Étienne François de Choiseul, Duke of Choiseul
Étienne-François | |
|---|---|
Étienne François de Choiseul. Painting by Louis-Michel van Loo. | |
| First Minister of State | |
| In office 3 December 1758 – 24 December 1770 | |
| Monarch | Louis XV |
| Preceded by | André-Hercule de Fleury (1743) |
| Succeeded by | René Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou |
| Minister for Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 3 December 1758 – 13 October 1761 | |
| Monarch | Louis XV |
| Preceded by | François-Joachim de Pierre de Bernis |
| Succeeded by | César Gabriel de Choiseul |
| In office 10 April 1766 – 24 December 1770 | |
| Monarch | Louis XV |
| Preceded by | César Gabriel de Choiseul |
| Succeeded by | Louis Phélypeaux |
| Minister of War | |
| In office 27 January 1761 – 24 December 1770 | |
| Monarch | Louis XV |
| Preceded by | Charles Louis Auguste Fouquet |
| Succeeded by | Louis Phélypeaux |
| Ambassador of the Kingdom of France to the Archduchy of Austria | |
| In office 1757 – 1758 | |
| Monarch | Louis XV |
| Preceded by | Louis Charles César Le Tellier |
| Succeeded by | César Gabriel de Choiseul |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 June 1719 Nancy, Duchy of Lorraine |
| Died | 8 May 1785 (aged 65) Paris, Isle-de-France, France |
| Residence(s) | Château de Chanteloup, Touraine |
| Awards | Order of the Holy Spirit Order of the Golden Fleece |
| Signature | |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Kingdom of France |
| Branch/service | Royal French Army |
| Years of service | 1740 – 1770 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Battles/wars | Russo-Turkish War War of the Austrian Succession Seven Years' War |
Étienne François, duc de Choiseul, KOHS, OGF (28 June 1719 – 8 May 1785) was a French Army officer, diplomat and statesman. From 1758 to 1761 and again from 1766 to 1770, he served as Foreign Minister of France and had a strong influence on France's global strategy throughout the period. Choiseul is closely associated with France's defeat in the Seven Years' War and subsequent efforts to rebuild French prestige.