Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes, was France’s Foreign Minister from 1774 to 1787 during Louis XVI’s reign.

France was still salty about having lost the Seven Years’ War. On this side of the pond we refer to it as the French and Indian War, but this was a global affair that took place mostly in Europe. France and Austria took on Great Britain and Prussia, and a few other nations joined in with the coalitions. Winston Churchill once called it the “First World War” because so many nations were in conflict on four different continents, and he’s not wrong in the bigger picture.

At any rate, Charles Gravier (more properly referred to as “Vergennes”) hoped that by helping the Americans, he could weaken British dominance on the global stage. (You may remember we talked about this ten days ago.) In the end it turned out to be a mixed bag: while the Americans eventually were successful in their attempt to break away from Britain, France didn’t get a lot out of it by the time the dust settled, and the French finances (which were already weakened) were further damaged. And then, of course, the French people took the hint from America and had themselves a French Revolution.

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