Guillaume Dubois

Dubois, Guillaume (gēyōm' dübwä'), 1656-1723, French statesman, cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. A man of humble birth, he was tutor to Philippe II d'Orléans (see under Orléans, family) who, when he became regent, made Dubois councilor of state (1715). In 1718, Dubois became secretary of state for foreign affairs. Reversing the foreign policy of King Louis XIV, he concluded the Triple Alliance of 1717 with England and the Netherlands, and negotiated (1719) marriage contracts between the royal houses of France and Spain. In 1721 he was made a cardinal and in 1722 became chief minister.