Charles Maurice de Talleyrand Perigord was born into nobility in 1754. He enjoyed a colourful career in The Church, being excommunicated in 1791 (not for his love affairs but for establishing a civil constitution of clergy in France) and as a diplomat for France, in which role he served under the ancien regime, the Revolution, Napolean, the Restoration and the July Monarchy. He was unsurprisingly reknowned for his ambition and political survivalism. Regarded by some as a traitor of France, he was however an important figure in Europe and sought peace and stability for its people.