(February 2, 1754-May 17, 1835)
Born and died in Paris, France
Birth name is Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord
Known simply as Talleyrand from the turn of the 19th century
Prime Minister of France (Restoration of the Bourbon Dynasty, July to September 1815)
Agent General of the French clergy (1780-1790)
French ambassador to the United Kingdom (1830-1834)
Credited with the expression ‘learned nothing and forgotten nothing' regarding the restoration of the Bourbon rulers
Nicknamed ‘the Limping Devil'

He was born into aristocracy.
He claimed he had injured a foot as a child, thus preventing him from upholding the Talleyrand military tradition.
Because of his club foot, his family disowned him almost completely - including any inheritance.
While serving under Napoleon, he accepted bribes from Austriaand Russia - both hostile to France - to betray his leader.
He was a womanizer.
While the charges were not made clear, a warrant for his arrest was issued by the National Convention in 1793.
He took the charges seriously and fled to the United States to become a commodities broker following his deportation from England.

He had a remarkable capacity for recognizing change by the moment. Thus, he changed loyalties accordingly.
He had a hand in almost every aspect of French history that took place in his lifetime.
He became an ordained minister in 1779, at age 25, in the hopes of being of some benefit to his family.
Since he felt Napoleon's incessant ambitions were a detriment to France's progress, he acted as a paid agent of opposing nations such as Austria and England.
He was sent on a diplomatic mission to London to explain French politics to the English monarchy (1792).
Expelled from England in 1794, he went on to become a commodities broker in the United States.
He served as Foreign Minister of France at four different points (1797-1799, 1799-1807, 1814-1815, and again in 1815).
He was a signatory of the Treaty of Paris in April 1814.
He died mere hours after signing a letter of retraction for past errors.

Credit: Cool It All Right?

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