Thouvenel, Édouard

THOUVENEL, ÉDOUARD. - French statesman, b. at Verdun on 11 Nov. 1818, d. at Paris on 10 Oct. 1866.

After a rapid and brilliant diplomatic career (he was, among other things, ambassador at Constantinople during the Crimean War), on 4 Jan. 1860 he succeeded Walewski as Foreign Minister of Napoleon III and held that portfolio for about two years. T. thus found himself directing French foreign policy in the aftermath of the Peace of Zurich (v.), of which he immediately understood that it would not be possible to apply the resolutions concerning the constitution of an Italian confederation. He then negotiated with Cavour the consent of France to the annexation of the Duchies, the Legations and Tuscany to the Kingdom of Sardinia in exchange for the cession of Nice and Savoy to the Empire: this he achieved with the Treaty of 12 March 1860. He also advocated direct agreements between Turin and the Holy See so that Piedmont would guarantee the integrity of the relevant political borders, since it was his desire to put an end to the imperial armed protection of the Patrimony of St. Peter, but his efforts in that direction had no follow-up because of the opposition of the government of Rome. Equally in vain he sought to promote common action by the cabinets of Paris and London to prevent Garibaldi from landing on the mainland after the occupation of Sicily, and he protested energetically against the Sardinian invasion of the Marches and Umbria, breaking off diplomatic relations with Turin, notwithstanding that the expedition had been directly authorized by the Emperor. It is also to T. that we owe the drafting of a plan for an Italo-French agreement concerning the Roman question, along the lines of which the so-called September Convention (v.) was later stipulated in 1864. The plan, which had not been carried out in 1861 because of Cavour's death, was taken up again by T. after Aspromonte: but since Napoleon III then showed himself opposed to it, he tendered his resignation, imitated by numerous French diplomats who shared the minister's views.

Renzo U. Montini