VERGENNES, CHARLES G., COUNT DE
\vˈɜːd͡ʒənz], \vˈɜːdʒənz], \v_ˈɜː_dʒ_ə_n_z]\
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(1717-1787), became Minister of Foreign Affairs in France in 1774. He gave efficient support to the American colonies during the Revolution. He counselled Louis XVI. to loan them money, to recognize their independence, and to sign the treaty of 1778, by which France aided them with forces, money and supplies. He was a negotiator of the treaty of Versailles in 1783. The American negotiators suspected him of intending to sacrifice their interests, and, disregarding their instructions, made a separate peace apart from France.
By John Franklin Jameson
