intendancies, at Soissons (1665), at
Amiens (1666), and at Paris (1667), he turned definitely to diplomacy.
In 1668 he represented France at the conference of Aix-la-Chapelle; and
in August of the same year was sent as ambassador to London, where he
was to negotiate the definite treaty of alliance with Charles II. He
arranged the interview at Dover between Charles and his sister Henrietta
of Orleans, gained the king's personal favour by finding a mistress for
him, Louise de Keroualle, maid of honour to Madame, and persuaded him to
declare war against Holland. The negotiation of the treaty of Nijmwegen
(1676-1678) still further increased his reputation as a diplomatist and
Louis XIV. made him secretary of state for foreign affairs after the
disgrace of Arnauld de Pomponne, brought about by his brother, 1679. He
at once assumed the entire direction of French diplomacy. Foreign
ambassadors were no longer received and diplomatic instructions were no
longer given by other secretaries of state. It was he, not Louvois, who
formed the idea of annexation during a time of peace, by means of the
chambers of reunion. He had outlined this plan as early as 1658 with
regard to Alsace. His policy at first was to retain the territory
annexed by the chambers of reunion without declaring war, and for this
purpose he signed treaties of alliance with the elector of Brandenburg
(1681), and with Denmark (1683); but the troubles following upon the
revocation of the edict of Nantes (1685) forced him to give up his
scheme and to prepare for war with Germany (1688). The negotiations for
peace had been begun again when he died, on the 28th of July 1696. His
clerk, Bergeret, was his invaluable assistant.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.--His papers, preserved in the _Archives des affaires
etrangeres_ at Paris, have been partially published in the _Recueil
des instructions donnees aux ambassadeurs et ministres de France_
(since 1884). See especially the volumes:--_Autriche_ (t. i.), _Suede_
(t. ii.), _Rome_ (t. vi.), _Baviere_ (t. viii.), _Savoie_ (t. xiv.),
_Prusse_ (t. xvi.). Other documents have been published in Mignet's
_Negociations relatives a la succession d'Espagne_, vol. iv., and in
the collection of _Lettres et negociations ... pour la paix de
Nimegue_, 1676-1677 (La Haye, 1710). In addition to the _Memoires_ of
the time, see Spanheim, _Relation de la cour de France en 1690_, ed.
E. Bourgeois (Paris and Lyons, 1900); Baschet, _Histoire