Joseph-Mathias Gérard de Rayneval (24 February 1736,

Masevaux Masevaux ( is the French name of Màsmìnschter (), a former Communes of France, commune in the Haut-Rhin Departments of France, department in north-eastern France. Demographic evolution History On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new com ...

Haut-Rhin Haut-Rhin (); Alsatian: ''Owerelsàss'' or '; , . is a department in the Grand Est region, France, bordering both Germany and Switzerland. It is named after the river Rhine; its name means Upper Rhine. Haut-Rhin is the smaller and less pop ...

– 31 December 1812,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

), was a French

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

and

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of the

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...

Career

Gérard de Rayneval served under the

Bourbon Bourbon may refer to: Food and drink * Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash * Bourbon, a beer produced by Brasseries de Bourbon * Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit * Bourbon coffee, a type of coffee ma ...

Foreign Minister, Charles Gravier de Vergennes, as

Under-Secretary of State Undersecretary (or under secretary) is a title for a person who works for and has a lower rank than a secretary (person in charge). It is used in the executive branch of government, with different meanings in different political systems, and is a ...

for Foreign Affairs and Trade. In 1776, he produced a memo on

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

's strategic and diplomatic interests entitled ''Reflections on the Situation in America''. In 1782, he was sent on a secret mission to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

to make peace feelers and later undertook official diplomatic visits that led to the

Eden Agreement The Eden Treaty was a treaty signed between Great Britain and France in 1786, named after the British negotiator William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland (1744–1814). The French side was represented by Joseph Matthias Gérard de Rayneval. It effectiv ...

John Jay John Jay (, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American statesman, diplomat, signatory of the Treaty of Paris (1783), Treaty of Paris, and a Founding Father of the United States. He served from 1789 to 1795 as the first chief justice of the United ...

, a

Founding Father of the United States The Founding Fathers of the United States, often simply referred to as the Founding Fathers or the Founders, were a group of late-18th-century American Revolution, American revolutionary leaders who United Colonies, united the Thirteen Colon ...

, upon learning of the trips suspected French duplicity, leading him to begin separate negotiations with the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

. He wrote about his negotiations with Jay over the

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

If by the future treaty of peace, Spain preserves West Florida, she alone will be the sole proprietor of the course of the Mississippi from the thirty-first degree of latitude to the mouth of this river. Whatever may be the case with that part which is beyond this point to the north, the United States of America can have no pretentions to it, not being masters of either border to this river.

On 30 November, preliminary articles of peace were signed but it took a year, until 3 September 1783, for the

Paris Peace Treaty The Paris Peace Treaties () were signed on 10 February 1947 following the end of World War II in 1945. The Paris Peace Conference lasted from 29 July until 15 October 1946. The victorious wartime Allied powers (principally the United Kingdom, ...

to be signed.www.bnf.fr
/ref> Chevalier Gérard de Rayneval was appointed to the Royal Order of Charles III and served in

King Louis XVI Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir-apparent of King Louis XV), and Mari ...

's Conseil d'Etat.

Family

He was the fourth son of Claude Gérard, of

Masmünster Masevaux ( is the French name of Màsmìnschter (), a former commune in the Haut-Rhin department in north-eastern France. Demographic evolution History On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune Masevaux-Niederbruck.

Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

, by his wife Marie-Françoise Wetzel. In Paris on 8 August 1776, he married Sophie Gaucherel and had by her three children: * Adélaïde Gérard de Rayneval (1777-1860); * Maximilien Gérard de Rayneval (1778-1836), ''created'' a

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

; * Alexandrine-Sophie Gérard de Rayneval (1780-1823). His eldest brother was Conrad-Alexandre Gérard, comte de Munster.

References

External links

* * * * * * *

External links

www.diplomatie.gouv.fr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerard de Rayneval, Joseph Mathias 1736 births 1812 deaths People from Alsace 18th-century French diplomats 18th-century French politicians French people of the American Revolution Ambassadors of France to Great Britain Diplomacy during the American Revolutionary War

Career

Family

See also

References

External links

External links