“Politics is the systematic cultivation of hatred.” (Talleyrand)

The Congress of Vienna, which took place over several months during 1814 and 1815, was an attempt to resolve the numerous challenges presented by Napoleon’s expansion and his subsequent defeat. The talks have been seen as a critical moment in European history, and depending on the point-of-view, the results were either a diplomatic breakthrough or the last gasps of the continent’s conservative elites. It was also a crucial step toward German unification, although this was not clear at the time.

Leaders in 1814-1815 were broadly opposed to both republicanism and revolution, and the outcome of the Congress reflected these principles. One of the key features of Vienna was, therefore, the re-ordering of German states into a German Confederation, or Deutscher Bund. The Confederation was, in essence, a re-imagining of the Holy Roman Empire, but with 39 states. Prussia's role was recognized, and it was granted new territory in the Rhineland, including the large city of Cologne. Crucially, the Austrians were to head the new, albeit loose Confederation.

France, despite its turbulence, had its own influential representative at the Congress of Vienna: Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord. Known simply as Talleyrand, his name ultimately became associated with crafty, manipulative personal and political maneuvering, even in a country that suffered no shortage of such diplomats and ministers in its history.

As an adult, Talleyrand lived through the most tumultuous years of French history. In a period of little more than 40 years, France passed through five very different periods of rule, but despite the chaos these rapid changes brought, Talleyrand served in important roles in each successive new regime and, through a combination of charm, guile, intelligence, ability, and duplicity, played a leading role in undermining and destroying each.

Under the Ancien Régime, the social and political system by which France had been ruled since the Middle Ages, Talleyrand became a bishop. When the French Revolution tore the nation apart, Talleyrand betrayed both the church and the French Monarchy and became Foreign Minister for the Directory, the governing committee of the French First Republic. In 1799, he betrayed the Republic by helping to organize the coup d'état that would see Napoleon Bonaparte become the absolute dictator of France.

Talleyrand became extremely rich and very powerful under Napoleon, until he wearied of his new leader and betrayed him by selling secrets to his enemies. Talleyrand was one of the key people involved in the plot to remove Napoleon from power and pave the way for the Bourbon Restoration that brought Louis XVIII to the French throne in 1814. He was also a significant factor in the undermining of that regime and its replacement in 1830 during another revolution by a new constitutional monarchy.

Given that background, many in France considered him a vile traitor, and while there is no question he betrayed the pledge of loyalty he had taken to four of those new regimes, he not only survived but somehow retained a measure of respect and admiration. His very name became a byword for duplicity, but also pragmatic and successful diplomacy. If one wanted something done in France in the early 19th century, Talleyrand was the man to approach, though that would likely cost a person a great deal of money.

To this day, many wonder how Talleyrand thrived in an environment that saw so many powerful people ignored, ruined, exiled, or even killed. Naturally, the answer to that is similar to an apt description of his life and reputation–it is a complex, intriguing, and controversial one.