791. During the ''[[Fête de la Fédération]]'' on 14 July 1790, Talleyrand celebrated Mass. Notably, he promoted public education in full spirit of the [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]] by preparing a 216-page Report on Public Instruction. It proposed pyramidical structure rising through local, district, and departmental schools, and parts were later adopted.<ref>Samuel F. Scott and Barry Rothaus, eds., ''Historical Dictionary of the French Revolution 1789–1799'' (vol. 2 1985), pp 928–932, [https://www.questia.com/read/71902167 online]</ref> During his 5-month tenure in the Estates-General, Talleyrand was also involved in drawing up the police regulations of Paris, proposed the [[suffrage]] of Jews, supported a ban on the [[tithe]]s, and invented a method to ensure loans.{{Sfn|Bernard|1973|p=90}} Few bishops followed him in obedience to the new decree, and much of the French clergy came to view him as [[schism]]atic.{{sfn|Rose|1911|p=374}}

[[File:Le serment de La Fayette a la fete de la Federation 14 July 1790 French School 18th century.jpg|thumb|left|''The [[oath]] of [[Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette|La Fayette]] at the [[Fête de la Fédération]], 14 July 1790''. Talleyrand, then Bishop of [[Autun]], can be seen at the extreme right. French School, 18th century. [[Musée Carnavalet]].]]

Just before his resignation from the bishopric, Talleyrand had been elected, with Mirabeau and the [[Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès|Abbé Sieyès]], a member of the [[Departments of France|department]] of Paris. In that capacity he did useful work for some eighteen months in seeking to support the cause of order in the turbulent capital. Though he was often on strained terms with Mirabeau, his views generally coincided with those of that statesman, who before he died is said to have advised Talleyrand to develop a close understanding with England.{{sfn|Rose|1911|p=374}}

In 1792, Talleyrand was sent twice, unofficially, to London to avert war, and he was cordially received by [[William Pitt the Younger|Pitt]] and [[William Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville|Grenville]]. After his first visit, he persuaded the then foreign minister, [[Charles François Dumouriez]], of the importance of having a fully accredited ambassador in London, and the [[Bernard-François, marquis de Chauvelin|marquis de Chauvelin]] was duly appointed, with Talleyrand as his deputy.<ref>{{Britannica|581601|author=Jacques Godechot}}</ref>{{sfn|Rose|1911|p=374}} Still, after an initial British declaration of neutrality during the [[Campaigns of 1792 in the French Revolutionary Wars|first campaigns of 1792]], his mission ultimately failed. In September 1792, just at the beginning of the [[September massacres]], he left Paris for England, having acquired a passport from [[Danton]] personally.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.156809/page/n27/mode/2up | title=Memoirs of Bertrand Berère | date=24 May 1896 | page=21 }}</ref>

The [[National Convention]] issued a warrant for Talleyrand's arrest in December 1792. In March 1794, with the two countries at the brink of war, he was forced to leave Britain by Pitt's expulsion order. He then went to the neutral country of the United States. The ship he took to the US was forced by rough weather in the Channel to stop at [[Falmouth, Cornwall|Falmouth]] where Talleyrand recounts an awkward chance meeting with [[Benedict Arnold]] at an inn.<ref>{{cite web |title=Memoirs of the Prince de Talleyrand |url=https://ia601307.us.archive.org/30/items/memoirsofprinced01tall/memoirsofprinced01tall.pdf#page=246 |page=174}}</ref> During Talleyrand's stay in the US, he supported himself by working as a bank agent, involved in commodity trading and real estate speculation. He was a house guest of [[Aaron Burr]] of New York and collaborated with [[Theophile Cazenove]] in Philadelphia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/cazenovejournal101caze/cazenovejournal101caze_djvu.txt|title=Full text of 'Cazenove journal, 1794 : a record of the journey of Theophile Cazenove through New Jersey and Pennsylvania'|access-date=29 September 2014}}</ref> On 19 May 1794, Matthew Clarkson, the mayor of Philadelphia, received his oath. Talleyrand swore "that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to...the United States of America... "<ref>{{cite book | last = Hall | first = John | date = 1890 | title = Memoirs of Matthew Clarkson of Philadelphia, 1735–1800 | url = https://archive.org/details/memoirsofmatthew00hall/page/68/mode/1up | location = Philadelphia | publisher = Thomson Printing Company | page = 68}}</ref> Burr later sought similar refuge in Talleyrand's home during his self-imposed European exile (1808–12). However, Talleyrand would refuse to return the favor because Burr had killed Talleyrand's friend [[Alexander Hamilton]] in an [[Burr–Hamilton duel|1804 duel]].{{Sfn|Bernard|1973|p=152}}

