Napoleon's Master: A Life of Prince Talleyrand

by David Lawday

Born into the high aristocracy, where rank meant more than wealth, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord was to become one of the great politicians of all time. His early career in politics was marked with a liberal who saw the need to curb the powers of the monarchy, Talleyrand fled from France when the violence of the revolution turned extreme in 1792, first to England and then to the United States. It was not until his return to France after the dust had settled in 1796 that his star would begin to rise in earnest. First, he was appointed Foreign Minister. In this position, he aligned himself with the charismatic general who would become Emperor of Napoleon Bonaparte. In the course of the next three decades, Talleyrand would prove himself perhaps the most adept politician of all his political pliability allowed him to survive the fall of Bonaparte and the consequent second Bourbon restoration. He was in the shadow of power in Europe through more upheaval than perhaps any other person of his generation. Napoleon’s Master is a riveting portrait of an eternally fascinating man.

Genres: Biography, History, France, Nonfiction, French Revolution, European History, Politics

400 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

David Lawday is a native of London, educated there and at Oxford. He is a writer and journalist who was a correspondent for twenty years with The Economist. He is now based in Paris where his son and daughter grew up and where he lives with his French wife.

Reviews

[Alex Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This mythic figure has held my fascination for a long time. Lawday certainly shares this view, describing various reactions to Talleyrand often, including his lack of emotional display and his concise verbializations, his zingers. What's of interest with Talleyrand isn't his ambition, but that he was the master statesman who preserved Europe. In a way, Talleyrand prevented a kind of "second world war" with France in a way that after WW1, the victors were unable to do with Germany. Talleyrand certainly had the scope of vision to work on maintaining a peace of nations, something that is lacking with those who only think for themselves and their own.

Lawday has good pacing. At all times he keeps attention on the Talleyrand myth, telling us of Talleyrand's contact with women, his emotional state and so on. If you have a hackering for learning about this mysterious man who has left his mark on Europe despite (or perhaps because of) Napoleon's shadow, this is the book for you.

[Olivier Pasquier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Biographie intéressante de Talleyrand qui dresse un portrait exhaustif du personnage.

Toutefois, l'analyse sur Napoléon est décevante et sombre dans les clichés que l'on retrouve régulièrement chez les historiens britanniques : Napoléon, le tyran sanguinaire qui a sauvagement conquis l'Europe.

Cette Biographie qui explore la relation complexe entre Napoléon et Talleyrand à un côté : l'ange blanc Talleyrand, l'idéaliste et humaniste qui ne prend que de bonnes décisions, face au tyran Napoléon qui prend systématiquement de mauvaises décisions.

Les premiers chapitres évoquant la Révolution sont toutefois intéressants et permettent de comprendre le positionnement de Talleyrand vis-à-vis de la Révolution.

[Nooilforpacifists · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful intro to a man who was foreign minister to pre-Napoleon Kings, then Napoleon, then the Kings re-established by the Congress of Vienna, 1815 (and after Waterloo).

[Michael Baranowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written and engaging biography of one of the more underappreciated statesman of all time. Everyone knows Napoleon (and rightly so) but in its way, Talleyrand's talent for not just survival but his ability to rise to the top of so many different governments in the era of pre and post-revolutionary France puts him, if not at the same level as Napoleon, certainly in the same conversation.

[. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Narrowly nabs a 4. The great thing about this book is that it involves oft-overlooked historical information. The less than great thing about this book is that it retells the age of Napoleon with less flair than one should in the modern era. There's no rule against employing compelling prose...

[Merendis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a hard time getting through this. It's written in great detail, but very well. However, every detail is absolutely fascinating. I'd never known anything about Tallyrand before he was mentioned in a podcast I was listening to, and this book was recommended. I'm so glad I read it. This account takes a lot of records (especially his own memoirs) with a grain of salt and presents a lot of possibilities for various events. Even so, every detail and supposition is fascinating.
I agree with another reviewer- What was definitely missing was maps.

[Francis Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book that allows the reader to learn about French/European social and political history 1754-1838 through the fascinating life of Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord, who became principal adviser to Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French.

