ABSTRACT
Charles Maurice Prince de Talleyrand life only took on meaning again when he returned to Europe, landing in Hamburg on 31 July 1796. In the period immediately following his return to Paris, Talleyrand carefully avoided politics and adopted a non-committal attitude towards the new government which had come to power after the fall of Robespierre, the Directory. Most of the members were on cordial terms with Talleyrand, and all of them knew him from his days in the National Assembly. The position that Talleyrand entered was a difficult one, if the fate of the foreign ministers who had occupied the position since 1789 is anything to go by. Talleyrand was appointed foreign minister in July 1797, in part based upon two speeches addressed to the Institute in which he advocated a more activist colonial policy, including an invasion of Egypt.
