Polignac, Auguste-Jules-Armand-Marie De

Polignac, Auguste-Jules-Armand-Marie De 

Born May 14, 1780, in Versailles; died Mar. 2, 1847, in Paris. Count and later prince. French political figure, monarchist.

Polignac’s family emigrated at the very beginning of the French Revolution. He returned secretly to France and participated in the conspiracy organized by G. Cadoudal against Napoleon. After the conspiracy was discovered in 1804, he was arrested and imprisoned. He escaped from prison in 1813.

Polignac held important official positions during the Restoration (1814–15, 1815–30). A fervent Catholic, he was made a prince by the pope in 1820. From 1823 to 1829 he was ambassador to Great Britain. Polignac became minister of foreign affairs in August 1829 and prime minister in November of that year. He implemented extremely reactionary policies: in July 1830 his government issued ordinances that violated the constitutional charter of 1814 and gave rise to the July Revolution of 1830. After the fall of the Bourbon monarchy, Polignac was condemned to life imprisonment and loss of civil rights. He was amnestied in 1836.