Talleyrand was born into a distinguished but not wealthy aristocratic family. The Perigords had once vied with the Bourbons who were Kings of France. He had an unhappy childhood in Paris: his parents ignored and partly disowned him, probably because of his club foot. But his grandmother at the Perigord seat helped to educate him and his high-ranking uncle helped him enter a career in the Church, which instilled in him his love of books, Enlightenment philosophy and learning. Talleyrand in his 20s had little interest in religion and was a man about town, inhabiting the salons of ancien regime Paris. He was interested in conversation, good food, women and making money.

Talleyrand was 35 when the French Revolution took place in 1789. He had been successful in his administrative work as Agent-General for the clergy and had just been appointed Bishop of Autun. The Revolution excited him, he believed in a constitutional monarchy like that of England, and played a major role drafting such a Constitution for France. In 1790 he was appointed President of the revolutionary Constituent Assembly, resigning his priesthood as the Revolution radicalised in 1791.

During the Terror of 1792-94, he was accused by the Jacobins and preemptively took refuge in England. Exiled from there as a revolutionary, he spent time in America (Philadelphia). After the Terror was over and he was pardoned, he returned to Paris via Hamburg in 1796, becoming foreign minister for the Republic in 1797. Seeking stability for France, he used his influence to instal the young General Napoleon as First Consul of a new triumvirate in 1799 and became Napoleon’s chief adviser. Each respected and complemented the other, although their motivations were opposite. Talleyrand wanted peace and constitutional monarchy, and for France to stay within her natural boundaries; Napoleon conquest and personal dictatorship.

As Napoleon vanquished first Austria (Austerlitz, 1805), then Prussia (Jena, 1806) and finally Russia (Friedland, 1807), and imposed a self-damaging blockade against English exports (the Continental System, introduced in 1806), Talleyrand began advising Russia and Austria on how to resist Napoleon. He resigned as foreign minister in 1807. He was horrified by Napoleon’s ‘three mistakes’, invasion and regime change in Spain (1808), which led to eventual defeat by the Duke of Wellington in the Peninsular War, his ousting of the Pope (1809) and his invasion of Russia (1812), which reduced the Grande Armee from 600,000 to 20,000 men. So he conspired to end Napoleon’s rule in 1814 and restore the Bourbon monarchy, skilfully negotiating a generous settlement for France at the subsequent Congress of Vienna. Unfortunately the settlement was made harsher after Napoleon’s escape from exile on Elba, and the battle of Waterloo in 1815.

Although serving the restored Bourbon kings there was always mistrust due to their autocratic ways. When the 1830 Revolution struck, Talleyrand helped Louis-Philippe of the Orleans line to become constitutional king and then secured the acceptance of that fact from the leading great powers.

The book has a great pace and sense of drama and introduces the reader, via Talleyrand, to all the leading figures of the age, such as the Duke of Wellington, Metternich and Tsar Alexander. There is a strong picture of the character of Talleyrand, showing his political finesse and judgement as well as his venality and socialising. The author credits Talleyrand with establishing two centuries of peaceful relations between France and England, and putting forward a farsighted vision of union in Europe. An enjoyable read.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had been told time and time again that I HAD to read about Talleyrand. I had some notions of who he was: Napoleon’s famous foreign minister, who managed to survive the French Revolution, the Terror, the Directory, and Napoleon himself, as well as the main architect of the Congress of Vienna. But I wasn’t prepared for the strong feelings I would have once I finally read about him. I’m grateful I did so through David Lawday’s biography.

After a slow start, I devoured the book (my husband even remarked that he’d never seen me so excited about a book before—which is saying something, considering I read Fourth Wing earlier this year). David Lawday tells Talleyrand’s story in a way that makes you forget you’re reading a biography.

The book covers all the gray areas of his life. Of course, Talleyrand was a master statesman—the one man who could influence Napoleon (if such a thing was even possible). A professional schemer. Someone who had no qualms about becoming wealthy through his position. But he was also someone who loved having a good time, who enjoyed talking to women, and was the ultimate host who “counted 300 different soups he knew”.

This book is a great introduction to a fascinating figure from a jaw-dropping era. I’m sure I’ll revisit it in a few years. Not doing so would be “worse than a crime…”

[Yooperprof · Rating 4 out of 5]

Under attack for his frequent political course-changes which saw him serving (in succession) the governments of the French Revolution in the 1790s, the regime of Napoleon in the early 1800s, the restoration administration of Louis XVIII after 1815, and the July Monarchy of Louis Philippe in the 1830s, Talleyrand pithily replied "For statesmen there are many ways of being honest. Mine is not yours." This biography successful portrays the great Talleyrand in his own ways, and is all the better for being plainly sympathetic toward its subject.

