Casimir, Comte de Montrond (1768–1843) was a French diplomatic agent and the son of a military officer. His mother, Anglique Marie d'Arlus, comtesse de Montrond (died 1827), was a royalist writer, said to be the author of the ''Troubadour barnois'', a song which has the refrain "Louis, le fils de Henri, Est prisonnier dans Paris". Casimir was imprisoned in 1794 in St. Lazare, where he met a woman. He bought her freedom and his own with 100 louis. They married and crossed to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, but the union proved unhappy, and they were divorced on their return to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. Turning to the fashionable world, Casimir de Montrond became famous for his successes. He was the confidant and political agent of Talleyrand, and his inside knowledge of politics enabled him to make a large fortune on the Bourse. In 1809 he was disgraced for some imprudent comments on the imperial system, and exiled from Paris. After spending some time at Antwerp he removed to Spa, where he was on intimate terms with Pauline Borghese, and in 1811 he returned to Antwerp; here he was arrested on

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

's orders and sent to the fortress of

Ham Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term "ham ...

. After a month's imprisonment, he received permission to reside, under police supervision, at Chátillon-sur-Seine, whence he presently escaped to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. He returned to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

at the first

Bourbon Bourbon may refer to: Food and drink * Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash * Bourbon barrel aged beer, a type of beer aged in bourbon barrels * Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit * A beer produced by Bras ...

restoration, and during the Hundred Days was entrusted with a mission to

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

to convert Talleyrand to Napoleon's interests, to see

Metternich Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar, Prince of Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein ; german: Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar Fürst von Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein (15 May 1773 – 11 June 1859), known as Klemens von Metternich or Prince Metternic ...

and Nesselrode, and to bring back, if possible, Marie Louise and the King of

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. The second restoration restored him to his social triumphs, though he was always under police supervision, and on Talleyrand's fall he accompanied him to

Château de Valençay Château de Valençay is a château in the commune of Valençay, in the Indre department of France. It was a residence of the d'Estampes and Talleyrand-Périgord families. Although it is part of the province of Berry, its architecture invit ...

and continued to help with his intrigues. He followed Talleyrand to London in 1832. Montrond returned to Paris some time before his death in 1843. According to ''Recollections and Anecdotes'' of Captain

Rees Howell Gronow Rees Howell Gronow (179422 November 1865), "Captain Gronow", was a Welsh Grenadier Guards officer, an unsuccessful parliamentarian, a dandy and a writer of celebrated reminiscences. Origins and education He was the eldest son of William Gronow ...

, Montrond originated the sayings falsely attributed to Talleyrand: "La parole a été donnée à l’homme pour l’aider à cacher sa pensée." Speech was given to man to aid him at concealing his thoughts." "Défiez-vous des premiers mouvements ; ils sont presque toujours bons." Mistrust first impulses; they are nearly always good."

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Casimir, Comte De Montrond 1768 births 1843 deaths 19th-century French diplomats Counts of Montrond