Alexandre Angélique de Talleyrand-Périgord 1736 – 1821

Biography

Alexandre Angélique de Talleyrand-Périgord was born on October 18, 1736, in Paris to one of France’s most distinguished aristocratic families. Throughout his life, he devoted himself to the Catholic Church, eventually rising to the prominent position of cardinal. His long tenure in the ecclesiastical hierarchy reflected both his family’s influence and his own dedication to his religious calling during a transformative period in French history.

De Talleyrand-Périgord lived through the final decades of the ancien régime, the revolutionary upheaval, and the subsequent reshaping of European politics. As a cardinal, he occupied a significant place within the Church hierarchy during these turbulent times. He remained in Paris throughout his life, maintaining deep roots in the city of his birth.

He died on October 20, 1821, just two days after his eighty-fifth birthday. His final resting place was Notre-Dame de Paris, the great cathedral that had been central to Parisian religious life for centuries. De Talleyrand-Périgord’s long life and burial in this sacred space reflect a career spent in service to the Catholic Church during one of Europe’s most consequential historical periods.