WDF XTRA 17: Pomponne
Added 2017-09-28 23:01:01 +0000 UTC[PATRONS] In this one off bio episode on Simon Arnauld, Marquis de Pomponne, we delve into the life of one of the most fascinating and important characters in France. Pomponne was the foreign minister of France during the Franco-Dutch War, and he would hold that post again from 1691.
Yet, his story was not a normal run of the mill tale. Instead, his involves unfortunate associations, religious and familial prejudices, and the unusual penchant in 17th century France for looking out for one's own, before looking out for one's personal advancement.
Pomponne was a man full of contradictions, but he was also a man of resolve and principle at a time in France when such qualities were hard to come by in the back-biting world of the grasping nobility. In this episode, we follow his career up to the point of his dismissal in 1679, and assess his life and service record as he went abroad as ambassador to Sweden and the Dutch Republic, meeting the likes of Johan de Witt along the way.
It's a fascinating story, and his is a story that deserves to be told, so I hope you guys will check it out and let me know what you thought. Thanksss!
