The Man with Six Faces | The Life & Times of Talleyrand 

I dont know who it was, but I loved the person who played Talleyrand in that 2002 Napoleon mini series. he was amazing. gave off this intelligent, but in it for his own feel.

@@midshipman8654 Oh yeah, he was great! I remember watching a few scenes from the show while I was researching

@@JackRackam yah, he has this quiet but disconcerting way about him that really stuck with me after watching it. The TV series itself is pretty long with a lot of characters, but Tallyrand himself specifically stayed with me for some reason.

@@JackRackam hello, I hate to be this person, but Luise of Prussia was dead when Napoleon was deposed, she never got to witness it unfortunately

I love magellan. You should have your own show on there honestly

This is brilliant

I'm dumb... so please explain the joke. especially the periodical part

@@alifkazeryu8228 A periodical is a newspaper or magazine that publishes new editions at regular intervals, in contrast with a regular book. The French constitution has been changed many times throughout history since they've had at least one constitutional monarchy and are currently on their fifth republic

@@JackRackam french constitution have been changed so often it's basically a newspaper.... thanks for the explanation! it really is clear cut now! never knew french have a hobby of overthrowing a government.

This is amazing, well done.

"Oh, good lord..."

it's like Gaullism "neither a doctrine nor a political ideology" but "a peculiarly French phenomenon"

So he is nationalist

@@timvanrijn8239 more like opportunist

and that's how people don't lose power

The History of Rome and Revolutions are the best historical audio production ever made imo

Mike Duncan is indeed awesome!

I was just about to comment something similar!😆

I learned about him through a mini-series on Napoléon. I think it was.made by HBO? I'll need to check the DVDs again to be sure.

Yeah Mike Duncan is great. The sub-episode on his life is absolutely fantastic.

I identify then

Only for him to walk in on another friend who's only a few drinks behind the first

@@JackRackam first, cool that you are replying. Second, yeah that sounds about right.

Talleyrands the dude who buys you beers then tells you to stop.

and sensibly pretends nothing happened (true story actually)

So its a tradition 😁

I thought bishops can't have kids

@@edsol335 They’re not supposed to, but that hasn’t stopped a great many of them throughout history

@@edsol335 well... they can have children before they got ordained as priesthood right?

@@ahm--yf4046 If you enter the service in your thirties, but most bishops enter in the youth

You said it.

I dont think talleyrand is obscure. You shouldve learned about him in high school

@@sherk3286 I’m from the UK. When I did history at school this wasn’t part of the curriculum.

@@happyChappy96621 i'm from the southeastern us and i learned about him in school Which maybe thats because I was doing AP classes

@@sherk3286 I did AP classes and I didn’t learn about him, but then again your teacher probably cared more about the French Revolution then mine, who cared a lot about colonial North America

The Scandinavians always seem to be the wildcard of history.

@@CollinMcLean At around the same time Sweden elected one of Napoleons generals as king, and he quickly saw where the wind was blowing and allied Sweden with England against France (and, conveniently, the recently weakened Denmark). His descendants rule Sweden to this day.

@@vde1846 I thought Sweden was a constutional Democracy?

@@CollinMcLean Constitutional Monarchy, but with all royal powers stripped; the king is 100% ceremonial, without even the powers of a British monarch.

@@vde1846 ah yes bernadotte , the anakin of the napleonic wars

Never before in my life had I heard a historical era for a nation referred to as an anime arc...I love it. Well said sir.

It 's true

Talleyrand was a decisive man who could make quick, and correct, decisions in a crisis. He also had a profound understanding of the uses of Time (which he always capitalised in writing the word!) and the wisdom of patience. Though he had many ideas ahead of their time, he was disciplined enough to "put them on the back burner" until a better moment, if initial presentation showed people weren't ready for them. Few inventors, philosophers or politicians are as canny as he! That said, he keenly studyed the zeitgeist to get his political timing-- & policy reversals-- right. And his envious enemies said he was "lucky" in his timing. . . . !

He's kinda like the politics version of napoleon but much smarter

"Have you heard the tragedy of Napoleon the Great, it a story Europe will not tell you" - Talleyrand

I dont know anything abot the "Brie cheese" but the merde de la bas de soie yes but his friend Lannes said it first actually...... so out Emperor thought it was ok to tell it to Talley face to face a few years later

Already done

Funny thing: Talleyrand's illegitimate grandson Count de Morny (who married a beautiful Russian princess) was Napoleon III's able and versatile, foreign minister; who like his grandsire was a talented businessman, good at making money on the side, although he did it legally. (By that time there were laws against insider trading and stock-jobbing; and taking bribes in the second Empire was considered bad form, even if not illegal.)

I was looking for this comment.

Yes, it was mostly defensive. In the case of Russia, he wanted his frenemy/man crush Alexander to stop selling grain to the English.

