Étienne-François de Choiseul | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Choiseul byLouis-Michel van Loo | |
| First Minister of State | |
| In office 3 December 1758 – 24 December 1770 | |
| Monarch | Louis XV |
| Preceded by | André-Hercule de Fleury (1743) |
| Succeeded by | René Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou |
| Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of France | |
| In office 3 December 1758 – 13 October 1761 | |
| Monarch | Louis XV |
| First Minister of State | Himself |
| Preceded by | François-Joachim de Pierre de Bernis |
| Succeeded by | César Gabriel de Choiseul |
| In office 10 April 1766 – 24 December 1770 | |
| Monarch | Louis XV |
| First Minister of State | Himself |
| Preceded by | César Gabriel de Choiseul |
| Succeeded by | Louis Phélypeaux |
| Secretary of State for War of France | |
| In office 27 January 1761 – 24 December 1770 | |
| Monarch | Louis XV |
| First Minister of State | Himself |
| Preceded by | Charles Louis Auguste Fouquet |
| Succeeded by | Louis Phélypeaux |
| Secretary of State for the Navy of France | |
| In office 15 October 1761 – 10 April 1766 | |
| Monarch | Louis XV |
| First Minister of State | Himself |
| Preceded by | Nicolas René Berryer |
| Succeeded by | Nicolas René Berryer |
| Ambassador of the Kingdom of France to the Archduchy of Austria | |
| In office 1757–1758 | |
| Monarch | Louis XV |
| Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | François-Joachim de Pierre de Bernis |
| Preceded by | Louis Charles César Le Tellier |
| Succeeded by | César Gabriel de Choiseul |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1719-06-28)28 June 1719 |
| Died | 8 May 1785(1785-05-08) (aged 65) |
| Residence(s) | Château de Chanteloup,Touraine |
| Awards |  Order of the Holy Spirit Order of the Golden Fleece |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | France |
| Branch/service | French Royal Army |
| Years of service | 1740–1770 |
| Rank | Lieutenant general |
| Battles/wars | Russo-Turkish War War of the Austrian Succession Seven Years' War |
Lieutenant-GeneralÉtienne François de Choiseul, Duke of Choiseul,KOHS,OGF (28 June 1719 – 8 May 1785) was aFrench Royal Army officer, diplomat and statesman. From 1758 to 1761 and again from 1766 to 1770, he served asForeign Minister of France and had a strong influence on France's global strategy throughout the period. Choiseul is closely associated withFrance's defeat in the Seven Years' War and subsequent efforts to rebuild French prestige.
The eldest son ofFrançois Joseph de Choiseul, marquis de Stainville (1700–1770),[1] Étienne François was born inNancy, the capital of theDuchy of Lorraine where his father was one of the leading advisors to theDuke of Lorraine who ruled an independentFrench-speaking state with close cultural and political links with France.[citation needed] At birth, he bore the title ofcomte de Stainville.[1] In 1737,Francis Stephen of Lorraine (the futureHoly Roman Emperor Francis I) was pressured into giving up Lorraine and becoming ruler ofTuscany in Italy. Realising that continued loyalty to the House of Lorraine would limit his opportunities, Étienne François transferred his allegiance to France.[2]
After gaining experience during theAustro-Turkish War,[2] the comte de Stainville entered the French army, and during theWar of the Austrian Succession served inBohemia (1741) and inItaly (1744), where he distinguished himself at theBattle of Coni.[1] He was also present at theBattle of Dettingen in Germany and carried news of the French defeat there to Paris.[3] He had been appalled by what he had witnessed of the French forces at Dettingen, particularly what he later described as their "indifference and ignorance", and his experiences motivated his later reforms of the French military, wherePierre Victor, Baron de Besenval, played a key role.[4][5]
From 1745 to 1748, he was with the army in theLow Countries and was present at the sieges ofMons,Charleroi andMaastricht.[1] He attained the rank oflieutenant-general and, in 1750, marriedLouise Honorine Crozat, daughter ofLouis François Crozat, marquis du Châtel (died 1750), who brought her husband her share of the large fortune of her grandfatherAntoine Crozat as well as his brotherPierre's grandHôtel Crozat on the rue de Richelieu, and proved a most devoted wife.[1][6]
