Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes

Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes (December 20, 1717—February 13, 1787) was a French statesman and diplomat. Image File history File links Charles_Gravier,_Comte_de_Vergennes. ... Image File history File links Charles_Gravier,_Comte_de_Vergennes. ... Look up Count in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Countess redirects here. ... December 20 is the 354th day of the year (355th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... // Events January 4 — The Netherlands, Britain & France sign Triple Alliance February 26-March 6 What is now the northeastern United States was paralyzed by a series of blizzards that buried the region. ... February 13 is the 44th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1787 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

Biography

Born in Dijon, France, he was introduced to the profession of diplomacy by his uncle, Théodore Chevignard de Chavigny, under whom he obtained his first appointment, to Portugal. His successful advocacy of French interests as envoy to the Electorate of Trier, in 1750, and the following years led to his being sent to the Ottoman Empire in 1755, first as minister plenipotentiary, then as ambassador. In 1768, he was recalled, ostensibly because he married the widow Anne Duvivier,^[1] (1730-1798), but really because the Duc de Choiseul thought him not competent enough to provoke a war between Imperial Russia and the Ottomans. After Choiseul's dismissal, he was sent to Sweden with instructions to help the pro-French party of The Hats with advice and money. The coup by which King Gustav III secured power (August 19, 1772) was a major diplomatic triumph for France. Dijon ( ) is a city in eastern France, the préfecture (administrative capital) of the Côte-dOr département and of the Bourgogne région. ... The Archbishopric of Trier was one of the important ecclesiastical principalities of the Holy Roman Empire. ... now. ... The system of diplomatic rank has over time been formalised on an international basis. ... An ambassador, rarely embassador, is a diplomatic official accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization, to serve as the official representative of his or her own country. ... Étienne-François, duc de Choiseul, French diplomat and statesman Étienne-François, duc de Choiseul (June 28, 1719 — May 8, 1785) was a French statesman. ... Imperial Russia is the term used to cover the period of history from the expansion of Russia under Peter the Great, through the expansion of the Russian Empire from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean, to the deposal of Nicholas II of Russia, the last tsar, at the start... The Hats is the name given to a political faction during the Age of Liberty (1719-1772) in Sweden. ... This is a list of Swedish monarchs, that is, the Kings and ruling Queens of Sweden with Regents and Viceroys of the Kalmar Union up until the present time. ... Gustav III (13 January 1746 (O.S.) (24 January 1746 (N.S.))–March 29, 1792) was King of Sweden from 1771 until his death. ... August 19 is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Catherine IIs soldiers in the Russo-Turkish War, by Alexandre Benois. ...

With the accession of King Louis XVI, Vergennes became foreign minister. His general policy was one of friendly relations with the Habsburg Monarchy, combined with the limitation of the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II's ambitious designs, together with the protection of the Ottoman Empire and opposition to the Kingdom of Great Britain. Coronation of Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile at Reims in 1223; a miniature from the Grandes Chroniques de France, painted in the 1450s, kept at the National Library of France The monarchs of France ruled, first as kings and later as emperors, from the Middle Ages to 1848. ... Louis XVI of France Louis XVI (23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was King of France and Navarre from 1774 until 1791, and then King of the French from 1791 to 1792. ... In 1589, the four French Secretaries of State became specialized, with one of the secretaries responsible for foreign affairs. ... The Habsburg Monarchy, often called Austrian Monarchy or simply Austria, are the territories ruled by the Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg, and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine, between 1526 and 1867/1918. ... The Holy Roman Emperor was, with some variation, the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, the predecessor of modern Germany, during its existence from the 10th century until its collapse in 1806. ... Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II Joseph II (Josef Benedict August Johannes Anton Michel Adam) (March 13, 1741 – February 20, 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right)1 Capital London Head of State King of Great Britain Head of Government Prime Minister Parliament House of Commons, House of Lords The Kingdom of Great Britain, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain (see below), was...

His rivalry with the British, and his desire to avenge the disasters of the Seven Years' War, led to his support of the Thirteen Colonies in the American War of Independence, a step which would help bring about the French Revolution of 1789. Vergennes sought by a series of negotiations to secure the armed neutrality of the Northern European states, eventually carried out by Catherine II of Russia; at the same time, Vergennes approved of the Pierre Beaumarchais's support for secret French assistance, as arms and volunteers supplied to the Americans. In 1777, he informed the Thirteen Colonies' commissioners that France acknowledged the United States, and was willing to form an offensive and defensive alliance with the new state.Vergennes also encouraged Louis XVI to sponsor expeditions to indochina which laid the building blocks of the French invasion during the next century. Combatants Prussia Great Britain Hanover Ireland Portugal Brunswick Hesse-Kassel Austria France Russia Sweden Spain Saxony The Seven Years War (1754 and 1756–1763), some of the theatres of which are called the Pomeranian War and the French and Indian War (see below), was a war in the mid-18th... It has been suggested that Colonial America be merged into this article or section. ... The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), also known as the American War of Independence, was a war fought primarily between Great Britain and revolutionaries within thirteen of her North American colonies. ... The French Revolution (1789–1799) was a pivotal period in the history of French, European and Western civilization. ... Catherine II of Russia Catherine II of Russia, called the Great (Russian: Екатерина II Великая (Yekaterina II Velikaya), 2 May 1729 - 17 November [O.S. 6 November] 1796), born Sophie Augusta Frederike of Anhalt-Zerbst) — sometimes referred to as an epitome of the enlightened despot — reigned as Empress of Russia for more... [[Image:Beaumarchais. ...

In domestic affairs Vergennes remained a conservative, carrying out intrigues to have Jacques Necker removed - he regarded Necker as a dangerous innovator, a republican, a foreigner and a Protestant. In 1781, he became chief of the council of finance, and, in 1783, he supported the nomination of Charles Alexandre de Calonne as Controller-General. Vergennes died just before the meeting of the Assembly of Notables which he is said to have suggested to Louis XVI. This article deals with conservatism as a political philosophy. ... Jacques Necker Jacques Necker (September 30, 1732 – April 9, 1804) was a French statesman and finance minister of Louis XVI. // Early life Necker was Geneva, Switzerland. ... It has been suggested that Républicanisme be merged into this article or section. ... Protestantism is one of three primary branches of Christianity. ... Charles Alexandre de Calonne, portrait by Marie Louise Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun. ... This page is a list of French finance ministers. ... The Assembly of Notables was an assembly convened on 1787-02-22 by Charles Alexandre de Calonne, the minister of finance of France. ...

Notes

The city and arrondissement of Chambéry in Savoie, France, has been the historical capital of Savoy since the 13th century, when Amadeus V of Savoy made it his seat. ... The Latin Empire, Empire of Nicaea, Empire of Trebizond and the Despotate of Epirus. ... Beyoğlu is a neighborhood located in İstanbul, Turkey, separated from the old city by the Golden Horn. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ...

References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. In turn, it cites as references:
  • P. Fauchelle, La Diplomatie française et la Ligue des neutres 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 a Constantinople (Paris, 1894) and Le Chevalier de Vergennes, son ambassade en Suède (Paris, 1898).
• 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.
• A. Gautier, "Anne Duvivier, comtesse de Vergennes (1730-1798), ambassadrice de France à Constantinople", in Le Bulletin, Association des anciens élèves, Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO), November 2005, pp.43-60.