Talleyrand returned to France in 1796. After [[9 Thermidor]], he mobilized his friends (most notably the [[abbé]] [[Martial Borye Desrenaudes]] and [[Anne Louise Germaine de Staël|Germaine de Staël]]) to lobby in the National Convention and the newly established [[French Directory|Directoire]] for his return. His name was suppressed from the ''émigré'' list and he returned to France on 25 September 1796. After gaining attention by giving addresses on the value of commercial relations with England, and of colonization as a way of renewing the nation, he became [[List of Foreign Ministers of France|Foreign Minister]] in July 1797.{{sfn|Rose|1911|p=375}} He was behind the demand for bribes in the [[XYZ Affair]] which escalated into the [[Quasi-War]], an undeclared naval war with the United States, 1798–1800. Talleyrand saw a possible political career for Napoleon during the [[Italian campaigns of the French Revolutionary Wars|Italian campaigns]] of 1796 to 1797. He wrote many letters to Napoleon, and the two became close allies. Talleyrand was against the [[Fall of the Republic of Venice|destruction]] of the [[Republic of Venice]], but he complimented Napoleon when the [[Treaty of Campo Formio]] with Austria was concluded (Venice was given to Austria), probably because he wanted to reinforce his alliance with Napoleon. Later in 1797, Talleyrand was instrumental in assisting with the [[Coup of 18 Fructidor]], which ousted two moderate members of the Directory in favor of the [[Jacobin]]s headed by [[Paul Barras]].{{sfn|Rose|1911|p=375}}

==Under Napoleon==
[[File:Gillray Inset NPG D13109.jpg|left|thumb|Detail of a caricature of Napoleon I's coronation, depicting Talleyrand (left) and his wife [[Catherine Grand|Catherine]] (right) by [[James Gillray]] (1805)]]
Talleyrand, along with Napoleon's younger brother, [[Lucien Bonaparte]], was instrumental in the 1799 ''coup d'état'' of [[18 Brumaire]], establishing the [[French Consulate]] government, although he also made preparations for flight if necessary. He also persuaded Barras to resign as Director.{{sfn|Rose|1911|p=375}} Talleyrand was soon made Foreign Minister by Napoleon, although he rarely agreed with Napoleon's foreign policy. Domestically, Talleyrand used his influence to help in the repeal of the strict laws against émigrés, [[refractory clergy]], and the royalists of the west.{{sfn|Rose|1911|p=375}}

The Pope released him from the ban of excommunication in the [[Concordat of 1801]], which also revoked the [[Civil Constitution of the Clergy]]. Talleyrand was instrumental in the completion of the [[Treaty of Amiens]] in 1802. He wanted Napoleon to keep peace afterwards, as he thought France had reached its maximum expansion. Talleyrand was an integral player in the [[German mediatisation|German mediatization]]. While the [[Treaty of Campo Formio]] of 1797 had, on paper, stripped German princes of their lands beyond the left bank of the [[Rhine]], it was not enforced until the [[Treaty of Lunéville]] in 1801. As the French annexed these lands, leaders believed that rulers of states such as [[Margraviate of Baden|Baden]], [[Electorate of Bavaria|Bavaria]], [[Duchy of Württemberg|Württemberg]], Prussia, Hesse and Nassau, who lost territories on the Left Bank, should receive new territories on the Right Bank through the secularization of ecclesiastical principalities. Many of these rulers gave out bribes in order to secure new lands, and Talleyrand and some of his associates amassed about 10 million francs in the process. This was the first blow in the destruction of the [[Holy Roman Empire]].<ref name="Palmer">{{cite book|last=Palmer|first=Robert Roswell|author2=Joel Colton|title=A History of the Modern World|publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing|location=New York|year=1995|edition=8|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780679432531/page/419 419]|isbn=978-0-67943-253-1|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780679432531/page/419}}</ref>

While helping to establish French supremacy in neighboring states and assisting Bonaparte in securing the title of [[French Consulate|''First Consul'']] for life, Talleyrand sought all means of securing the permanent welfare of France. He worked hard to prevent the rupture of the peace of Amiens which occurred in May 1803, and he did what he could to prevent the [[Louisiana Purchase]] earlier in the year. These events, as he saw, told against the best interests of France and endangered the gains which she had secured by war and diplomacy. Thereafter he strove to moderate Napoleon's ambition and to preserve the European system as far as possible.{{sfn|Rose|1911|p=375}}

Napoleon forced Talleyrand into marriage in September 1802 to longtime mistress [[Catherine Grand]] (née Worlée). Talleyrand purchased the [[Château de Valençay]] in May 1803, upon the urging of Napoleon. This later was used as the site of imprisonment of the Spanish royal family in 1808–1813, after Napoleon's [[Peninsular War|invasion of Spain]]. In May 1804, Napoleon bestowed upon Talleyrand the title of [[Grand Chamberlain]] of the [[First French Empire|Empire]], with almost 500,000 francs a year.{{sfn|Rose|1911|p=375}} In 1806, he was made Sovereign [[List of Dukes and Princes of Benevento|Prince of Benevento]] (or Bénévent), a former Papal fief in southern Italy. Talleyrand held the title until 1815 and administered the principality concurrently with his other tasks.<ref>[[Duff Cooper]]: ''Talleyrand'', Frankfurt 1982. {{ISBN|3-458-32097-0}}</ref>

Talleyrand was opposed to the harsh treatment of Austria in the 1805 [[Treaty of Pressburg (1805)|Treaty of Pressburg]] and of Prussia in the [[Peace of Tilsit]] in 1807. In 1806, after Pressburg, he profited greatly from the reorganization of the German lands, this time into the [[Confederation of the Rhine]]. He negotiated the [[Treaty of Posen]] with [[Electorate of Saxony|Saxony]], but was shut out completely from the negotiations at Tilsit. After Queen [[Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz|Louise of Prussia]] failed in her appeal to Napoleon to spare her nation, she wept and was consoled by Talleyrand. This gave him a good name among the elites of European nations outside France.

