OTD April 20th.1727 Florimond Claude Comte de Mercy-Argenteau

April 20th. 1727 marks the birth of Florimond Claude, Comte de Mercy-Argenteau.
This took place in Liège (Belgium).




Family

He was the son of Field Marshal Antoine Ignace de Mercy d'Argenteau and
Thérèse Henriëtte de Rouvroy.

Career

Florimond Claude entered the Austrian diplomatic corps. He became Austrian
minister in Turin (Italy), St. Petersburg (Russia) and in Paris (France).

In Paris his first work was to strengthen the alliance between France and Austria.
This resulted in a marriage between the later Louis XVI and Archduchess
Maria Antonia of Austria.

When Louis XVI became King, Mercy-Argenteau was one of the most
powerful persons at the French court by manipulating Queen Marie-Antoinette,
which made her unpopular with the French nobility and with the people.

In 1792 Mercy-Argenteau became governor of the Austrian Netherlands. His
ability and his experience made from him an excellent ruler.

In 1794 Mercy-Argenteau was appointed as Austrian ambassador of Britain.


Death

He died on August 25th. 1794, just a few days after he arrived in the
United Kingdom.

Movie

His role in the movie of Marie-Antoinette (2006) was performed by
Steve Coogan.

Source picture: Wikipedia

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