Charles Maurice de Talleyrand didn't let his club foot stand in the way of success.

His aristocratic parents told him the birth defect made him unfit to inherit property or for a military career. His response: What defect?

He climbed the social ladder, becoming one of France's political elite. He served as foreign minister thrice, spanning the revolutionary era, Napoleon Bonaparte's rule and the Bourbon monarchy's return.

After a war-making France was defeated in 1814, Talleyrand's diplomatic skills restored its status within Europe. Talleyrand played a key role at the Congress of Vienna, which produced a balance of power and general peace in Europe that lasted until World War I.

Stripped of his noble birthright because of the club foot, Talleyrand made his mark in politics, says Adam Zamoyski, author of "Rites of Peace: The Fall of Napoleon and the Congress of Vienna."

"Talleyrand wanted to be at the political center of things," Zamoyski told IBD. "He had an extraordinary way of popping up whenever something important was happening. He could smell it. And sometimes he would create the situation himself."

Born in 1754, Talleyrand took the career path his family insisted on. Although a nonbeliever, Talleyrand became a priest in 1779. He was named the bishop of Autun in 1789 through his family's influence.

Aristocratic traditions suited him. He once said, "He who has not lived before 1789 does not know the sweetness of living."

Still, Talleyrand was ready to progress.

He realized the French Revolution was unstoppable. He saw it as a chance to jump in a big arena.

Up Against The Church

Even though he was a bishop, Talleyrand proposed that the National Assembly confiscate church property to fund the government. In 1790, Pope Pius VI excommunicated him for supporting the takeover of church lands.

Talleyrand focused on building contacts. He befriended Paul de Barras, one of the five members of the Directory, an executive body that ran France from 1795 through 1799.

Thanks to that link, Talleyrand took part in writing the Declaration of the Rights of Man. His activities created an opening — he became the Directory's foreign minister.

However, Talleyrand never warmed up to extremists. He fled to England and the U.S. during France's Reign of Terror in 1793-94, when radicals executed up to 40,000 people.

Talleyrand returned in 1796 after the French slaughter ended.

In politics, Talleyrand preached moderation. He once advised his proteges, "Above all, not too much zeal."

"Talleyrand was always a realist and a moderate," said Paul Schroeder, professor emeritus of history at the University of Illinois. "He was opposed to the all-out spirit of conquest, both of the Directory that followed the revolution as well as with Napoleon."

Talleyrand helped Napoleon come to power. He hosted parties that brought the future emperor into key social circles and took part in the 1799 Brumaire coup, overthrowing the inept Directory.

Rewarded with the post of foreign minister, Talleyrand advised Napoleon on early military conquests.

By 1807, though, Talleyrand believed Napoleon's limitless ambition would lead the country to doom. Napoleon planned to conquer all of Europe and more.

"Talleyrand recognized that France was going too far and things would end badly," said Schroeder.

Talleyrand once said: "The art of statesmanship is to foresee the inevitable and to expedite its occurrence."

He opposed warring with Russia. Upset that Napoleon had stopped listening to him and his generals, Talleyrand decided that the emperor had to go — for the good of France and himself.

Although a member of Napoleon's inner circle, Talleyrand began to undermine him.

He held secret talks with Russia's Czar Alexander I and others, revealing Napoleon's plans. He engineered an alliance between Russia and Austria.

Talleyrand's crystal ball proved correct. Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812 backfired badly, turning the military tide against him. Napoleon abdicated in early 1814.

Much of Europe held deep grievances against France after 20 years of war. Prussia, Austria, Russia and Great Britain all mulled how to punish the Gaulish power.

Talleyrand, though, had been busy. He coaxed France's military and nobility to restore the Bourbon monarchy. In 1814, Talleyrand was back as foreign minister, working for King Louis XVIII.

Talleyrand had a knack for "switching horses," says Schroeder, that usually served the interests of France as well as himself.

Talleyrand's big problem was that Austria, Russia, Prussia and Britain wanted to punish France. He countered that Europe's powers, having defeated Napoleon, should punish the exiled emperor, not the people of France.

Talleyrand emphasized that Europe needed France to be stable, not relapse into civil unrest. He pointed out that Bourbon rule would be legitimate as opposed to the brutal routes to power of the Directory and Napoleon.

Europe's powers agreed.

The First Treaty of Paris, signed in May 1814, restored France to its 1792 borders — a light punishment, says Schroeder.

The Congress of Vienna — which aimed to reset Europe's borders and settle lingering disputes over territories — began September 1814. At the start, France had no say over what issues would be on the agenda.

Talleyrand, though, made an ally out of Britain, says Zamoyski. The foreign minister convinced Britain that it needed France to offset the growing influence of Russia, Prussia and Austria on the Continent.

Talleyrand also exploited tension among Europe's powers over what to do with Saxony in mid-Germany and Poland. Prussia wanted control over Saxony; Russia coveted Poland.

France wound up with a seat at the bargaining table. Talleyrand became the deciding vote in many of the conclave's decisions.

When negotiating, Talleyrand bided his time, waiting for conditions to turn in his favor.

"He was prepared to wait, listen and watch,"Zamoyski said.

On The Way Out

All the while, Talleyrand built a huge personal fortune, a source of much criticism. And his changing allegiances infuriated many.

"Regimes may fall and fail, but I do not," Talleyrand once said.

After Napoleon's 100-day comeback and defeat at Waterloo in present-day Belgium in June 1815, Talleyrand lost influence with Louis XVIII.

Talleyrand resigned his foreign minister post. His absence was felt later that year.

The second Treaty of Paris, signed in September 1815, was harsher on France. That pact reset France's borders to 1790. It lost territories gained by revolutionary armies.

Talleyrand died in 1838.


BY REINHARDT KRAUSE