Lionel, marquis de Moustier

Lionel Désiré-Marie-René-François de Moustier (23 August 1817 – 5 February 1869) was a French diplomat and politician. Early years Lionel Désiré-Marie-René-François, Marquis de Moustier was born in Paris on 23 August 1817, son of Clément-Édouard, Marquis de Moustier (1779-1830). His mother was Marie-Caroline de La Forest. His father was an ardent legitimist. Lionel inherited a large fortune. He married Fanny de Mérode, niece of Philippe-Félix-Balthasar-Othon Ghislain, Count of Mérode (1791-1857), whose daughter Marie-Anne married Charles Forbes René de Montalembert. Lionel de Moustiere and Fanny had two daughters, one of whom married the Marquis de Marmier. Under King Louis-Philippe he was a member of the general council of the department of Doubs. In 1848 he was a candidate for election in Franche-Comté, his native land. He was elected to represent the department of Doubs on 13 May 1849 by conservative monarchists. He sat on the right, and continued to support the administration until the coup of 2 December 1851. He was appointed to the Advisory Committee, but soon resigned. Ambassador On 10 March 1853 Lionel de Moustier was appointed minister plenipotentiary in Berlin, where he helped to ensure the neutrality of Prussia during the Crimean War. He had a scandalous affair in Berlin with the daughter of M. Delaunay, the minister of Sardinia in Prussia. Moustier was in Berlin during the Second Italian War of Independence in 1859, when France and the Kingdom of Sardinia were at war with Austria in Lombardy. Moustier was warned that Berlin would intervene if France failed to accept mediation. Moustier provided statistics that showed that Prussia was mobilizing a force that could readily defeat France's army on the Rhine. He remained in Berlin until November 1859, when he was appointed Ambassador of France at the court of Austria. On 28 August 1861 he was appointed Ambassador in Constantinople, a difficult position.