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French churchman and diplomat. Talleyrand was notorious for his decadence, and for the cynicism and political opportunism that allowed him to survive the turbulent decades of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. A largely absentee bishop of Autun under the ancien regime , Talleyrand was elected to the estates general at the start of the french revolution of 1789. He quickly rallied support for the constitutional monarchists and helped in drafting wide-ranging reform proposals in matters of religion, finance, and education. He resigned his bishopric with the promulgation of the civil constitution of the clergy . Following the downfall of louis xvi he went into exile. He returned under the directory , becoming foreign minister in 1797. Talleyrand quickly established close relations with the future napoleon i , helping to organize the coup of brumaire . He was reappointed to the post of foreign minister but gradually diverged from Napoleon over the latter's unbridled territorial ambitions, resigning in 1807 over the Treaties of tilsit . Following the emperor's downfall, Talleyrand helped persuade Tsar alexander i to accept restoration of the bourbon dynasty . He played a significant role at the vienna congress in achieving the reintegration of France into the European diplomatic system. He retired in 1815, but returned to public life under the july ... log in or subscribe to read full text