Étienne François , duc de Choiseul Étienne - François , comte de Stainville , duc de Choiseul ( 28 June 1719 – 8 May 1785 ) was a French military officer , diplomat and statesman . Between 1758 and 1761 , and 1766 and 1770 , he was Foreign Minister of France and had a strong influence on France ' s global strategy throughout the period . He is closely associated with France ' s defeat in the Seven Years War and subsequent efforts to rebuild French prestige . Biography . Early life . The eldest son of François Joseph de Choiseul , marquis de Stainville ( 1700 – 1770 ) , Étienne - François was born in Nancy in the Duchy of Lorraine where his father was one of the leading advisors to the Duke of Lorraine who ruled an independent French - speaking state with close cultural and political links with France . At birth , he bore the title of Comte de Stainville . In 1737 Stephen Henry , Duke of Lorraine was pressured into giving up Lorraine and becoming ruler of Tuscany in Italy . Realising that continue loyalty to the House of Lorraine would limit his opportunities , Étienne François transferred his allegiance towards France . Military career . After gaining experience of warfare during the Austro - Turkish War Comte de Stainville entered the French army , and during the War of the Austrian Succession served in Bohemia in 1741 and in Italy , where he distinguished himself at the Battle of Coni , in 1744 . He was also present at the Battle of Dettingen in Germany and carried news of the French defeat there to Paris . He had been appalled by what he had witnessed of the French forces at Dettingen , particularly what he later described as their " indifference and ignorance " , and his experiences there would provide him with motivation for his later reforms of the French military . From 1745 until 1748 , he was with the army in the Low Countries , being present at the sieges of Mons , Charleroi and Maastricht . He attained the rank of lieutenant - general and , in 1750 , married Louise Honorine Crozat , daughter of Louis François Crozat , marquis du Châtel ( d . 1750 ) , who brought her husband her share of the large fortune of her grandfather Antoine Crozat and proved a most devoted wife . Diplomatic career . Choiseul gained the favour of Madame de Pompadour by procuring for her some letters which King Louis XV had written to his cousin Madame de Choiseul , with whom the king had formerly had an intrigue ; and after a short time as bailli of the Vosges he was given the appointment of ambassador to Rome in 1753 , where he was entrusted with the negotiations concerning the disturbances called forth by the bull " Unigenitus " . He acquitted himself skillfully in this task , and , in 1757 , his patroness obtained his transfer to Vienna , where he was instructed to cement the new alliance between France and Austria . He was one of the principal authors of the Second Treaty of Versailles signed in May 1757 , which pledged the two states to a combined war in Germany against Prussia . Chief Minister . Seven Years War . His success in Vienna opened the way to a larger career , when , in 1758 , he supplanted Cardinal de Bernis as minister for foreign affairs , and so largely had the direction of French foreign and military policy during the Seven Years ' War . In 1759 , he planned an ambitious invasion of Britain which was halted by French naval defeats at the Battle of Lagos and the Battle of Quiberon Bay . His other major plan to achieve victory in 1759 was an attack on Hanover , which was thwarted by the French defeat at the Battle of Minden . Between 1759 and 1762 , further French moves into Germany were unsuccessful – including the Battle of Vellinghausen . At this time , he was made a peer of France and created " duc de Choiseul " . Although , from 1761 until 1766 , his cousin César Gabriel de Choiseul , " duc de Praslin " , was minister for foreign affairs , Choiseul continued to control the policy of France until 1770 , and during this period held most of the other important offices of State . As author of the Pacte de Famille , he sought to retrieve by an alliance with the Spanish House of Bourbon the disastrous results of the alliance with Austria , but his action came too late . His vigorous policy in other departments of state was not , however , fruitless . Coming to power in the midst of the demoralization consequent upon the defeats of Rossbach and Krefeld , by boldness and energy he reformed and strengthened both army and navy , and , although too late to prevent the loss of Canada and India , he developed French colonies in the Antilles and San Domingo , His management of home affairs in general satisfied the " philosophes " . He allowed the " Encyclopédie " to be published , and brought about the banishment of the Jesuits and the temporary abolition of the order by Pope Clement XIV . Rebuilding French power . In the years following the Treaty of Paris of 1763 , Choiseul attempted to rebuild the French military . Alarmed by the British victory in the Seven Years War and the apparent hegemony that followed , he tried to secure continued Spanish support for a future war of revenge against Britain . In aid of this , he drew up a number of plans for an invasion of Britain . In an effort to compensate for French territorial losses , he added Corsica and Lorraine to the crown of France . He directed the French Conquest of Corsica . He also oversaw a failed scheme to settle Guiana . By the late 1760s Choiseul was concerned by the growing strength of Russia around the Baltic Sea fearing that Britain was behind it . He believed they were planning a " northern league " against France . To counter this he hoped to depose or severely weaken the power of Catherine the Great by encouraging the Ottoman Empire to attack Russia . However , Choiseul ' s fall was caused by his action against the Jesuits , and by his support of their opponent La Chalotais , and of the provincial " parlements " . After the death of Madame de Pompadour in 1764 , his enemies , led by Madame du Barry the King ' s next mistress and the chancellor Maupeou , were too strong for him . In an attempt to boost the Austrian alliance , Choiseul was an advocate of the marriage between the Dauphin , the future Louis XVI , and Marie Antoinette the daughter of the Austrian Empress . Choiseul considered the marriage a personal triumph and believed it would cement his position of power . In 1770 a dispute between Britain and Spain over the Falkland Islands threatened to flare into open warfare . As part of his long - term strategy to overturn what was seen as British hegemony , Choiseul was strongly supportive of Spain and he mobilised the French military in preparation for war . Louis XV who sought peace after wars that had dominated much of his reign , was angry when he discovered this . At the height of the Falkland Crisis in 1770 , Choiseul was dismissed and ordered to retire to his estate at Chanteloup . The crisis was then settled peacefully by Britain and Spain . Retirement . The intrigues against him had , however , increased his popularity , which was already great , and , during his retirement which lasted until 1774 , he lived in the greatest affluence and was visited by many eminent personages . He was succeeded as Chief Minister by Emmanuel - Armand de Richelieu , duc d ' Aiguillon whose foreign policy was similar to Choiseul ' s . d ' Aiguillon favoured a more absolute monarchy than Choiseul did , and was strongly connected to the faction grouped around Madame Du Barry . Choiseul enjoyed widespread popularity and many people came to bid him farewell , as a gesture of support , as he prepared to leave Paris for his country estates . Greatly to his disappointment , Louis XVI did not restore him to his former position , although the king allowed him to come back to Paris in 1774 , where he died on 8 May 1785 , leaving behind him a huge accumulation of debts which was scrupulously discharged by his widow . Choiseul ' s widow , a woman " in whom industrious malice could not find an imperfection " , lived in retirement until her death on 3 December 1808 . Assessment . Choiseul possessed both ability and diligence , and though lacking in tenacity , he showed foresight and liberality in his direction of affairs . In appearance he was a short , ill - featured man , with a ruddy countenance and a sturdy frame . His " Mémoires " were written during his exile from Paris , and are merely detached notes upon different questions . English writer Horace Walpole , in his " Memoirs " , gives a vivid description of the duke ' s character , accuses him of having caused the Russo - Turkish War ( 1768 – 1774 ) , as a revenge on tsarina Catherine II , and says of his foreign policy : " he would project and determine the ruin of a country , but could not meditate a little mischief or a narrow benefit . . . . He dissipated the nation ' s wealth and his own ; but did not repair the latter by plunder of the former " . In reference to Choiseul ' s private life , Walpole asserts that " gallantry without delicacy was his constant pursuit " . Commemoration and popular culture . Choiseul Island , the largest island of the Solomon Islands is named after him . Choiseul Sound , a major inlet on East Falkland is named after him . Choiseul appears in the 1934 film " Madame du Barry " where he is played by Henry O ' Neill . External links . < br > < br >