==Changing sides==
[[File:Prud'hon - Portrait de Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (1754-1838), en habit de grand chambellan - P1065 - Musée Carnvalet - 01.jpg|thumb|upright|Portrait of Talleyrand as [[Grand Chamberlain of France]] by [[Pierre-Paul Prud'hon]], 1807]]

Having wearied of serving a master in whom he no longer had much confidence, Talleyrand resigned as minister of foreign affairs in 1807, although the Emperor retained him in the [[Conseil d'État (France)|Council of State]] as [[Grand Dignitaries of the French Empire|Vice-Grand Elector]] of the Empire.<ref>H. A. L. Fisher, "The French Dependencies and Switzerland", in A. Ward et al. (eds.), Cambridge Modern History, IX: Napoleon (Cambridge, 1934), p. 399.</ref> He disapproved of Napoleon's Spanish initiative, which resulted in the [[Peninsular War]] beginning in 1808. At the [[Congress of Erfurt]] in September–October 1808, Talleyrand secretly counseled Tsar [[Alexander I of Russia|Alexander]]. The Tsar's attitude towards Napoleon was one of apprehensive opposition. Talleyrand repaired the confidence of the Russian monarch, who rebuked Napoleon's attempts to form a direct anti-Austrian military alliance. Napoleon had expected Talleyrand to help convince the Tsar to accept his proposals and never discovered that Talleyrand was working at cross-purposes. Talleyrand believed Napoleon would eventually destroy the empire he had worked to build across multiple rulers.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Haine|first1=Scott|title=The History of France|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=0-313-30328-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/historyoffrance00hain/page/93 93]|edition=1st |url=https://archive.org/details/historyoffrance00hain |url-access=registration|access-date=6 September 2016|year=2000}}</ref>

After his resignation in 1807 from the ministry, Talleyrand began to accept bribes from hostile powers (mainly Austria, but also Russia), to betray Napoleon's secrets.<ref name="Lawday">{{cite book|last=Lawday|first=David|title=Napoleon's Master: A Life of Prince Talleyrand|publisher=[[St. Martin's Press]]|location=New York|year=2007|isbn=978-0-312-37297-2}}</ref> Talleyrand and [[Joseph Fouché]], who were typically enemies in both politics and the [[Salon (gathering)|salons]], had a rapprochement in late 1808 and entered into discussions over the imperial line of succession. Napoleon had yet to address this matter and the two men knew that without a legitimate heir a struggle for power would erupt in the wake of Napoleon's death. Even Talleyrand, who believed that Napoleon's policies were leading France to ruin, understood the necessity of peaceful transitions of power. Napoleon received word of their actions and deemed them treasonous. This perception caused the famous dressing down of Talleyrand in front of Napoleon's [[Marshal of the Empire|marshals]], during which Napoleon famously claimed that he could "break him like a glass, but it's not worth the trouble" and added with a scatological tone that Talleyrand was "shit in a silk stocking",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/talleyrand-napoleons-master-by-david-lawday-424034.html|title=Talleyrand: Napoleon's Master by David Lawday|website=[[Independent.co.uk]]|date=12 November 2006}}</ref> to which the minister coldly retorted, once Napoleon had left, "Pity that so great a man should have been so badly brought up!"

Talleyrand opposed the further harsh treatment of Austria in 1809 after the [[War of the Fifth Coalition]]. He was also a critic of the [[French invasion of Russia]] in 1812. He was invited to resume his former office in late 1813, but Talleyrand could see that power was slipping from Napoleon's hands. He offered to resign from the council in early 1814, but Napoleon refused the move. Talleyrand then hosted the tsar at the end of March after the fall of Paris, persuaded him that the best chance of stability lay with the [[House of Bourbon]], and gained his support.{{sfn|Rose|1911|p=376}} On 1 April 1814, he led the [[Sénat conservateur]] in establishing a provisional government in Paris, of which he was elected president. On 2 April the Senate officially deposed Napoleon with the [[Acte de déchéance de l'Empereur]]; by 11 April, it had approved the [[Treaty of Fontainebleau (1814)|Treaty of Fontainebleau]] and adopted a new constitution to re-establish the Bourbon monarchy.

==Bourbon Restoration and July Monarchy==
{{More citations needed section|date=July 2014}}
[[File:Talleyrand floatingwiththetide0001.jpg|thumb|upright|right|An 1815 caricature of Talleyrand – ''L'Homme aux six têtes'' (The man with six heads), referring to his prominent role in six different regimes]]
[[File:Talleyrand, Charles-Maurice - Vieux.jpg|upright|thumb|right|Elderly Talleyrand, 1828 by [[Ary Scheffer]]]]

