JACQUES VICTOR ALBERT

jacques victor albert, duc de broglie (1821-1901), his eldest son, was born at paris on the 13th of june 1821. after a brief diplomatic career at madrid and rome, the revolution of 1848 caused him to withdraw from public life and devote himself to literature. he had already published a translation of the religious system of leibnitz (1846). he now at once made his mark by his contributions to the _revue des deux mondes_ and the orleanist and clerical organ _le correspondant_, which were afterwards collected under the titles of _etudes morales et litteraires_ (1853) and _questions de religion et d'histoire_ (1860). these were supplemented in 1869 by a volume of _nouvelles etudes de litterature et de morale_. his _l'eglise et l'empire romain au ive siecle_ (1856-1866) brought him the succession to lacordaire's seat in the academy in 1862. in 1870 he succeeded his father in the dukedom, having previously been known as the prince de broglie. in the following year he was elected to the national [v.04 p.0628] assembly for the department of the eure, and a few days later (on the 19th of february) was appointed ambassador in london; but in march 1872, in consequence of criticisms upon his negotiations concerning the commercial treaties between england and france, he resigned his post and took his seat in the national assembly, where he became the leading spirit of the monarchical campaign against thiers. on the replacement of the latter by marshal macmahon, the duc de broglie became president of the council and minister for foreign affairs (may 1873), but in the reconstruction of the ministry on the 26th of november, after the passing of the septennate, transferred himself to the ministry of the interior. his tenure of office was marked by an extreme conservatism, which roused the bitter hatred of the republicans, while he alienated the legitimist party by his friendly relations with the bonapartists, and the bonapartists by an attempt to effect a compromise between the rival claimants to the monarchy. the result was the fall of the cabinet on the 16th of may 1874. three years later (on the 16th of may 1877) he was entrusted with the formation of a new cabinet, with the object of appealing to the country and securing a new chamber more favourable to the reactionaries than its predecessor had been. the result, however, was a decisive republican majority. the duc de broglie was defeated in his own district, and resigned office on the 20th of november. not being re-elected in 1885, he abandoned politics and reverted to his historical work, publishing a series of historical studies and biographies written in a most pleasing style, and especially valuable for their extensive documentation. he died in paris on the 19th of january 1901. besides editing the _souvenirs_ of his father (1886, &c.), the _memoires_ of talleyrand (1891, &c.), and the _letters_ of the duchess albertine de broglie (1896), he published _le secret du roi, correspondance secrete de louis xv avec ses agents diplomatiques, 1752-1774_ (1878); _frederic ii et marie therese_ (1883); _frederic ii et louis xv_ (1885); _marie therese imperatrice_ (1888); _le pere lacordaire_ (1889); _maurice de saxe et le marquis d'argenson_ (1891); _la paix d'aix-la-chapelle_ (1892); _l'alliance autrichienne_ (1895); _la mission de m. de gontaut-biron a berlin_ (1896); _voltaire avant et pendant la guerre de sept ans_ (1898); _saint ambroise_, translated by margaret maitland in the series of "the saints" (1899).