POLIGNAC, an ancient French family, which had its seat in the Cevennes near Puy-en-Velay (Haute-Loire). Cardinal Melchior he Polignac (1661-1742) was a younger son of Armand XVI., marquis de Polignac, and at an early age achieved distinction as a diplomatist. In 1695 he was sent as ambassador to Poland, where he contrived to bring about the election of the prince of Conti as successorto John Sobieski (1697). The subsequent failure of this intrigue led to his temporary disgrace, but in 1702 he was restored to favour, and in 1712 he was sent as the plenipotentiary of Louis XIV. to the congress of Utrecht. During the regency he became involved in the Cellamare plot, and was relegated to Flanders for three years. From 1725 to 1732 he acted for France at the Vatican. In 1726 he received the archbishopric of Auch, and he died at Paris in 1742. He left unfinished a metrical refutation of Lucretius which was published after his death by the Abbé de Rothelin (Anti-Lucretius, 1745), and had considerable vogue in its day. Count Jules de Polignac (ob. 1817), grand-nephew of the preceding, was created duke by Louis XVI. in 1780, and in 1782 was made postmastergeneral. His position and influence at court were largely due to his wife, the bosom friend of Marie Antoinette; the duke and duchess alike shared the unpopularity of the court, and were among the first who were compelled to “emigrate” in 1789. The duchess died shortly after the queen, but her husband, who had received an estate from Catherine II. in the Ukraine, survived till 1817. Of their three sons the second, Prince Jules de Polignac (1780- 1847), held various offices after the restoration of the Bourbons, received from the pope his title of “prince” in 1820, and in 1823 was made ambassador to the court of St ...