When Napoleon was succeeded by Louis XVIII in April 1814, Talleyrand was one of the key agents of the [[Bourbon Restoration in France|restoration]] of the [[House of Bourbon]], although he opposed the new legislation of Louis's rule. Talleyrand was the chief French negotiator at the [[Congress of Vienna]]; earlier that same year he signed the [[Treaty of Paris (1814)|Treaty of Paris]]. It was due in part to his skills that the terms of the treaty were remarkably lenient towards France. As the Congress opened, the right to make decisions was restricted to four countries: Austria, the United Kingdom, Prussia and Russia. France and other European countries were invited to attend, but were not allowed to influence the process. Talleyrand promptly became the champion of the small countries and demanded admission into the ranks of the decision-making process. The four powers admitted France and Spain to the decision-making backrooms of the conference after a good deal of diplomatic maneuvering by Talleyrand, who had the support of the Spanish representative, [[Pedro Gómez Labrador, Marquis of Labrador]]. Spain was excluded after a while (a result of both the Marquis of Labrador's incompetence as well as the quixotic nature of Spain's agenda), but France (Talleyrand) was allowed to participate until the end. Russia and Prussia sought to enlarge their territory at the Congress. Russia demanded annexation of Poland (already occupied by Russian troops); this demand was finally satisfied, despite protests by France, Austria and the United Kingdom. Austria was afraid of future conflicts with Russia or Prussia and the United Kingdom was opposed to their expansion as well—and Talleyrand managed to take advantage of these contradictions within the former anti-French coalition.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} On 3 January 1815, a secret treaty was signed by France's Talleyrand, Austria's [[Klemens von Metternich|Metternich]] and Britain's [[Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh|Castlereagh]]. By this tract, officially a secret treaty of defensive alliance,<ref>''Traité sécret d'alliance défensive, conclu à Vienne entre Autriche, la Grande bretagne et la France, contre la Russie et la Prussie, le 3 janvier 1815''</ref> the three powers agreed to use force if necessary to "repulse aggression" (of Russia and Prussia) and to protect the "state of security and independence".

Talleyrand, having managed to establish a middle position, received some favors from the other countries in exchange for his support: France returned to its 1792 boundaries without reparations, with French control over the [[Papacy|papal]] [[Comtat Venaissin]], [[County of Montbéliard]], and [[Salm (state)|Salm]], which had been independent at the start of the French Revolution in 1789. It would later be debated which outcome would have been better for France: allowing Prussia to annex all of [[Kingdom of Saxony|Saxony]] (Talleyrand ensured that only part of the kingdom would be annexed) or the Rhine provinces. The first option would have kept Prussia farther away from France, but would have needed much more opposition as well. Some historians have argued that Talleyrand's diplomacy wound up establishing the fault lines of [[World War I]], especially as it allowed Prussia to engulf small German states west of the Rhine. This simultaneously placed the [[Prussian Army]] at the French-German frontier, for the first time; made Prussia the largest German power in terms of territory, population and the industry of the [[Ruhr]] and [[Rhineland]]; and eventually helped pave the way to [[Unification of Germany|German unification]] under the Prussian throne. However, at the time Talleyrand's diplomacy was regarded as successful, as it removed the threat of France being partitioned by the victors. Talleyrand also managed to strengthen his own position in France ([[ultraroyalist]]s had disapproved of the presence of a former "revolutionary" and "murderer of the [[Louis-Antoine-Henri de Bourbon-Condé|Duke d'Enghien]]" in the royal cabinet).

Napoleon's return to France in 1815 and his subsequent defeat, the [[Hundred Days]], was a reverse for the diplomatic victories of Talleyrand (who remained in Vienna the whole time). The [[Treaty of Paris (1815)|second peace settlement]] was markedly less lenient and it was fortunate for France that the business of the Congress had been concluded. Having been appointed foreign minister and president of the council on 9 July 1815, Talleyrand resigned in September of that year, over his objections to the second treaty. Louis XVIII appointed him as the [[Grand Chamberlain of France]], a mostly ceremonial role which provided Talleyrand with a steady income. For the next fifteen years he restricted himself to the role of "elder statesman", criticizing and intriguing against Minister of Police [[Élie, duc Decazes]], Prime Minister [[Armand-Emmanuel de Vignerot du Plessis, duc de Richelieu|Duc de Richelieu]] and other political opponents from the sidelines. In celebration of the birth of the [[Henri, Count of Chambord|Duc de Bordeaux]], Louis XVIII made Talleyrand a knight of the [[Order of the Holy Spirit]].{{Sfn|Bernard|1973|pp=486–492, 495}}

In December 1829, Talleyrand funded the foundation of the ''[[Le National (Paris)|National]]'' newspaper. The newspaper was run by his personal friend [[Adolphe Thiers]], alongside [[Armand Carrel]], [[François Mignet]] and [[Stendhal]]. Its first issue appeared on 3 January 1830, quickly becoming the mouthpiece of the [[Orléanist]] cause and gaining popularity among the French liberal bourgeoisie.{{Sfn|Bernard|1973|pp=512–513}} Following the ascent of [[Louis-Philippe I]] to the throne in the aftermath of the [[July Revolution]] of 1830, Talleyrand reluctantly agreed to become ambassador to the United Kingdom,{{Sfn|Bernard|1973|pp=527–530}} a post he held from 1830 to 1834. In this role, he strove to reinforce the legitimacy of Louis-Philippe's regime. He played a vital role in the [[London Conference of 1830]], rebuking a [[Flahaut partition plan for Belgium|partition plan]] developed by his son [[Charles Joseph, comte de Flahaut|Charles de Flahaut]] and helping bring [[Leopold I of Belgium|Leopold of Saxe-Coburg]] to the throne of the newly independent Kingdom of [[Belgium]].{{Sfn|Bernard|1973|pp=540–558}} In April 1834 he crowned his diplomatic career by signing the [[1834 Quadruple Alliance|treaty]] which brought together as allies France, Great Britain, Spain, and [[Kingdom of Portugal|Portugal]].{{sfn|Rose|1911|p=376}}

