Cardinal Dubois

Following the death of Louis XIV, the Regent Philippe d'Orl

Dubois negotiated the Triple Alliance between France, Great Britain, and the Dutch Republic. This treaty aimed to maintain the balance of power against Spain and ended the Anglo-French rivalry, securing peace after the War of the Spanish Succession.

Dubois orchestrated French entry into the War of the Quadruple Alliance against Spain, which sought to overturn the Utrecht settlement. The war ended with Spanish defeat and the Treaty of The Hague (1720), reinforcing the European balance of power.

Dubois was elevated to the cardinalate by Pope Innocent XIII, largely through French political pressure. This appointment gave him ecclesiastical prestige and solidified his authority, though it was widely seen as a political move rather than a religious one.

Dubois died suddenly at Versailles, just months after the death of the Regent Orleans. His brief tenure as chief minister ended, and he was succeeded by the Duke of Bourbon. His death left France without a strong guiding hand during the minority of Louis XV.