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GIROLAMO LUCCHESINI (1751-1825)

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Originally appearing in Volume V17, Page 96 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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GIROLAMO See also:LUCCHESINI (1751-1825)  , Prussian diplomatist, was See also:born at See also:Lucca on the 7th of May 1751, the eldest son of See also:Marquis See also:Lucchesini . In 1779 he went to See also:Berlin where See also:Frederick the See also:Great gave him a See also:court See also:appointment, making use of him in his See also:literary relations with See also:Italy . Frederick See also:William II., who recognized his gifts for See also:diplomacy, sent him in 1787 to See also:Rome to obtain the papal See also:sanction for the appointment of a coadjutor to the See also:bishop of See also:Mainz, with a view to strengthening the See also:German Fiirstenbund . In 1788 he was sent to See also:Warsaw, and brought about a rapprochement with See also:Prussia and a diminution of See also:Russian See also:influence at Warsaw . He was accredited See also:ambassador to the See also:king and See also:republic of See also:Poland on the 12th of See also:April 1789 . Frederick William was at that See also:time intriguing with See also:Turkey, then at See also:war with See also:Austria and See also:Russia . Lucchesini was to rouse See also:Polish feeling against Russia, and to secure for Prussia the concourse of Poland in the event of war with Austria and Russia . All his See also:power of intrigue was needed in the conduct of these hazardous negotiations, rendered more difficult by the fact that Prussian policy excluded the existence of a strong Polish See also:government . A Prusso-Polish See also:alliance was concluded in See also:March 1790 . Lucchesini had been sent in See also:January of that See also:year to secure the alliance of See also:Saxony against Austria, and in See also:September he was sent to See also:Sistova, where representatives of the See also:chief See also:European See also:powers were engaged in settling the terms of See also:peace between Austria and Turkey, which were finally agreed upon on the 4th of See also:August 1991 . Before he returned to Warsaw the Polish treaty of which he had been the chief author had become a dead See also:letter owing to the engagements made between Prussia and Austria at See also:Reichenbach in See also:July 1790, and Prussia was already contemplating the second See also:partition of Poland . He was recalled at the end of 1791, and in July 1792 he joined Frederick William in the invasion of See also:France .

He was to be Prussian ambassador in See also:

Paris when the allied forces should have reinstated the authority of See also:Louis XVI . He was opposed alike to the invasion of France and the See also:Austrian alliance, but his prepossessions did not interfere with his skilful conduct of the negotiations with See also:Kellermann after the See also:allies had been forced to retire by See also:Dumouriez's guns at Valmy, nor with his success in securing the See also:landgrave of See also:Hesse-See also:Darmstadt's assistance against France . In 1793 he was appointed ambassador to See also:Vienna, with the ostensible See also:object of securing See also:financial assistance for the Rhenish See also:campaign . He accompanied Frederick William through the Polish campaign of 1793-94, and in the autumn returned to Vienna . His See also:anti-Austrian See also:bias made him extremely unpopular with the Austrian court, which asked in vain for his recall in 1795 . In 1797, after a visit to Italy in which he had an interview with See also:Napoleon at See also:Bologna, these demands were renewed and acceded to . In ,800 he was sent by Frederick William III. on a See also:special See also:mission to Paris . Despatches in which he expressed his distrust of See also:Bonaparte's peaceful professions and his conviction of the danger of the continuance of a neutral policy were intercepted by the first See also:consul, who sought his recall, but eventually accepted him as See also:regular ambassador (1802) . He consistently sought friendly relations between France and Prussia, but he warned his government in 18o6 of Napoleon's intention of restoring See also:Hanover to See also:George III. and of See also:Murat's aggressions in See also:Westphalia . He was superseded as ambassador in . Paris in September just before the outbreak of war . After the disaster of See also:Jena on the 14th of See also:October he had an interview with See also:Duroc near See also:Wittenberg to seek terms of peace .

After two unsuccessful attempts at negotiation, the first draft being refused by Napoleon, the second by Frederick William, he joined the Prussian court at See also:

Konigsberg only to learn that his services were no longer required . He then joined the court of Elisa, See also:grand duchess of See also:Tuscany, at Lucca and See also:Florence, and after Napoleon's fall devoted himself to See also:writing . He died on the 20th of October 1825 . He published in 1819 three volumes, See also:Suite cause et gli effetti della confederazione rizenana, at Florence, but revealed little that was not already available in printed See also:sources . His See also:memoirs remained in MS . His despatches are edited by Bailleu in Preussen and Frankreich (See also:Leipzig, 1887, Publikationen aus den preussischen Staatsarchiven) .

End of Article: GIROLAMO LUCCHESINI (1751-1825)
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