@@thenablade858 it was also because Russia was about to attack him. He really invaded only in Spain (although, you could argue he was just replacing a french dynasty with another french dynasty)

He is my great....great grand father. My favourite story is when he had pledged allegience to Louis XVIII,louis said" Monsieur Talleyrand has pledged allegience to many people before'',Talleyrand replied''I believe you are the thirteenth sire,I wish you greater success than all the others''.

Marquis de Sade too...

his ability to control his own emotions was something else

@@niepamietam2142 He was called "sphinx in a powdered wig" and it drove Napoleon (who could not control his own temper) wild that he could never ruffle Tallelyrand's studied calm no matter how Napoleon ranted. Talleyrand and Fouché (head of the secret police) were the only two of Napoleon's ministers who weren't afraid of him.

But he seems to have had, beneath it all, a genuine sweetness of character and a kind heart which he took care to hide beneath the icy persona he cultivated. He never defended himself from charges of venality and pragmatically working for "regime change" when it benefited France. His old mistresses, and his foreign office clerks, and his house servants adored him. He was fond of children and dogs. And loved giving dinner parties, to which he invited enemies as well as friends.

@@niepamietam2142 His other nickname was "the Sphinx" because when he was in professional mode his face never revealed his emotions. (He won at cards a lot.)

Talleyrand was actually much closer to Hamilton than Burr. He just stayed in his house because it was a bit bigger and more convenient. But when Burr killed Hamilton and run to France for safety, Talleyrand refused to give him shelter, saying (and I quote) : "You killed the man whose portrait I have hanged above my fireplace."

@@G_Okr Was it normal to just hang large oil paintings of your homies in your house back in the day? Or was there something more?

@@bookfanatic8329 well, it's not like they had photographs. Paintings were pretty much the only way a person or a moment in history could be visually remembered. Being a painter was a very profitable job back then. I imagine the duo got drunk one night, crashed in a random house (probably Burr's) and the next morning were like: -"I had a blast bro" -"We should get some portraits done to remember each other bro!" -"I could never forget you even if I tried bro..." -"Bro ..."

@@G_Okr and then they kissed

@@thomastakesatollforthedark2231 And they were roommates

He was unloved and devalued by his impoverished parents in childhood because he was a cripple; It was often said that he was ice-cold, and though charming and witty, he never really loved anyone, and though gifted and brilliant as politician, was always short of money. However disciplining himself to an iron self-control, hiding his emotions behind a sphinx like inscrutability was a mask he adopted from childhood to keep from being hurt. Despite his club-foot, he was notoriously attractive to women. He was also, of course, a legendary womaniser. "He believed that power and intelligence were the perfume of courtship and he wielded them with deadly charm" (--Simon Schama). To his own surprise, at age 62 he fell genuinely in love with Dorothea, his niece-by-(unhappy) marriage, the 22 year-old Dutchess of Dino, who was a political genius in her own right. They adored each other and despite occasional outside lovers, were soul-mates and companions to the end of Talleyrand's long life. He said she was the most intelligent person he had ever met, and he knew many brilliant men. She out lived him by several years, and nearing her own death, the beautiful and brilliant Dutchess asked that her heart be buried in Talleyrand's tomb; and expressed her longing and hope that they would be reunited after death. 💔

Pope Pius VII, while in Paris "kidnapped" by Napoleon for his Coronation, was visited by Talleyrand frequently to try to run interference between the crude manners of Napoleon and to make the Pope's life easier if he could. Always the elegantly correct courtier, and genuinely gracious and hospitable, even his enemies admitted that Talleyrand was charming company. The Pope was under no. illusions about Talleyrand's many mistresses, but he said, "God keep him, one cannot but like Monsieur Talleyrand."

Despite being a wily and often ruthless politician, Talleyrand was the soul of courtesy was personally a kind and thoughtful man. (His employees at the Foreign Office, and the servants of his household adored him.) For the sake of French culture and standards, Talleyrand tried to keep the Corsican Napoleon from being too crude and nasty to the Pope, or at least counteract his boorishness. Napoleon was an educated man, and could turn on the charm when it suited him; but he said more than once that "Good taste was a waste of time."

Despite his many mistresses, he wasn't really a "womaniser".. He admired and respected intelligent women, preferred their company and conversation to men, and astonishingly kept most of his former lovers as cherished and lifelong friends. He was deeply humanitarian and understanding of human nature. A friend visited him and found him in genuine distress, holding the letter with news of his estranged wife's lover's death. "What shall she do now?' Prince Talleyrand said. "He was a man of prudent good sense; she has no sense at all, and now how shall she manage her finances?" (though the sardonic Talleyrand had named his dog "Carlos" after the Spanish Duke) Talleyrand had given her use of a house for life, and paid her a regular pension, until she died one. year before he did.