After resigning from his position as ambassador in London in November 1834, Talleyrand stopped playing an active role in French politics. He split his time between Château de Valençay and [[Saint-Florentin, Yonne|Saint-Florentin]], where he hosted frequent banquets and played [[whist]] with his visitors. His physical health began to steadily deteriorate and he began using an armchair on wheels provided to him by Louis Philippe I. He spent most of his time in the company of the [[Dorothea von Biron|Duchess Dino]] and concerned himself with the education of her daughter [[Pauline de Talleyrand-Périgord|Pauline]].{{Sfn|Bernard|1973|pp=585–596}} Talleyrand suffered from bouts of recurring depression which were caused by his concern over his legacy and the development of the Napoleonic myth. To that end he ordered that his autobiography, the ''Memoirs'', be published 30 years after his death. He also sought to gain the friendship of people he believed would shape public opinion in the future, including [[Honoré de Balzac]], [[Harriet Leveson-Gower, Countess Granville|Lady Granville]] and [[Alphonse de Lamartine]].{{Sfn|Bernard|1973|pp=598–606}} During the last years of his life Talleyrand began planning his reconciliation with the Catholic Church. On 16 May 1838, he signed a retraction of his errors towards the church and a letter of submission to [[Pope Gregory XVI]]. He died the following day at 3:55&nbsp;p.m., at Saint-Florentin.{{Sfn|Bernard|1973|pp=610–620}}

By a [[codicil (will)|codicil]] added to his will on 17 March 1838, Talleyrand left his memoirs and papers to the duchess of Dino and [[Adolphe de Bacourt]]. The latter revised them with care, and added to them other pieces emanating from Talleyrand. They fell into some question: first that Talleyrand is known to have destroyed many of his most important papers, and secondly that de Bacourt almost certainly drew up the connected narrative which we now possess from notes which were in more or less of confusion. The {{lang|fr|mémoires}} were later edited by the [[Albert, 4th duc de Broglie|duc de Broglie]] and published in 1891.{{sfn|Rose|1911|pp=376–377}}

==Private life==
[[File:François Gérard - Portrait of Catherine Worlée, Princesse de Talleyrand-Périgord - WGA08599.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[Catherine Grand|Catherine (Worlée) Grand]], princesse de Talleyrand-Périgord, painted by [[François Gérard]] 1805–06]]

Talleyrand had a reputation for [[promiscuity]] and as a [[wikt:voluptuary|voluptuary]]. He left no legitimate children, though he possibly fathered over two dozen illegitimate ones. Four possible children of his have been identified: [[Charles Joseph, comte de Flahaut]], generally accepted to be an illegitimate son of Talleyrand;<ref>{{cite journal |last=Dard |first=Emile |title=Trois Générations: Talleyrand, Flahaut, Morny: II|journal=Revue des Deux Mondes (1829–1971) |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44850143 |volume=46|publisher=Revue des Deux Mondes |location=France |year=1938 |issue=3 |page=[https://www.jstor.org/stable/44850143?read-now=1&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents 341–342]|jstor=44850143 }}</ref> the painter [[Eugène Delacroix]], once rumoured to be Talleyrand's son, though this is doubted by historians who have examined the issue (for example, [[Léon Noël]], French ambassador); the "Mysterious Charlotte", possibly his daughter by his future wife, [[Catherine Grand|Catherine Worlée Grand]]; and [[Pauline de Talleyrand-Périgord|Pauline]], ostensibly the daughter of the [[Edmond de Talleyrand-Périgord|Duke]] and [[Dorothea von Biron|Duchess Dino]]. Of these four, only the first is given credence by historians. However, the French historian {{ill|Emmanuel de Waresquiel|fr|Emmanuel de Waresquiel}} has lately given much credibility to father-daughter link between Talleyrand and Pauline whom he referred to as "my dear Minette". [[Thaddeus Stevens]] "suffered too from the rumor that he was actually the bastard son of Count Talleyrand, who was said to have visited New England in the year before Stevens' birth. ... Actually Talleyrand did not visit New England till 1794, when Stevens was already two years old."<ref>[[Fawn M. Brodie|Brodie, Fawn M.]], ''Thaddeus Stevens: Scourge of the South'' (1959), p. 26.</ref>

Aristocratic women were a key component of Talleyrand's political tactics, both for their influence and their ability to cross borders unhindered. His presumed lover [[Germaine de Staël]] was a major influence on him, and he on her. Though their personal philosophies were most different (she a romantic, he very much unsentimental), she assisted him greatly, most notably by lobbying Barras to permit Talleyrand to return to France from his American exile, and then to have him made foreign minister. He lived with Catherine Worlée, born in India and married there to Charles Grand. She had traveled about before settling in Paris in the 1780s, where she lived as a notorious [[courtesan]] for several years before divorcing Grand to marry Talleyrand. Talleyrand was in no hurry to marry, and it was after repeated postponements that Napoleon obliged him in 1802 to formalize the relationship or risk his political career. While serving as a high level negotiator at the Congress of Vienna (1814–1815), Talleyrand entered into an arrangement with [[Dorothea von Biron]], the wife of [[Edmond de Talleyrand-Périgord|his nephew]], the Duke of Dino. Shortly after, he separated from Catherine.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2019/03/talleyrand-a-diplomat-par-excellence/|title=Talleyrand: A Diplomat Par Excellence {{!}} 4 Corners of the World: International Collections and Studies at the Library of Congress|last=Spiegel|first=Taru|date=2 March 2019|website=blogs.loc.gov|access-date=17 December 2019}}</ref>

