From the age of 16 until he was 27, Saint-Simon was in military service, during which time he began to keep a diary. In 1715, Philippe II, duc d'Orleans, the regent for Louis XV appointed Saint-Simon to his council. In 1721 he was sent to Spain on a diplomatic mission. When Philippe died in 1723, Saint-Simon retired from court. He then worked as an annotator of the Journal of the Marquis de Dangeau. Saint-Simon's memoirs were written around 1748 and presented an interesting historical perspective on the final years of Louis XIV and the regency period. The first authentic published edition of the Memoires consisted of 21 volumes and were produced between 1829 and 1830. |
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