Richard Francis Talbot (December 1710 – 12 March 1752) was a French soldier and diplomat of Irish descent. Talbot was born in France to Irish exiles, the son of Richard Talbot (son of William Talbot) and Charlotte Talbot (daughter of Richard Talbot, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell). Talbot's paternal grandfather had assumed the title of Talbot's maternal grandfather in 1691, and in 1724 Talbot became the titular Earl of Tyrconnell in

Jacobite Jacobite means follower of Jacob or James. Jacobite may refer to: Religion * Jacobites, followers of Saint Jacob Baradaeus (died 578). Churches in the Jacobite tradition and sometimes called Jacobite include: ** Syriac Orthodox Church, sometimes ...

circles. In 1721 he joined Fitzjames' Horse, a regiment in the Irish Brigade of the

French Royal Army The French Royal Army (french: Armée Royale Française) was the principal land force of the Kingdom of France. It served the Bourbon Dynasty from the reign of Louis XIV in the mid-17th century to that of Charles X in the 19th, with an interlude ...

. He was promoted to captain in 1729 and served under James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick in the War of the Polish Succession. He later served in Bavaria, Upper Alsace and Lower Rhine. Talbot was captured by British forces in a ship off the coast of Ostend while attempting to sail to join the Jacobite Rising of 1745, but was later released in a prisoner exchange. He was appointed

Maréchal de camp ''Maréchal de camp'' (sometimes incorrectly translated as field marshal) was a general officer rank used by the French Army until 1848. The rank originated from the older rank of sergeant major general ( French: ''sergent-major général''). Se ...

in April 1748 during the Siege of Maastricht and was honoured as a chevalier of the

Order of St Louis The Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis (french: Ordre Royal et Militaire de Saint-Louis) is a dynastic order of chivalry founded 5 April 1693 by King Louis XIV, named after Saint Louis (King Louis IX of France). It was intended as a rewa ...

. After the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, Talbot was named by Louis XV as his ambassador to the Kingdom of Prussia, arriving in Berlin in March 1750. From September 1751 his health declined rapidly and he died in Berlin in March 1752. He was described by Thomas Carlyle as "a Jacobite Irishman, of blusterous qualities, though with plenty of sagacity and rough sense".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Talbot, Richard Francis 1710 births 1752 deaths 18th-century Irish people Ambassadors of France to Prussia Earls in the Jacobite peerage French military personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession French military personnel of the War of the Polish Succession Irish expatriates in France Irish Jacobites Irish soldiers in the French Army Jacobite military personnel of the Jacobite rising of 1745 Knights of the Order of Saint Louis Richard Francis