Choiseul gained the favour ofMadame de Pompadour by procuring for her letters that KingLouis XV had written to his cousin's wife, Charlotte-Rosalie de Romanet, comtesse de Choiseul-Baupré, with whom the king had formerly had an intrigue;[1] and after a short time asbailli of theVosges, he was given the appointment of ambassador toRome in 1753, where he was entrusted with the negotiations concerning the disturbances called forth by thepapal bullUnigenitus. He acquitted himself skillfully in this task, and, in 1757, his patroness obtained his transfer toVienna, where he was instructed to cementthe new alliance between France andAustria. He was one of the principal authors of theSecond Treaty of Versailles, signed in May 1757, which pledged the two states to a combined war in Germany againstPrussia.[1]
His success in Vienna opened the way to a larger career in 1758, when he supplantedCardinal de Bernis asminister for foreign affairs and so largely had the direction of French foreign and military policy during theSeven Years' War.[1] In 1759, he planned an ambitiousinvasion of Britain which was halted by French naval defeats at theBattle of Lagos and theBattle of Quiberon Bay. His other major plan to achieve victory in 1759 was an attack onHanover, which was thwarted by the French defeat at theBattle of Minden. Between 1759 and 1762, further French moves into Germany were unsuccessful, including theBattle of Villinghausen.[citation needed]
He was then made apeer of France and createdduc de Choiseul. Although from 1761 to 1766, his cousinCésar Gabriel de Choiseul,duc de Praslin, was minister for foreign affairs, Choiseul continued to control the policy of France until 1770 and held most of the other important offices of state at the time. As author of thePacte de Famille, he sought to retrieve the disastrous results of the alliance with Austria by an alliance with the SpanishHouse of Bourbon, but his action came too late. His vigorous policy in other departments of state was not, however, fruitless.[1]
Coming to power during the demoralization after the defeats ofRossbach andKrefeld, by boldness and energy he reformed and strengthened both army and navy, and, although too late to prevent the loss ofCanada andIndia, he developedFrench colonies in theAntilles andSan Domingo. His management of home affairs in general satisfied thephilosophes. He allowed theEncyclopédie to be published and brought about thebanishment of the Jesuits and the temporary abolition of the order byPope Clement XIV.[1]
In the years following the 1763Treaty of Paris, Choiseul attempted to rebuild the French military. Alarmed by theBritish victory in the Seven Years' War and the upset in theEuropean balance of power that followed, he tried to secure continued Spanish support for a future war of revenge against Britain and drew up a number of plans for an invasion of Britain. In an effort to compensate for French territorial losses, he addedCorsica andLorraine to the crown of France. He directed theFrench conquest of Corsica. He also oversaw a failed scheme to settleGuiana.[7] By the late 1760s Choiseul was concerned by the growing strength of Russia around theBaltic Sea fearing that Britain was behind it. He believed they were planning a "northern league" against France. To counter this he hoped to depose or severely weaken the power ofCatherine the Great by encouraging theOttoman Empire to attack Russia.[8]
However, Choiseul's fall was caused by his action against theJesuits and by his support of their opponentLa Chalotais, and of the provincialparlements. After the death of Madame de Pompadour in 1764, his enemies, incorporating the King's new mistress,Madame du Barry, in their plots, and the chancellorMaupeou, were too strong for him.[1] He had supported his sisterBéatrix de Choiseul-Stainville, in her attempt to succeed Madame de Pompadour as the king's mistress, which placed him in opposition to Madame du Barry.[9] In an attempt to boost the Austrian alliance, Choiseul was an advocate of the marriage between theDauphin, the futureLouis XVI, and the archduchessMarie Antoinette, a daughter of the Holy Roman EmpressMaria Theresa and theEmperor Francis I. Choiseul considered the marriage a personal triumph and believed it would cement his position of power.[citation needed]
In 1770, adispute between Britain and Spain over theFalkland Islands threatened to flare into open warfare. As part of his long-term strategy to overturn what he perceived as British hegemony, Choiseul strongly supported Spain and mobilised the French military in preparation for war. Louis XV, who sought peace after the wars that had dominated much of his reign, was angry when he discovered that.[10] At the height of the Falkland Crisis in 1770, Choiseul was dismissed and ordered to retire to his country estate, theChâteau de Chanteloup. The crisis was then settled peacefully by Britain and Spain.[citation needed]
_-_Presumed_Portrait_of_the_Duc_de_Choiseul_and_Two_Companions_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg)
