Claude de Mesmes, comte d'Avaux

Claude de Mesmes, comte d' Avaux (* 1595, † November 9, 1650 in Paris) was a French diplomat and one of the key players in the negotiations for the Peace of Westphalia.

Life

He was the second son of Johann Jacob II de Mesmes and Antoinette (born Gressaine, also Grossaine ).

Since 1617 he was a member of the Grand Conseil. Like his father, he was from 1623 Request Master and Council of State. In 1627 he was ambassador in Venice and in Rome in 1632. He was also active as a diplomat in Mantua, Florence and Turin. Later, he was entrusted with missions in Sweden, Denmark and Poland. He was involved in 1632, when Poland and Sweden concluded an armistice.

Since 1637, he was Associate French legate for Germany, based in Gdansk and in particular Hamburg. He was involved in the 1641 preliminary peace Hamburg who laid the conditions for peace negotiations in Osnabrück and Münster. Although France was allied with Sweden, he has worked as a Catholic for Catholic institutions in the Osnabrück area. So the monasteries Gertrudenberg and Iburg been restored. He went also for the Catholics in the Dutch and Swedish diaspora.

In 1642 he was surintendant des Finances in France. However, he had a strained relationship with Cardinal Mazarin. To remove him from France and because of his diplomatic experience, he was from 1644 to the negotiations that led to the Peace of Westphalia, seconded. He lived mainly in the Kettler 's Curia on Cathedral Square in Münster and maintained a large retinue.

About the right negotiation strategy, there were conflicts with the fellow envoys Abel Servien. This had the confidence of Mazarin. The only 1645 arriving Henri II d'Orléans - Longueville had no success with his mediation efforts. Was content Servien a follower of French expansionist policy. Count Avaux refused and decided warned not to repeat the mistakes of Spain at a territorial overexpansion. The intent of Count d' Avaux to come to a quick peace with Spain, has prevented Servia. Unlike Servien the Count in the negotiations with the representatives of the Emperor was willing if necessary to dispense with the Alsace.

Overall, the count is regarded as one of the key negotiators and essential co-designer of the contracts. The influence of the party to Mazarin led to the dismissal of Count in 1648 before signing contracts. Back in France, he fell into disgrace and even temporarily lost his possessions. A short time later, the rehabilitation and he was yet again in 1648 surintendant des Finances. He left the office but soon settled and lived in Fontainebleau.