The author is to be commended for covering Talleyrand's very busy and very interesting 84 year life in a mere 350 pages. One quibble: I would have enjoyed reading more about Talleyrand's personal life, particularly his intimate friendships with those remarkable Eastern European women, Dororthea the Duchess of Kurland, and Dorothy the Duchess of Dino. And author Lawday never mentions what happened to Talleyrand's neglected wife Catherine - she simply drops out of the narrative toward the end of the book.

[Джордан · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, except as a Scot, I found the endless references to the British and the British Empire as the extremely irritating. Still I persevered with the book and walked away with great respect for Talleyrand and his abilities.

[Duncan White · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're looking for a biography of Talleyrand, Napoleon's Master: A Life of Prince Talleyrand certainly does the job. But it is a bit dry. Talleyrand is a juicy historical figure, it seems like a biography of him should reflect that.

[Jack Janzen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Talleyrand lead an incredible, fascinating life.

[Andrew Ingham · Rating 2 out of 5]

An ok biography - but didn’t quite finish

[Robin T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written. A lot of historical insight told in an interesting and entertaining way. Easy to read, impartial perspective on Talleyrand.

[Jon Gauthier · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 18th-century Europe which raised Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord can be overwhelmingly complex, especially for a layman like me. Perhaps this is why this figure, largely responsible for the foundation of modern Europe, gets little airtime in the standard rapid history curriculum.

Lawday has written a straight-talking biography that demonstrates how vital this man was in forming modern society. Behind Napoleon Bonaparte and the rest of the many brief leaders of the French Revolution lies Talleyrand, scheming and pulling strings (usually) in the interest of France and in the interest of peace. Lawday gives us an inside view, mostly via primary sources, of Talleyrand's noble and not-so-noble international negotiations and power plays over France's most tumultuous decades. We also get a glimpse of the man beneath the diplomat on the surface, with a calm soul set on saving his nation.

The blueblood Talleyrand has become a central part of my mental picture of European history. Read this well-written biography, and you'll be forced to agree.

[I first encountered Talleyrand on Mike Duncan's outstanding Revolutions podcast, which broadcasted accounts of the French Revolution for over a year. Absolutely worth a listen.]

[Manda · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some interesting parallels made here between Napoleon's efforts to enforce "liberty" upon the countries he conquered from their reigning monarchs and current events. The underlying message seems to be that politicians today could do with taking some cues from Talleyrand's playbook and press for peace as the most important component of a nation's well-being. I also learned from this book that he had the original vision of a unified Europe well over a century before the European Union was finally created.

[Bas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Ol' Talley, what a master manipulator. I read this because Talleyrand was repeatedly mentioned in The 33 Strategies of War, and it was this repetition which began my veneration.

The book is a thorough look at Talleyrand's life, which extends far beyond Napoleon. Some parts are funny, some parts are peculiar, however I would only read it if you liked the above mentioned book on war, or are interested in French or European history.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author did a good job of chasing down references, but did not footnote in a traditional manner.

The writing style is British; I am not. So I spent some time inferring the meaning of words or looking them up, finding that my dictionary prefaced their definitions as [British]. It didn't stop me from enjoying the book. But it did slow my reading down.

There is a photo section - but no maps. And although it is a biography, maps of Europe before, after and between 1789, and 1815 would have been a helpful inclusion.

[Rex Lee Applegate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book chronicles the amazing life of this key historical figure. The author takes a sympathetic view of Tallyrand's well documented duplicity, an issue which to me remains undecided. It all adds to the mystery of this chameleon like character whose wit, charm, intelligence and adaptability saw him through the extremes of late 18th and early 19th Century France. His life was a wild roller-coaster ride and the author deftly portrays the gyrations Tallyrand undertook to stay in the car.

[Alwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look at at an interesting man who managed to survive and achieve high office in the ancien regime, Revolution and Empire in tur; from an age where France had statesmen and not mere politicians.

[!Tæmbuŝu]

KOBOBOOKS

[Streator Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty fascinating biography of one of the consummate politicians of his day.

[Matt Kuhns · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an exceptional work, informative and perfectly paced. Though full of details, I always wanted to keep reading, but never had difficulty following who was who or what was going on.