Talleyrand's venality was notorious; in the tradition of the ''ancien régime'', he expected to be paid for the state duties he performed—whether these can properly be called "bribes" is open to debate. For example, during the German mediatization, the consolidation of the small German states, a number of German rulers and elites paid him to save their possessions or enlarge their territories. Less successfully, he solicited payments from the United States government to open negotiations, precipitating a diplomatic disaster (the "[[XYZ Affair]]"). The difference between his diplomatic success in Europe and failure with the United States illustrates that his diplomacy rested firmly on the power of the French army that was a terrible threat to the German states within reach, but lacked the logistics to threaten the US not the least because of the [[Royal Navy|British naval]] domination of the seas. After Napoleon's defeat, he withdrew claims to the title "Prince of Benevento", but was created [[Duke of Talleyrand]] with the style "Prince de Talleyrand" for life, in the same manner as his estranged wife.{{Sfn|Bernard|1973|pp=266, 368 ''fn''}}

Described by biographer [[Philip Ziegler]] as a "pattern of subtlety and finesse" and a "creature of grandeur and guile",<ref>''[[The Shield of Achilles: War, Peace, and the Course of History]]'' by [[Philip Bobbitt]] (2002), ch. 21.</ref> Talleyrand was a great [[conversation]]alist, [[gourmet]], and wine [[connoisseur]]. He was a frequent visitor at the ''salon'' hosted by [[Adèle de Bellegarde]] and her sister Aurore, with whom he dined regularly over a period of five years.<ref>{{cite wikisource |last=Daudet |first=Ernest |year=1903c|title=Les Dames de Bellegarde: Mœurs des temps de la Révolution: III: La fin d'un roman d'amour| journal=Revue des Deux Mondes |type=journal |series=5 |volume=18 |wslink=Les Dames de Bellegarde: Mœurs des temps de la Révolution/03|wslanguage=fr |page=436}}</ref> From 1801 to 1804, he owned [[Château Haut-Brion]] in [[Bordeaux]]. In 1803, Napoleon ordered Talleyrand to acquire the [[Château de Valençay]] as a place particularly appropriate for reception of foreign dignitaries,<ref>{{cite book|last=Oman |first=Charles|authorlink=Charles Oman|year=1902 |title=A History of the Peninsular War |volume=1 |url=https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.278497/2015.278497.A-History#page/n79/mode/2up|location=Oxford|publisher=Clarendon Press|pages=55–56}}</ref> and Talleyrand made it his primary place of residence until his death in 1838. There he employed the renowned French chef [[Marie-Antoine Carême]], one of the first celebrity chefs known as the "chef of kings and king of chefs", and was said to have spent an hour every day with him.<ref>J.A.Gere and John Sparrow (ed.), ''Geoffrey Madan's Notebooks'', Oxford University Press, 1981, at p. 12</ref> His Paris residence on the [[Place de la Concorde]], acquired in 1812 and sold to [[James Mayer de Rothschild]] in 1838, is now owned by the [[American Embassy, Paris|Embassy of the United States]]. Talleyrand has been regarded as a traitor because of his support for successive regimes, some of which were mutually hostile. According to French philosopher [[Simone Weil]], criticism of his loyalty is unfounded, as Talleyrand served not every regime as had been said, but in reality "France behind every regime".<ref>{{cite book|author=Simone Weil|title=The Need for Roots|page=[https://archive.org/details/needforrootsprel00weil_876/page/n125 110]|year=2002|isbn=0-415-27102-9|publisher=[[Routledge]]|author-link=Simone Weil|title-link=The Need for Roots}}</ref>

Near the end of his life, Talleyrand became interested in Catholicism again while teaching his young granddaughter simple prayers. The Abbé [[Félix Dupanloup]] came to Talleyrand in his last hours, and according to his account Talleyrand made confession and received [[extreme unction]]. When the abbé tried to anoint Talleyrand's palms, as prescribed by the rite, he turned his hands over to make the priest anoint him on the back of the hands, since he was a bishop. He also signed, in the abbé's presence, a solemn declaration in which he openly disavowed "the great errors which … had troubled and afflicted the Catholic, Apostolic and Roman Church, and in which he himself had had the misfortune to fall."<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14434b.htm| title = newadvent.org}}</ref> He died on 17 May 1838 and was buried in the Notre-Dame Chapel,<ref>[http://www.napoleon-empire.com/personalities/talleyrand.php Talleyrand's short biography] in Napoleon and Empire website, displaying photographs of his castle of Valençay and of his tomb</ref> near his [[Château de Valençay]]. Today, when speaking of the art of diplomacy, the phrase "they are a Talleyrand" is variously used to describe a statesman of great resourcefulness and craft, or a cynical and conscienceless self-serving politician.<ref>*Gérard Robichaud, ''Papa Martel'', University of Maine Press, 2003, p. 125.
*''Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)'', H.M. Stationery Off., 1964, p. 1391</ref>

