Jacques-Joachim Trotti of Chétardie

Jacques-Joachim Trotti, marquis of Chétardie (1705-1758) is an officer and diplomatic French, organizer of the coup d'etat which put Elisabeth I {{Re}} on the throne of Russia in 1741.

Biography

Family origins, childhood and youth, beginnings in the diplomacy

Jacques-Joachim Trotti of Chétardie was born in Angoumois from an old family from the French Nobility. His/her uncle Abbé Joachim of Chétardie was the confessor of Madam de Maintenon.

Lieutenant in 1721, colonel in 1734, his military career was stopped by diplomatic missions abroad, thanks to his father-in-law, him even ambassador with the service of Louis XV.

England, Holland…, ambassador plenipotentiary for the Kingdom of France near the king of Prussia Frederic-Guillaume Ier since 1731, he traverses the Europe by carrying out face his military career and his diplomatic missions, combatant in particular in the War of succession of Poland which sets ablaze all Europe of 1733 to 1738.

It is starting from 1734 qu ' it chooses completely the diplomacy, the function of Ambassador of France in Prussia, neutral in this conflict, enabling him more to be called under the weapons. It definitively chooses the felted refinement of the courses and the European chancelleries.

Temporarily defender of Voltaire in Berlin and Versailles, the young diplomat creates for itself the reputation of a " very pleasant garçon" , according to the words of prince Frederic in a letter addressed to the French philosopher. He had the taste of the intrigue, of the mondanity and a smoothness, a good mine and a quite French galantery, with the prompt and untied intelligence which will allure soon the future tsarina de Russie.

Arrived to Russia at the Court of Anna Ivanovna at Saint-Pétersbourg in 1739 as an Ambassador plenipotentiary, Chétardie gets busy to develop the bonds between the Kingdom of France (then regarded as enemy), and the Empire of Russia, while making sure that they perdurent after the death of the Tsarina. It informs various problems that knows Russia for the succession with the throne and approaches the very francophile princess Elisabeth Petrovna, girl of Pierre Large the of which it has a presentiment of that she will be the future strong woman of the country. Two young people seem to like themselves as of their first maintenance. The princess, then 30 years old, was what it was agreed to call at the 18th century a beautiful woman, large, with the blue eyes, of a enjoué naturalness. For it, the marquis of Chétardie was it fine of the end of the French spirit, towards which it was turned since its childhood. Thus with died of Anna Ivanova in October 1740, (Chétardie described it like vulgar, hard and hommasse) the taste of the intrigue which had since always the Marquis could finally open out…

The coup d'etat of November 25th, 1741

The late Tsarina had designated for successor a two month old baby, Ivan Antonovitch, back grandson of Ivan V. Bühren was indicated regent, but taking into account its unpopularity, that lasted only one month. Reversed by the Munich field-marshal, it was replaced by the mother of the heir to the throne, Anna Leopoldovna, which, married to a German, did not cause more sympathy near the Russian people. For Chétardie as for much, this situation could not last, the more so as the policy of new the Regent was far from being favorable to France, since it was based on its German party, enemy hereditary of the French Crown, but also of that of Russia.

Knowing the relations which the Elisabeth princess and the marquis maintained Chétardie, Anna Leopoldovna made supervise the " duo" by a police omnipresence which made leave its Elisabeth hinges. To mislead the monitoring undertaken by the regent with regard to Elisabeth, Chétardie decided for a time to make pass their relation via a friend of the Princess, of French origin: the count Lestocq. It tried by this intermediary to make act the Princess against the totalitarianism of Leopoldovna. During several weeks of tergiversations, secret letters, secret appointments, gestures agreed upon, in an atmosphere of conspiracy, Chétardie tried to involve the princess and the Guard to reverse " the party allemand" of the Regent.

Informed of the evolution of the situation, Versailles saw with concern the ambassador of France interfering himself a little too close to the Russian businesses. One judged however preferable not to discourage claiming it with the imperial throne, Chétardie having extremely well pled against the project of alliance of the regent with England with the detriment of France. After grinds adventures at the Court of Saint-Pétersbourg as near that of Versailles, at the time of a kind of the private Council held on December 5th 1741, Chétardie and the entourage of Elisabeth Pretrovna made fold the princess so that it carries out the project of coup d'etat to the head of the soldiers of the Guard who were devoted for him.

The coup d'etat took place in the night from December 5th to 6th 1741 (November 25th of the Julien calendar). The family of the regent was stopped and transferred from the palate of Winter to that of Elisabeth. In spite of the cold of the nights of the Russian winter, the streets of Saint-Pétersbourg were traversed by a crowd in jubilation. It is that the new empress was sovereign fundamentally Russian, whose advent meant the final fall of the hated German mode. Naturally, with the palate of French Legation, Chétardie did not fail to follow the events hours per hour. When the success of the coup d'etat was bright, it immediately left to present its compliments to Elisabeth. Significant fact confirmed by several testimonys, the soldiers of the Préobrajenski regiment hustled themselves to kiss the hands of the French ambassador, calling it their father and their saver!

It was manifest that the plan of this coup d'etat had not only the support of the embassy of France but was also to some extent the work of the chief of the French delegation, the marquis of Chétardie. Grateful, Elisabeth sent a message of thanks to king Louis XV. For Chétardie, it was the complete triumph: in Versailles one rented oneself of his audacity, and the alliance hoped so much with Russia was thus going to succeed; at the Court of Russia the ambassador had from now on his large entries, but one whispered already that it had also his small entries in the private apartments of the Empress, being allowed among the close relations of Elisabeth Pétrovna. Hadn't the shortly after the coup d'etat sent six messages the same day to the Ambassador of France of which that addressed to king de France to express all its gratitude to him? During the discussion with the ambassador, the new Empress had gone until him to ask for council on the future of the tsar Ivan III, become again in the circumstance prince de Brunswick. Chétardie did not hesitate: “One would not know, answered it, to bring too much means to erase to the traces of the reigns of Ivan VI! ” In fact, the unfortunate child was locked up, became insane, and died assassinated on the order of Catherine II in 1764!

Taking part in the dynastic arbitration of Russia, the marquis of Chétardie believed to have reached heights of which it would not go down again any more.

Disgrace

The marquis of Chétardie was decorated with the order of Saint-Andrew and the Ordre of Holy-Anne.

He was disgraced and had to leave Russia in 1742. He returned to the military life. He fought in Italy, where he gained his ranks of in 1745 and general lieutenant Brigadier in 1748. He was ambassador with Turin of 1749 with 1751. He took again service in 1756, for the Guerre Seven Year old. He died in Hanau on January first 1759.

See too

The Château of Chétardie is in Charente, on the commune of Exideuil.

Random links: