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General or national parliament-- it bly by force at once or all would be whole globe. In total contrast, fana-
had not met for over 170 years. This lost! His advice was ignored. The tical mobs on the streets of Paris had
body consisted of representatives French Revolution now inexorably decided to invade their "enemies".
of the Clergy, the Nobility and the pursued its bloody course and the
Third Estate (or people). To be elec- nobility began to flee. Twenty- The powerless French king and his
ted as one of the Clergy, the Bishop five years later, in 1814, the Count family continued to live in Paris.
of Autun required the vote of his re- d'Artois would remember that They had attempted to leave the
ligious constituents. So, for the first Talleyrand's advice should under no country, but were captured and im-
and last time in his life, Talleyrand circumstances be ignored. prisoned in the Tuileries. Under the
made the journey in his coach to the control of Robespierre, the French
town of Autun. Everyone accepted that the nobility Revolution was now running white
was finished. Talleyrand must now hot and would soon enter the period
He was exceptionally skilful at ma- wholeheartedly support the Revo- known as "The Terror", marked by
king himself agreeable to those he lution or perish. As a liberal poli- mass executions by the guillotine
wished to impress -- and he needed tician with confidence in his own of "enemies of the revolution". On 1
the support of the clergy of Autun. abilities, he played an important September 1792 Talleyrand received
Invited to a sumptuous banquet, the role in political events in the three a passport signed by Danton and
assembled priests were soon ready years after the fall of the Bastille. At hastily left the country. On the fol-
to give the bishop their undivided the National Assembly he suppor- lowing day the massacres began.
support. Talleyrand read a prepared ted the reform programme. He also
speech to them in which he listed felt strongly that, even though the He took refuge in England where,
the principal national abuses that National Assembly was unpopular, it along with many of his acquain-
needed to be addressed: he spoke would be the salvation of the French tances from his former pleasure-
sincerely of reforming the voting sys- people. In February 1790, he was loving days in Paris, he lived frugally.
tem, the taxation system, the educa- elected President of the Assembly. His reputation in Protestant England
tion system, the banking system, the was that of an unfrocked priest, a
economic system, and introducing It became impossible to combine dangerous revolutionary leader and
liberty, justice and freedom of the the role of bishop with that of revo- an unprincipled scoundrel -- he
press. This practical programme, lutionary leader. On 14 July 1790, was shunned by British society. At
presented by an eighteenth century after saying mass at a public gathe- the end of January 1794, Talleyrand
bishop and member of the nobi- ring, he went to a gambling house was informed that he must leave
lity, is astonishing! Despite many and broke the bank! Now com- England immediately, since the Bri-
changes of master, he remained pletely financially independent, he tish Government believed that he
faithful to these principles all his resigned as a bishop and repudia- was a French spy -- which was un-
life. He left Autun very early in the ted his allegiance with the Church, true. He sailed to the United States of
morning of Easter Sunday, 12 April swearing an oath of loyalty to the America and arrived ruined, discre-
1789, anxious to avoid becoming new French Constitution. Then, by dited, unwanted and despised. He
involved in a religious ceremony a most ill-timed circumstance, as a was 40 years old. In the two years he
about which he knew nothing! With member of the National Assembly spent in Philadelphia, he profitably
his remarkable speech in his pocket, with religious training he was obli- engaged in financial speculation.
he rushed back to Paris where one of ged to consecrate two new bishops.
the greatest dramas in human histo- For this act of contempt, he was ex- Finally, in 1795, Robespierre fell and
ry was about to unfold. communicated by the Pope on 13 "The Terror" was over. France was
April 1791. now governed by the Directory --
In May 1789 the States-General a group of five ministers. Through
opened. The king commanded that Even in the shadow of the Revolu- the intervention of Mme de Staël,
the Clergy, the Nobility and the tion, Paris continued its giddy round the National Assembly gave Talley-
Third Estate should meet separately. of dinner parties, dancing, gambling, rand permission to return to France,
But a single National Assembly was political intrigue and love-making. where he arrived in September 1796.
created which meant that the king's As the Revolution drifted daily in the In less than a year, and once again
authority had been disregarded direction of war, Talleyrand spoke in through the agency (i.e. intrigue)
and the French Revolution had favour of peace. He told Danton, the of Mme de Staël, he was appointed
effectively begun! Minister of Justice, that if the nation Minister of Foreign Affairs. When,
were to prosper France should trade later, Napoleon asked his opinion of
We now encounter Talleyrand the with its neighbours and not inter- Mme de Staël, Talleyrand replied:
"turncoat" for the first time. He fere in their domestic affairs. All at- "She is such a good friend that she
had access to the king's brother, the tempts to increase the national ter- would throw all her acquaintances
Count d'Artois, who would in the ritory by military force were bound into the water for the pleasure of
distant future become King Charles to increase chaos. France should fishing them out again."
X of France. Through the Count, concentrate upon industrial and
Talleyrand told the king that he commercial agreements; he foresaw It was an age of corruption. The po-
must dissolve the National Assem- that trade would one day cover the liticians of the Directory were ma-

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