==Honors==
[[File:Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord by François Gérard, 1808.jpg|thumb|upright|''[[Portrait of Talleyrand]]'' by [[François Gérard]] (1808)]]

* Pair de France.<ref name=Deel>Verslag der handelingen der Staten-Generaal, Deel 2. p 26</ref>
* Knight Grand Cross in the [[Legion of Honour]]<ref name=Deel/><ref>{{cite book|title=Almanach Du Département de L'Escaut Pour L'an 1809–1815, Volume 1; Volume 1809|publisher=lA.B. Stéven|page=6}}</ref>
* Knight of the Order of the Holy Spirit{{Sfn|Bernard|1973|p=495}}
* Knight of the [[Order of the Golden Fleece]] of Spain<ref name=Deel/>
* Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of St. Stephen of Hungary]].<ref name=Deel/>
* Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of Saint Andrew]].<ref name=Deel/>
* Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Red Eagle]].<ref name=Deel/>
* Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Black Eagle]].<ref name=Deel/>
* Knight of the [[Order of the Elephant]].<ref name=Deel/>
* Knight of the [[Order of Saint Hubert]].<ref name=Deel/>
* Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun.<ref name=Deel/>
* Knight Grand Cross of the [[order of the Rue Crown|Order of the Crown of Saxony]].<ref name=Deel/>
* Member of the [[American Philosophical Society]] (elected 1796).<ref>{{Cite web|title=APS Member History|url=https://search.amphilsoc.org/memhist/search?creator=Charles+M.+de+Talleyrand-Perigord&title=&subject=&subdiv=&mem=&year=&year-max=&dead=&keyword=&smode=advanced|access-date=31 March 2021|website=search.amphilsoc.org}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Charles-Maurice_de_Talleyrand-Périgord_(Empire).svg|Arms of Talleyrand under the [[Napoleonic Empire]]
File:CoA Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord (1817-1830).svg|Arms of Talleyrand under the [[Bourbon Restoration in France|Bourbon Restoration]]
File:Chateau Valencay 20050726.jpg|[[Château de Valençay]]
File:Talleyrandprothesis0002.jpg|Talleyrand's orthopedic shoe, now in the Château de Valençay
File:Plaque Talleyrand, Hôtel de Saint-Florentin, Paris 1.jpg|Inscription at the Hôtel de Saint-Florentin
File:Tallyrand bed 02.jpg|[[Empire style]] state bed (''lit de parade'') made for Talleyrand, c.&nbsp;1805
</gallery>

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

===Works cited===
* {{Cite book |last=Bernard |first=Jack F. |url=https://archive.org/details/talleyrand00jack |title=Talleyrand: A Biography |date=1973 |publisher=Putnam |isbn=0-3991-1022-4 |location=New York}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Greenbaum |first=Louis S. |date=1957 |title=Talleyrand and His Uncle: The Genesis of a Clerical Career |journal=Journal of Modern History |volume=29 |issue=3 |jstor=1872380 |pages=226–236|doi=10.1086/238052 }}
* {{Cite journal |last=Greenbaum |first=Louis S. |date=1963 |title=Talleyrand as Agent-General of the Clergy of France: A Study in Comparative Influence |journal=Catholic Historical Review |volume=48 |issue=4 |jstor=25017140 |pages=473–486}}
* {{EB1911 |last=Rose |first=John Holland |wstitle=Talleyrand-Périgord, Charles Maurice de |volume=26 |pages=373–377 |author-link=John Holland Rose}}
* {{Cite book |last=Waresquiel |first=Emmanuel de |title=Talleyrand: Le Prince Immobile |date=2004 |publisher=Fayard |isbn=2-2136-1326-5 |location=Paris |orig-date=2003 |language=fr}}

==Further reading==

===Biographies===
* Brinton, Crane. ''Lives of Talleyrand'' (1936), 300 pp scholarly study [https://archive.org/details/livesoftalleyran0000brin online]
* {{cite book | author-link=Duff Cooper |last=Cooper |first=Duff | title=Talleyrand | publisher=Harper | location=New York| year=1932 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.52863}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Greenbaum |first=Louis S. |title=Talleyrand and Vergennes: The Debut of a Diplomat |journal=Catholic Historical Review |volume=56 |issue=3 |date=1970 |pages=543–550 |jstor=25018659}}
* Kurtz, Harold. (1958) "Talleyrand (part I)" ''History Today'' (Nov 1958) 8#11 pp 741–750. and Part II, (Dec 1958) 8#12 pp 847–871.
* {{cite book | author=Lawday, David | title= Napoleon's Master: A Life of Prince Talleyrand
| publisher=Jonathan Cape | location=London | year =2006 | isbn=978-0-224-07366-0}}, popular biography [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1540-6563.2008.00233_54.x online review]
* Madelin, Louis. ''Talleyrand'' (1948), a scholarly biography. [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.185494 online]
* Orieux, Jean. ''Talleyrand: The Art of Survival'' (1974) 677pp; scholarly biography
* Pflaum, Rosalynd. ''Talleyrand and His World'' (2010) 478pp, popular biography

