thumb|upright|jean-guillaume, baron hyde de neuville. jean-guillaume, baron hyde de neuville (24 january 1776 â 28 may 1857) was a french aristocrat, diplomat, and politician. ==early years; royalist agent== jean-guillaume was born at la charitÃ©-sur-loire (niÃ¨vre), the son of guillaume hyde, who belonged to an english family which had emigrated with the stuarts after the rebellion of 1745. after studying in the college cardinal lemoine, in paris, he entered political life at the age of sixteen. he was only seventeen when he successfully defended a man denounced by joseph fouchÃ© before the revolutionary tribunal of nevers. from 1793 onwards he was an active agent of the exiled princes: he took part in the royalist rising in berry in 1796, and after the 18 brumaire coup (9 november 1799), under the name of paul xavier, he tried to persuade napoleon bonaparte to recall the traditional monarchy. ==united states exile== during the consulate and empire, he practised medicine in lyons under the name of roland, and obtained a gold medal for the propagation of vaccine. an accusation of complicity in the conspiracy of 1800-1801 was speedily retracted, but in 1806 napoleon consented to refund neuville's confiscated estate on condition that he should go to the united states. de neuville settled near new brunswick, new jersey, where his house became a place of refuge for french exiles. in 1813 he was instrumental in helping his friend, general moreau to accept service in the army of the emperor of russia. he returned to france after the replacement of the french empire by the 1814 bourbon restoration. ==diplomat== he was sent by louis xviii to london to attempt the persuasion of the british government to transfer napoleon to a remoter and safer place of exile than the isle of elba, but the negotiations were cut short by the emperor's return to france in march 1815 (the hundred days). in january 1816 de neuville became french ambassador at washington, d.c., where he negotiated a commercial treaty. on his return in 1821 he declined the position of ambassador to the ottoman empire, and in november 1822 was elected deputy for cosne. louis xviii created him a baron, and in 1821 gave him the grand cross of the legion of honor as a reward for his services. shortly afterwards he was appointed french ambassador in portugal, where he rescued the old king, john vi, who had been imprisoned by his son, and was created count de bemposta. his efforts to oust brit
1776_births 1857_deaths 19th-century_French_diplomats Barons_of_France French_politicians French_spies Ministers_of_Marine_and_the_Colonies People_from_NiA"vre Royalist_insurgents_during_the_French_Revolution Spies_of_the_French_Revolutionary_and_Napoleonic_Wars