COLBERT DE CROISSY, CHARLES, MARQUIS (1625— 1696), French diplomatist, like his elder brother Jean Baptiste Colbert, began his career in the office of the minister of war, Le Tellier. In 1656 he bought a counsellorship at the parlement of Metz, and in 1658 was appointed intendant of Alsace and presi dent of the newly-created sovereign council of Alsace. In this position he had to reorganize the territory recently annexed to France. The steady support of his brother at court gained for him several diplomatic missions—to Germany and Italy (1659-61) . In 1662 he became marquis de Croissy and president ˘ mortier of the parlement of Metz. After various intendancies, at Sois sons (1665), at Amiens (1666) and at Paris (1667), he turned definitely to diplomacy. In 1668 he represented France at the conference of Aix-le-Chapelle; and in August of the same year was sent as ambassador to London, where he was to negotiate the definite treaty of alliance with Charles II. He arranged the inter view at Dover between Charles and his sister Henrietta of Or leans, gained the king's personal favour by finding a mistress for him, Louise de Karouaille, maid of honour to Madame, and per suaded him to declare war against Holland. The negotiation of the treaty of Nijmwegen (1676-78) still further increased his reputation as a diplomatist, and Louis XIV. made him secretary of state for foreign affairs after the disgrace of Arnauld de Pomponne, brought about by his brother, 1679. He at once assumed the entire direction of French diplomacy. It was he, not Louvois, who formed the idea of annexation during a time of peace, by means of the chambers of reunion. He had outlined this plan as early as 1658 with regard to Alsace. His policy at first was to retain the territory annexed by the chambers of reunion without declaring war, and for this purpose he signed treaties of alliance with the elector of Brandenburg (1681), and with Denmark (1683) ; but the troubles following upon the revocation of the Edict of Nantes (168 5) forced him to give up his scheme and to prepare for war with Germany (1688). The negotia tions for peace had been begun again when he died, on July 28, 1696.
papers, preserved in the Archives des affaires etrangeres at Paris, have been partially published in the Recueil des instructions donnees aux ambassadeurs et ministres de France (since 1884). See especially the volumes:—Autriche (t.i.), Suede (t.ii.), Rome (t.vi.), Baviere (t.viii.), Savoie (t.xiv.), Prusse (t.xvi.). Other documents have been published in Mignet's Negotiations relatives a la succession d'Espagne, vol. iv., and in the collection of Lettres et negotiations . . . pour la paix de Nimegue, 1676-77 (La Haye, 171o). In addition to the Memoires of the time, see Spanheim, Relation de la tour de France en 169o, edit. E. Bourgeois (Lyons, 1900) ; Baschet, Histoire du depot des affaires etrangeres; C. Rousset, Histoire de Louvois (1863) ; E. Bourgeois, "Louvois et Colbert de Croissy," in the Revue Historique, vol. xxxiv. (1887) ; A. Waddington, Le Grand Electeur et Louis XIV. (19o5) ; G. Pagis, Le Grand Electeur et Louis XIV. (19o5).