François Guizot (1787-1874) was a politician and writer and started his career in the administration of the Bourbons, shortly followed by a period with the Orleanist regime in which he became the Minister for Education. In 1840 Guizot was sent to London as Ambassador to France under the premiership of Thiers whose policies alienated the British, and Guizot was recalled to France to become premier. However by 1847 France was in severe economic crisis and with the accompanying financial scandals and the collapse of the regime, Guizot fled to London where he began to write.