Étiennte-François, duc de Choiseul, French diplomat and statesman

Étienne-François, duc de Choiseul (June 28, 1719 — May 8, 1785) was a French statesman. Painting of Etienne François, duc de Choiseul, French diplomat and statesman. ... Painting of Etienne François, duc de Choiseul, French diplomat and statesman. ... (Some entries on this page have been duplicated on August 1. ... Events January 23 - The Principality of Liechtenstein is created within the Holy Roman Empire April 25 - Daniel Defoe publishes Robinson Crusoe Prussia conducts Europes first systematic census Ongoing events Great Northern War (1700-1721) Births November 30 - Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, Princess of Wales (d. ... May 8 is the 128th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (129th in leap years). ... 1785 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

He was the eldest son of François Joseph de Choiseul, marquis de Stainville (1700—1770), and bore in early life the title of comte de Stainville. He entered the army, and during the War of the Austrian Succession served in Bohemia in 1741 and in Italy, where he distinguished himself at the battle of Coni, in 1744. From 1745 until 1748 he was with the army in the Low Countries, being present at the sieges of Mons, Charleroi and Maastricht. He attained the rank of lieutenant-general, and in 1750 married Louise Honorine, daughter of Louis François Crozat, marquis du Châtel (d. 1750), who brought her husband a large fortune and proved a most devoted wife. The War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748). ... Bohemia Historical map of Bohemia Bohemia is also a place in the State of New York in the United States of America: see Bohemia, New York. ... Events April 10 – Austrian army attack troops of Frederick the Great at Mollwitz December 19 – Vitus Bering dies in his expedition east of Siberia December 25 – Anders Celsius develops his own thermometer scale Celsius William Browning invents mineral water Elizabeth of Russia became czarina. ... Events The third French and Indian War, known as King Georges War, breaks out at Port Royal, Nova Scotia Ongoing events War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748) Births May 19 - Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, queen of George III of Great Britain (d. ... The Low Countries are the countries on low-lying land around the delta of the Rhine and Meuse rivers— usually used in modern context to mean the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg (an alternate modern term, more often used today, is Benelux). ... The central square and town hall of Mons This article is about the city in Belgium. ... For other uses, see Charleroi (disambiguation). ... Maastricht, also spelled Maestricht, or Mestreech in local dialect, is a municipality, and capital of the province of Limburg. ... Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. ... Events March 2 - Small earthquake in London April 4 - Small earthquake in Warrington, England August 23 - Small earthquake in Spalding, England September 30 - Small earthquake in Northampton, England November 16 – Westminster Bridge officially opened Jonas Hanway is the first Englishman to use an umbrella James Gray reveals her sex to...

Choiseul gained the favour of Madame de Pompadour by procuring for her some letters which King Louis XV had written to his cousin Madame de Choiseul, with whom the king had formerly had an intrigue; and after a short time as bailli of the Vosges he was given the appointment of ambassador to Rome in 1753, where he was entrusted with the negotiations concerning the disturbances called forth by the bull Unigenitus. He acquitted himself skilfully in this task, and in 1757 his patroness obtained his transfer to Vienna, where he was instructed to cement the new alliance between France and Austria. His success at Vienna opened the way to a larger career, when in 1758 he supplanted Antoine Louis Rouillé (1689—1761) as minister for foreign affairs and so had the direction of French foreign policy during the Seven Years' War. At this time he was made a peer of France and created duc de Choiseul (Duke). Although from 1761 until 1766 his cousin César, duc de Choiseul-Praslin (1712-1785), was minister for foreign affairs, yet Choiseul continued to control the policy of France until 1770, and during this period held most of the other important offices of state. As the author of the Family Compact he sought to retrieve by an alliance with the Bourbon house of Spain the disastrous results of the alliance with Austria; but his action came too late. His vigorous policy in other departments of state was not, however, fruitless. Madame de Pompadours portrait Madame de Pompadour (December 29, 1721 - April 15, 1764) was the famous mistress of King Louis XV of France. ... Louis XV King of France and Navarre Louis XV (February 15, 1710 - May 10, 1774), called the Well-Beloved (French: le Bien-Aimé), was king of France from 1715 to 1774. ... A Bailiff in a United States courtroom Bailiff (from Late Latin bajulivus, adjectival form of bajulus) is a governor or custodian; cf. ... Vosges is a French département, named after the Vosges mountain range. ... Location within Italy The Roman Colosseum Rome (Italian and Latin: Roma) is the capital city of Italy and of its Latium region. ... 1753 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The Papal bull is the most formal form of patent issued by the Vatican Chancery in the name of the pope. ... Unigenitus (named for its opening words Unigenitus dei filius), a famous papal bull or Apostolic Constitution promulgated by Pope Clement XI, opened the final phase of the Jansenist controversy in France. ... 1757 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Vienna (German: Wien [viːn]) is the capital of Austria, and also one of Austrias nine federal states (Bundesland Wien). ... 1758 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... In 1589, the four French Secretaries of State became specialized, with one of the secretaries responsible for foreign affairs. ... The Seven Years War (1754 and 1756–1763) pitted Great Britain, Prussia and Hanover against France, Austria, Russia, Sweden, and Saxony. ... The status of Peer of France was held by the greatest and highest-ranking of the French nobility. ... The term duke is a title of nobility which refers to the sovereign male ruler of a Continental European duchy, to a nobleman of the highest grade of the British peerage, or to the highest rank of nobility in various other European countries, including Spain and France (in Italy, principe... This article or section should include material from France: Wars of Religion _ Bourbon Dynasty The House of Bourbon dates from at least the beginning of the 13th century, when the estate of Bourbon was ruled by a Lord, vassal of France. ...

