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How did Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand become vicar general of Reims?
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Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand, prince de Bénévent
French diplomat Talleyrand, portrait by Pierre-Paul Prud'hon, 1817.
Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand became vicar general of Reims through his uncle, Alexandre de Talleyrand-PĂ©rigord, who served as the archbishop of the diocese.1
Following his ordination as a priest in December 1779, Talleyrand was appointed to the position of vicar general by his uncle the very next day. This appointment occurred after Talleyrand had already been nominated by the King as the abbot of Saint-Denis at Reims in 1775 and had completed his degree in theology from the Sorbonne in 1778. A vicar general acts as the highest administrative officer for a diocese, exercising authority on behalf of the bishop.12