Yes; but Fouche died penniless, alone, and in misery. Talleyrand, perfect courtier to the end, died rich, beloved, and his deathbed was a social event in the best possible taste.

"a pity such a great man is so ill-bred " was the answer.

It was Brie -- he said Brie was the king of cheeses. (Parmesan is Italian!)

@@adrianjohnson7920 I fully agree with that!

Replace Bismarck with Castlereagh, Bismarck only cared about cautiously advancing German power, not european peace

@@oaa-ff8zj Yeah, peace is hardly relevant to historical importance. Besides, Bismarck literally formed one of the most important entities in all of European history and was pretty impressive. Castlereagh was a good statesman who was instrumental in the coalitions but he didn’t have anywhere near the amount of influence as Bismarck. Also, he didn’t care about peace either- he wanted to beat up France as much as Bismarck.

@@christianwhittall5889 to be fair, most of Europe didn't care about peace and wanted to beat someone else. Oddly enough France was that someone else a lot of the time

There are many excellent ones, but unfortunately they are all in French.

He loved to relax playing Whist to the small hours, and sleep late the next morning. He might have had a gambling problem, except he usually won. Whist is more a game of skill than chance; it is the forerunner of modern contract Bridge, and a laser focus strategising on what has been played would have come easily to a a man who, knowing political news from the foreign office before the general public, would tell his whist-player friend and "man of business" Montrond to go down and speculate successfully on currency exchange rates or the stock market. One of his guests once asked Talleyrand what the basis of their relationship was. He replied, "I like M. Montrond because he has so few scruples." Montrond smiled and added, "I like M. Talleyrand because he has no scruples at all." 😆

It's called that because local tradition says Talleyrand spent 2 of his 4 years of low-profile exile from the Reign of Terror in that area.

Henry Kissinger did, (wrote his Doctoral Dissertation on Metternich, but spent as much study on Talleyrand) and you see how well he learned from them, although Talleyrand was smarter and more skilful than Kissinger.

@@adrianjohnson7920 Kissinger was also fascinating by Richelieux. He write many discourse on him .He call him the firs man of state (homme d'état). But maybe the best diplomat and "homme d'état" in France at this time was not Richlieux but his successor,the italien genius Mazarin.

@@nicolasmassoulier6116 When unhappy teen-aged Maurice Talleyrand was placed by his parents at San Sulpice Seminary, he spent his spare time in the library reading about the careers of France's great clergymen-statesman Cardinals Fleury, Richelieu, and Mazarin. In his memoirs, Talleyrand records that he spent solitary hours at Richelieu's tomb in the chapel there, resting his lame foot on the step of that monument, as he pondered his future as an unwilling priest and bishop. . . . Though laicised, Talleyrand would eventually be the last in that ancient-regime tradition of genius clergy-statesmen; then transition to be (briefly, at the 1815 restoration) first Prime Minister of post-Napoleonic France.

Yes, and he straight-faced arranged that a couple of domestic black pigs be released in his park for Napoleon to kill as "wild boar." Napoleon thought he was going to a wild forest where he could "go hunting" and instead, it was a large landscaped park and the servants and footmen could scarcely keep from laughing at Napoleon's strenuous efforts in "the hunt" .

One of his women friends told him, 'God gave you the options of being either a snake or a tiger -- you chose to be an anaconda."

Or on General Tomas-Alexandre Dumas.

Modern historians agree that Talleyrand was a pragmatic intellectual who channeled his genius into the field of politics and never made the mistake of being an ideologue. He developed (often recruiting intelligent women) his own network / sources of international intelligence, he was continually analysing the political trends and motives of his friends and enemies across Europe and even America. Agile, and versatile, he could usually react wisely to sudden crises because he never forgot the big picture or the long game. He was good at what we now call "systems analysis" His ability to understand economics, social trends, to read men, diplomatically coax them to do his will, and patient attention made him ready to weather unexpected setbacks or seize opportunity. Strategising for all possible outcomes made him extraordinarily able to think ahead of the zeitgeist towards the ultimate goal of a peaceful and economically stable France in a peaceful and economically stable Europe. He personally cultivated patience, control of his emotions, the ability to remain calm in crisis, and an unreadable, courteous manner so that no one ever knew what he was thinking.

They totally existed before.

@@pierren___ Yes they did. But it was Talleyrand who 'modernized' the job to a form that we are familiar with, more or less. Actually now that I think about it, a lot of things that we take for granted in the modern nation - state (national armies, intelligence agencies etc.) were modernized in Napoleonic France.

@@CG-yq2xy yes totally.

…Idk if attributing the diplomatic language of the world being french solely to talyrad is fair. French was already the lingua franca of europe before talyrand was on the scene. Of course he didnt hurt French’s standing at all, but it was already there

France was the lingua franca of diplomacy hundreds of years before Talleyrand was born lmao.

