POLIGNAC, an ancient French family, which had its seat in the Cevennes near Puy-en-Velay (Haute Loire). It can be traced to the 9th century, but in 1421 the male line became extinct. The heiress married Guillaume, sire de Chalancon (not to be con fused with the barons of Chalancon in Vivarais), who assumed the name and arms of Polignac.
The first historically important member was Cardinal MEL CHIOR DE POLIGNAC (1661-1742) , a younger son of Armand XVI., marquis de Polignac, who became a distinguished diplo matist. In 1695 he was sent as ambassador to Poland, where he brought about the election of the prince of Conti as successor to John Sobieski (1697). In 1712 he was sent as the plenipotentiary of Louis XIV. to the Congress of Utrecht. During the regency he became involved in the Cellamare plot, and was sent to Flanders for three years. From 1725 to 1732 he acted for France at the Vatican. In 1726 he received the archbishopric of Auch, and he died at Paris in 1742.
Prince JULES DE POLIGNAC (1780-1847) son of Count Jules (d. 1817), played a conspicuous part in the clerical and ultra royalist reaction after the Revolution. Under the empire he was implicated in the conspiracy of Cadoudal and Pichegru (1804), and was imprisoned till 1813. After the restoration of the Bour
bons he held various offices, received from the pope his title of "prince" in 1820, and in 1823 was made ambassador to the English court. On Aug. 8, 1829, he was called by Charles X. to the ministry of foreign affairs, and in November became president of the council. His appointment was taken as symbolical of the king's intention to overthrow the constitution, and, with the other ministers, he was held responsible for the policy which culminated in the issue of the Four Ordinances which were the immediate cause of the revolution of July 183o. On the outbreak of this he fled for his life, but was arrested at Granville and condemned to perpetual imprisonment. The sentence was commuted to one of exile by the amnesty of 1836. During his captivity he wrote Considerations politiques (1832). He spent some years in Eng land, but was permitted to re-enter France on condition that he did not live in Paris. He died at St. Germain on March 29,