===Scholarly studies===
* Blinn, Harold E. "New Light on Talleyrand at the Congress of Vienna." ''Pacific Historical Review'' 4#2 1935, pp.&nbsp;143–160. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/3633726 online]
* Earl, John L. "Talleyrand in Philadelphia, 1794–1796." ''Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography'' 91#3, 1967, pp.&nbsp;282–298. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/20090064 online]
* Ferraro, Guglielmo. ''The Reconstruction of Europe: Talleyrand and the Congress of Vienna, 1814–1815'' (1941) [https://archive.org/details/reconstructionof011003mbp online]
* {{cite book | first =Linda |last = Kelly | title = Talleyrand in London: The Master Diplomat's Last Mission | location = London | publisher = I. B. Tauris | year = 2017 | isbn = 978-1-78453-781-4}}
* Neave, G. "Monsieur de Talleyrand-Périgord's Qualities" ''Higher Education Policy'' 19, 401–409 (2006). [https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.hep.8300138 online]
* Norman, Barbara. ''Napoleon and Talleyrand: The last two weeks'' (1976) [https://archive.org/details/napoleontalleyra0000maka/page/n5/mode/2up online]
* Ross, Steven T. ''European Diplomatic History, 1789–1815: France Against Europe'' (1969)
* Sked, Alan. "Talleyrand and England, 1792–1838: A Reinterpretation", ''Diplomacy & Statecraft'' (2006) 17#4 pp.&nbsp;647–64.
* Stinchcombe, William. "Talleyrand and the American Negotiations of 1797–1798." ''Journal of American History'' 62#3 1975, pp.&nbsp;575–590. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/2936215 online]
* Swain, J. E. "Talleyrand's Last Diplomatic Encounter." ''The Historian'' 1#1 1938, pp.&nbsp;33–53. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/24435693 online], ambassador to Britain

===Historiography===
* Moncure, James A. ed. ''Research Guide to European Historical Biography: 1450–Present'' (4 vol 1992); 4:1823–33

===Primary sources===
* ''Memoirs of the Prince de Talleyrand'' ed by Albert de Broglie. (1891) [https://archive.org/details/cu31924100553852 online]
** Dilke, Charles Wentworth. "The Talleyrand Memoirs." ''The North American Review'', vol. 152, no. 411, 1891, pp.&nbsp;157–174. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/25102129 online]
* Talleyrand, Prince. ''The Correspondence of Prince Talleyrand and King Louis XVIII during the Congress of Vienna'' (Kessinger Publishing, 2005).

===Non-English language===
* {{cite book |author=Tarle, Yevgeny |title=Talleyrand (published in the series Lives of Remarkable People) |location=Moscow |year=1939}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Commons category|Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand}}
{{Wiktionary|Talleyrandian}}
{{Catholic Encyclopedia poster|Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord|Talleyrand}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110719181947/http://www.talleyrand.org/ Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord 1754–1838]
* [http://www.batguano.com/catno12.html Career of Mme Grand, Talleyrand's wife]
* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/btape.html Bishop Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, Catholic Hierarchy website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110813170413/http://clclibrary-org.tripod.com/talleyrand1.html Talleyrands letters and dispatches translated into English]
* [http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/441969 Painting of Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord by Baron Gérard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art]
* {{Gutenberg author | id=9390| name=prince de Bénévent Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord |sopt=w}}

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{{s-aft|rows=2|after=[[Armand-Emmanuel de Vignerot du Plessis, Duc de Richelieu|Armand-Emmanuel de Vignerot du Plessis]]}}
|-
{{s-new|office}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Prime Minister of France]]|years=1815}}
|-
{{s-reg|fr}}
{{s-new}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Duke of Talleyrand]]|years=1815–1838}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Edmond de Talleyrand-Périgord]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Robert Guiscard]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Dukes and Princes of Benevento|Prince of Benevento]]|years=1806–1815}}
{{s-aft|after='''Principality abolished'''}}
{{s-end}}

{{Heads of government of France}}
{{French Directory}}
{{French Consulate}}
{{First cabinet of Napoleon}}
{{French provisional government of 1814}}
{{Government of the first Bourbon restoration}}
{{Ministry of Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord}}
{{Foreign ministers of France}}
{{French Revolution}}
{{Eugène Delacroix}}

{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Talleyrand-Perigord, Charles Maurice De}}
[[Category:House of Talleyrand-Périgord|Charles-Maurice]]
[[Category:1754 births]]
[[Category:1838 deaths]]
[[Category:18th-century French diplomats]]
[[Category:19th-century French diplomats]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of France to the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Bishops of Autun]]
[[Category:Dukes of Talleyrand|1]]
[[Category:Foreign ministers of France]]
[[Category:French people of the Napoleonic Wars]]
[[Category:French Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary]]
[[Category:International members of the American Philosophical Society]]
[[Category:Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain]]
[[Category:Laicized Roman Catholic bishops]]
[[Category:Lycée Saint-Louis alumni]]
[[Category:Members of the Sénat conservateur]]
[[Category:Ministers of marine and the colonies]]
[[Category:Participants to the Congress of Vienna]]
[[Category:People excommunicated by the Catholic Church]]
[[Category:People of the Belgian Revolution]]
[[Category:People of the Bourbon Restoration]]
[[Category:People of the French Revolution]]
[[Category:People of the Quasi-War]]
[[Category:Politicians from Paris]]
[[Category:Prime ministers of France]]
[[Category:Princes of Bénévent]]
[[Category:University of Paris alumni]]