Coming to power in the midst of the demoralization consequent upon the defeats of Rossbach and Crefeld, by boldness and energy he reformed and strengthened both army and navy, and although too late to prevent the loss of Canada and India, he developed French colonies in the Antilles and San Domingo, and added Corsica and Lorraine to the crown of France. His management of home affairs in general satisfied the philosophes. He allowed the Encyclopédie to be published, and brought about the banishment of the Jesuits and the temporary abolition of the order by Pope Clement IV. Krefeld is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... French Colonies is the name used by philatelists to refer to the postage stamps issued by France for use in the parts of the French colonial empire that did not have stamps of their own. ... The Antilles now generally refers to the islands of the Caribbean or West Indies, except the Bahamas. ... Saint-Domingue was a French colony from 1697 to 1804 that is today the independent nation of Haiti. ... This article is about the Mediterranean island. ... Capital Metz Area 23,547 km² Regional President Jean-Pierre Masseret Population  - 2005 estimate  - 1999 census  - Density 2,310,376 98/km² Arrondissements 19 Cantons 157 Communes 2,337 Départements Meurthe-et-Moselle Meuse Moselle Vosges Lorraine ( German: Lothringen) is a historical area in present-day northeast France. ... The Philosophes (French for Philosophers) were a group of French thinkers of the 18th century Enlightenment. ... Fig. ... The Suppression of the Jesuits in Portugal, France, the Two Sicilies, Parma and the Spanish Empire by 1767 was the effect of a series of political moves rather than a theological controversy. ... Clement IV, né Guy Foulques (d. ...

Choiseul's fall was caused by his action towards the Jesuits, and by his support of their opponent La Chalotais, and of the provincial parlements. After the death of Madame de Pompadour in 1764, his enemies, led by Madame du Barry and the chancellor Maupeou, were too strong for him, and in 1770 he was ordered to retire to his estate at Chanteloupe. The intrigues against him had, however, increased his popularity, which was already great, and during his retirement, which lasted until 1774, he lived in the greatest affluence and was visited by many eminent personages. Greatly to his disappointment Louis XVI did not restore him to his former position, although the king recalled him to Paris in 1774, when he died on May 8, 1785, leaving behind him a huge accumulation of debt which was scrupulously discharged by his widow. The Society of Jesus (Latin: Societas Iesu), commonly known as the Jesuits, is a Roman Catholic religious order. ... Louis-René de Caradeuc de La Chalotais (March 6, 1701, Rennes - July 12, 1785, Rennes) was a French jurist. ... Madame du Barry (August 19, 1743 - December 8, 1793) was a courtesan who became the mistress of Louis XV of France. ... René Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou (February 25, 1714 - July 29, 1792), chancellor of France, was the eldest son of René Charles de Maupeou (1688-1775), who was president of the parlement of Paris from 1743 to 1757. ... 1770 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1774 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Louis XVI Louis XVI (August 23, 1754 - January 21, 1793), was King of France and Navarre from 1774 until 1791, and then King of the French in 1791-1792. ...

Choiseul possessed both ability and diligence, and though lacking in tenacity he showed foresight and liberality in his direction of affairs. In appearance he was a short, ill-featured man, with a ruddy countenance and a sturdy frame. His Mémoires were written during his exile from Paris, and are merely detached notes upon different questions. Horace Walpole, in his Memoirs, gives a very vivid description of the duke's character, accuses him of exciting the war between Russia and Turkey in 1768 in order to be revenged upon the tsarina Catherine II, and says of his foreign policy, "he would project and determine the ruin of a country, but could not meditate a little mischief or a narrow benefit." " He dissipated the nation's wealth and his own; but did not repair the latter by plunder of the former," says the same writer, who in reference to Choiseul's private life asserts that "gallantry without delicacy was his constant pursuit." Choiseul's widow, a woman " in whom industrious malice could not find an imperfection," lived in retirement until her death on December 3, 1808. Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford, more commonly known as Horace Walpole, (September 24, 1717-March 2, 1797), was a politician, writer and forerunner of the Gothic revival. ... 1768 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... H.I.M. Ekaterina II Aleksejevna the Great, Empress and Autocrat of all the Russias Catherine II (Екатерина II Алексеевна: Yekaterína II Alekséyevna, April 21, 1729 - November 6, 1796), born Sophie Augusta Fredericka, known as Catherine the Great, reigned as empress of Russia from June 28, 1762, to her death...

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica. The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... The Eleventh Edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica ( 1911) in many ways represents the sum of knowledge at the beginning of the 20th century. ...