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 figures.[1] He was succeeded aschief minister of France byEmmanuel-Armand de Richelieu, duc d'Aiguillon whose foreign policy was similar to that of Choiseul. D'Aiguillon favoured a moreabsolute monarchy than Choiseul did, and was strongly connected to the faction grouped around Madame Du Barry.[11] Choiseul enjoyed widespread popularity and many people came to bid him farewell, as a gesture of support, as he prepared to leave Paris for his Chanteloup estate.[citation needed] In 1771, he participated in the unsuccessful attempt to arrange a secret marriage between the king andAlbertine-Elisabeth Pater in order to depose Madame du Barry.[12]
Greatly to Choiseul's disappointment,Louis XVI did not restore him to his former position although the king allowed him to come back to Paris in 1774. Choiseul died in his private residence, theHôtel Delaunay, in Paris, on 8 May 1785 and was buried in Chanteloup. He left a huge accumulation of debts, which was scrupulously discharged by his widow.[1] Choiseul's widow, a woman "in whom industrious malice could not find an imperfection",[13] lived in retirement until her death, on 3 December 1801.[13]
Choiseul possessed both ability and diligence, and though lacking in tenacity, he showed foresight and liberality in his direction of affairs.[citation needed] In appearance he was a short, ill-featured man, with a ruddy countenance and a sturdy frame. HisMémoires were written during his exile in Chanteloup, and are merely detached notes upon different questions.[1]
English writerHorace Walpole, in hisMemoirs, gives a vivid description of the duke's character, accuses him of having caused theRusso-Turkish War (1768–1774), as a revenge on TsarinaCatherine 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". In reference to Choiseul's private life, Walpole asserts that "gallantry without delicacy was his constant pursuit".[14]
Choiseul was interested in music, theatre, and art. He created one of the most important collections of paintings in France and was a generous patron of many French artists. The items in his collection are known with some accuracy because of two important visual records: first, asnuffbox, often referred to as the 'Choiseul box', with five miniature paintings (1770–1771) byLouis-Nicolas van Blarenberghe, depicting the interior of his Paris residence, theHôtel de Choiseul on theRue de Richelieu; and second, a 1771 catalog of his collection with engravings created byPierre-François Basan.[15]
Choiseul's collection of paintings mainly consisted ofDutch,Flemish, andFrench pictures, and included eight works byRembrandt (for example, theFinding of Moses,Philadelphia Museum of Art),Jacob van Ruisdael'sShore at Egmond aan Zee (National Gallery, London),Gerard ter Borch'sWoman Playing a Theorbo to Two Men (National Gallery, London),Philips Wouwerman'sStag Hunt (Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg),Claude Lorrain'sMercury and Io (National Gallery, Dublin),Louis Le Nain'sForge (Louvre, Paris),Jean-Baptiste Greuze'sGirl with a Dog (Upton House, Warwickshire) andSacrifice to Love (Wallace Collection, London),Joseph Vernet'sRock Arch (Musée des Beaux-Arts, Nîmes),Hubert Robert'sEgyptian Palace by the Sea (Musée des Beaux-Arts,Dunkirk) andJoseph-Marie Vien'sGreek Girl at the Bath (Museo de Arte, Ponce).[16]
Choiseul also owned a large number of engraved views of France (including works byClaude Chastillon,Israel Silvestre,Albert Flamen, andReinier Nooms) and one of the most famous pieces ofFrench furniture of the 18th century, a desk later owned byTalleyrand,Franz von Wolff-Metternich, andEdmond Adolphe de Rothschild, that has been attributed to theébénisteAntoine Gaudreau and the bronze-chaserJacques Caffieri.[16]
Choiseul Island, the largest island of theSolomon Islands is named after him.
Choiseul Sound, a major inlet onEast Falkland is named after him.
Choiseul appears in the 1934 filmMadame du Barry where he is played byHenry O'Neill.
Choiseul appears in the 2006 filmMarie Antoinette, directed bySofia Coppola, where he is played byJean-Christophe Bouvet.
Attribution:
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Choiseul, Étienne François".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 6 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 261–262.
Media related toÉtienne François de Choiseul at Wikimedia Commons| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs 1758–1761 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Secretary of State for War 1761–1770 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Secretary of State for the Navy 1761–1766 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs 1766–1770 | Succeeded by |
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