The prototype of the witty, cynical diplomat, Talleyrand is exalted by some as a savior of Europe and damned by others as an opportunist or traitor. Undisputed, however, is the Frenchman’s impressive knack for political survival. He held high office from the ancien régime through the Revolution, Napoleon’s rise and fall, the Restoration, and the July Monarchy. He scored his greatest diplomatic triumphs representing France at the Congress of Vienna. What was one of his worst diplomatic failures? Discuss