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Talleyrand in London - The Master Diplomat's Last Mission (Hardcover)
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Talleyrand in London - The Master Diplomat's Last Mission (Hardcover)
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The arrival of Charles-Maurice, Prince de Talleyrand-Perigord, as
French ambassador in London in September 1830, was regarded as a
great event by the British government. Two months earlier the July
Revolution in Paris, overthrowing the reactionary rule of Charles
X, had brought the liberal Louis-Philippe to the throne.
Talleyrand, the best-known diplomat in Europe, had emerged from
retirement at the age of 76 to lend his support to the new monarchy
and to confirm its acceptance by the other European powers.Few
people had aroused more controversy than Talleyrand. A former
bishop whose love affairs were notorious, and a turncoat who had
abandoned every master he had served, he was widely detested by the
French public. But he was greeted as a celebrity in London, where
the July Revolution - foreshadowing Britain's own Reform Bill - had
been hugely popular. London society had not yet acquired the
virtuous tone of the Victorian era. The easy-going morals of the
Regency had carried on into the reign of William IV, and the fact
that Talleyrand's niece by marriage, the Duchess of Dino, 37 years
his junior, was not only his hostess but reputedly his mistress,
merely added to theinterest he induced.Talleyrand had arrived in
London at a perilous moment. Revolution had broken out in Belgium,
where the Belgians demanded independence from Holland to which they
had been forcibly joined in 1815. The autocratic powers of Russia,
Austria and Prussia threatened war to restore the status quo. It
was largely thanks to Talleyrand's diplomatic skills and his close
collaboration with the British that the creation of Belgium as a
constitutional monarchy was peacefully achieved.Talleyrand's four
years in London were the last and, in his own opinion, the most
important of his diplomatic career. Linda Kelly's sparkling
narrative brings the period to life, providing a fascinating
picture of one of Europe's greateststatesmen as he appeared to
English eyes.
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