Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes

Charles Gravier, Comte de Vergennes.

Charles Gravier, Comte de Vergennes (born December 20, 1717 in Dijon , † February 13, 1787 in Versailles ) was a French statesman.

Life

Vergennes was introduced to the diplomatic profession by his uncle, M. de Chavigny. Under him he performed his first service in Lisbon . Because of his successful representation of French interests at the court of Trier in 1750 and the following years, he was sent to Constantinople in 1755 , first as Plenipotentiary, then as French ambassador at the Sublime Porte . In 1768 he was recalled because of an alleged mesalliance with Madame Testa (the widow of a surgeon from Pera ), but actually because the French Foreign and War Minister Choiseul did not trust him to provoke a conflict between Russia and the Ottoman Empire . After Choiseul's death he was called to Stockholm with instructions to assist the noble party of the "Hats" with advice and money. The revolution in which Gustav III. Removing power from parliament and making itself sovereign again (August 19, 1772) was a great diplomatic triumph for France.

With the accession of Louis XVI. Vergennes became French Foreign Minister. In general, his foreign policy course was characterized by friendly relations with Austria, combined with a restriction of the ambitious plans of Joseph II. The protection of the Ottoman Empire and consistent opposition to England also played a role. His hatred of England and his desire to make up for defeats in the Seven Years' War led him to support the United States in the War of Independence . The moral and financial consequences of this decision contributed in no small way to the revolution of 1789 .

Through a series of negotiations, Vergennes attempted to ensure armed neutrality of the northern powers, and was ultimately successful with Catherine II . He gave in to Beaumarchais 's demands that France should secretly supply the Americans with weapons and volunteers. In 1777 he informed the American plenipotentiaries that France recognized the republic and was willing to form an offensive and defensive alliance with the new state.

Domestically, Vergennes was part of the old school. He intrigued against Necker , whom he viewed as a dangerous innovator, a Republican, a foreigner and a Protestant. In 1781 he became chairman of the financial council, and in 1783 he supported the nomination of Calonne as general controller . Vergennes died before the meeting of notables , which is said to have been Louis XVI. suggested.

literature

• P. Fauchelle, La Diplomatie francaise et la Ligue des neutres de 1780 (1776-83) , Paris, 1893
• John Jay , The Peace Negotiations of 1782-83 as illustrated by the Confidential Papers of Shelburne and Vergennes , New York, 1888
• L. Bonneville de Marsangy, Le Chevalier de Vergennes, son ambassade à Constantinople , Paris, 1894
• L. Bonneville de Marsangy, Le Chevalier de Vergennes, son ambassade en Suède , Paris, 1898
• A. Gautier, Anne Duvivier, comtesse de Vergennes (1730-1798), ambassadrice de France à Constantinople , Le Bulletin, Association des anciens élèves, Institut National des Langues et Civilizations Orientales (INALCO), novembre 2005, pp. 43-60.
• Marie de Testa & Antoine Gautier, Deux grandes dynasties de drogmans, les Fonton et les Testa , in Drogmans et diplomates européens auprès de la Porte ottomane, éditions ISIS, Istanbul, 2003, pp. 129-147.

Web links

• Literature by and about Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes in the catalog of the German National Library

predecessor	Office	successor
Henri Léonard Jean Baptiste Bertin	Foreign Minister of France July 21, 1774 - February 13, 1787	Armand Marc, comte de Montmorin Saint-Hérem