Louis-Sauveur de Villeneuve (6 August 1675,

Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence, or simply Aix, is a List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, city and Communes of France, commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. A former capital of Provence, it is the Subprefectures in France, s ...

- 18 July 1745,

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

) was

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

noble and diplomat. He was marquess of Forcalqueiret and baron of Sainte-Anastasie, who served as ambassador to the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

from 1728 to 1741. During the Russo-Austro-Turkish War (1735–1739), Villeneuve was engaged in negotiations between warring parties, acting as a neutral mediator, but trying to secure an outcome that would be beneficial for French interests. Hoping to stop or reverse further expansion of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

and the

Habsburg Monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

towards Ottoman territories, Villeneuve was hoping to achieve the

status quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, economic, legal, environmental, political, religious, scientific or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the curren ...

outcome in the Russo-Turkish conflict, and he also took advantage of unexpected Habsburg defeats in the final stages of the war, advocating for cession of several Habsburg regions to the Ottomans. He played prominent role in negotiations that took place in

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

and

Niš Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names of European cities in different languages (M–P)#N, names in other languages), less often spelled in English as Nish, is the list of cities in Serbia, third largest city in Serbia and the administrative cente ...

, from August to October 1739. He persuaded Habsburg negotiator

Wilhelm Reinhard von Neipperg Wilhelm Reinhard von Neipperg (27 May 1684 – 26 May 1774) was an aristocrat (count) and general, who held several commanding posts in military forces of the Habsburg Monarchy. Biography Born in Schwaigern, the residence of the Lordship, f ...

to accept unfavorable preliminary agreement on 1 September, and acted as a co-signator of the final

Treaty of Belgrade The Treaty of Belgrade, also known as the Belgrade Peace, was a peace treaty between the Habsburg Monarchy and Ottoman Empire, that was signed on September 18, 1739 in Belgrade (modern Serbia), thus ending the Austro–Turkish War (1737–1739) ...

(18 September) that ended the Austro-Turkish war. Using mediating powers granted to him by the Russian government, Villeneuve also signed the preliminary Russo-Turkish agreement (also on 18 September, in Belgrade), and was instrumental in concluding the final Treaty of Niš (3 October) that ended the Russo-Turkish war. During his service de Villeneuve made a point to learn more about the Ottoman

madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes Romanization of Arabic, romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any Educational institution, type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whet ...

system, the religious educational institution that had been operating in the Empire continuously since its establishment in 1330 by

Orhan Gazi Orhan Ghazi (; , also spelled Orkhan; died 1362) was the second sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1323/4 to 1362. He was born in Söğüt, as the son of Osman I. In the early stages of his reign, Orhan focused his energies on conquering most ...

. Submitting the request to the Ottoman Foreign Ministry, de Villeneuve was presented with the Seven Stars curriculum (Kevakib-i Seb'a). This curriculum, of unknown authorship, expressed regrets that Islamic scholars had not made greater inroads into Christian countries where they were widely regarded as ignorant and superstitious. The Seven Stars curriculum presented to de Villeneuve aimed to overcome language barriers and improve the image of the Islamic world in the West.

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Du nom et du blason de la commune de Forcalqueiret: Le blason de la famille Sauveur de Villeneuve
{{DEFAULTSORT:Villeneuve, Louis Sauveur Ambassadors of France to the Ottoman Empire 18th-century French diplomats

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