So damn cool. Negotiating with God up to the last minute before he signs the recantation that gets the old sinner into Heaven😇 (though possibly with a long spell in Purgatory first) as he told his devoted niece, "I have never hurried, but always arrive on time"

As another politician said of him, "How can you not love a man with so many elegant vices?"

Are you talking about the French serie played with Christian Clavier as Napeoleon. If so, if I remember right , Talleyrand was played by John Malkovitch

@@GuillaumeZahra yah, thats the guy, thanks for the name, really good actor.

The appalled ministers who witnessed this public humiliation said that Prince Talleyrand, leaning with one hand on a small table ( he found it painful to stand for long because of his club foot, but did it anyway) stood motionless by the fireplace as Napoleon humiliated him in the coarsest language. Talleyrand endured it in silence, his face impassive, never moving a muscle until the meeting was over. Talleyrand's Olympian cool (result of life-long self-discipline concealing his emotions) drove Napoleon wild. Later, reclining on her couch to rest his aching leg, he described the incident to one of his women friends in her salon. The lady was outraged on his behalf, and said if it had been her, she would have picked up the fireplace poker and brained Napoleon as he spoke. Talleyrand with an ironic smile, said that "The thought had crossed his mind, but that he was too indolent to waste the effort on him."

@@adrianjohnson7920 what a fucking legend

😄 thank you kindly!

Why so ? They are nice antipodes, so this is quite normal !

During his lifetime, he wasn't that appreciated in France; however during his 4 year posting as French Ambassador in London in his 70's, he was greatly esteemed and popular in England, as both Political parties, and the general public appreciated that whatever his personal faults, he was a cooly courageous visionary statesman who worked for a stable and Prosperous France in a peaceful and stable Europe. AND he negotiated the "Entente cordiale" which ended centuries of English-French enmity, into the modern alliance we have today. Talleyrand was deeply touched at the warm tributes the English gave him near the end of his life. He had a lifelong admiration for England's constitutional monarchy and the workings of Parliament. Additionally, during his posting there, he helped negotiate the founding of the modern and neutral state of Belgium, and negotiated that France should also be signatory to the Quadruple Alliance.

@@adrianjohnson7920 pretty much a reverse of what happened to Otto von Bismarck where he was loved by Germans all across Germany during his lifetime but as the centuries passed that became less so Meanwhile in the US he became exceptionally well liked after his lifetime despite the fact he had no lasting legacy or history in the US

@@rejvaik00We value strength, intelligence, and transparency.

@@rejvaik00 He did leave at least one illigimate child in Philadellphia -- many years later a Philadelphia Quaker recorded in his diary that although Talleyrand was powerful, rich and internationally famous, he faithfully sent money to the daughter of a poor woman to raise the child she bore him. Talleyrand genuinely loved children and the idea of family, though his scandalous marriage to his mistress, a semi-retired courtesan was 1) childless, 2) regarded as invalid by the Church as he was still a bishop, though laicisized. It is thought that although Napoleon forced him to marry, Talleyrand consented so that he could adopt their love child "the mysterious Charlotte" born before their marriage. He married Charlotte to his 1st cousin to give her the Talleyrand name, and they lived with him in his Paris mansion where they raised 4 children. By that time he had pensioned off his unsuitable wife (probably the only woman who didn't love him) , and was living with his current mistress the Duchess of Courland, (mother of his -niece-by-marriage Dorothy, who after the Congress of Vienna also became his mistress. )

Talleyrand was always the smartest guy in the room, and top cat (pulling strings from the sidelines) in any dog-fight.

And live!

And then make a profit by selling the iceberg as fresh drinking water to Dubai.

Makes me happy to still see comments like this ☺️

Despite being lame with a club-foot, the elegant and handsome Talleyrand was attractive to women well past middle age. Not least because he liked them with big brains. . . He was whispered by his elderly fan-club of aristocratic former mistresses (who all knew each other) to be a "suave & gentle lover", whose pillow-talk afterward was of books and politics. 💕💓💘

Alexander was probably bipolar. Whenever Alexander acted rationally, it was because he was taking Talleyrand's advice.

and taxe beard

@@maximeperez-raymond3346 why have a beard when you can have a fabulous mustache

@@alejandrokaplan7243 a clash between mehmet ali pasha'beard and napoleon 3'mustache.

Wasn't just a meal -- he threw a party with cold meats and wine to mark the occasions. And the day he performed that 1st anniversary Mass for the fall of the Bastille, afterward he went to 3 gambling houses and broke the bank at all of them, and after stuffing his pockets with cash, walked home with his hat filled with money. All his life he liked to gamble at whist, and could have been said to have a gambling problem except that he usually won. He had laser concentration and apparently was a scientific player.