Talleyrand’s Ink-Stained Betrayal

Napoleon’s greatest betrayal didn’t happen on the battlefield it was written in ink.

The traitor was Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand, Napoleon’s own foreign minister.

A master diplomat. And a master survivor. By 1808, Talleyrand had lost faith in Napoleon’s

endless wars. While publicly serving the Emperor, he secretly began corresponding with

Tsar Alexander I of Russia. In these letters, Talleyrand warned Alexander about

Napoleon’s ambitions. He urged Russia to resist French domination. And he revealed

internal weaknesses of the French Empire. The betrayal became clear after Napoleon’s disastrous invasion

of Russia in 1812. As France collapsed, Talleyrand openly turned against him. In 1814,