Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roche Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette(fr. Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette ; 6 September ( 17570906 ) , Chavagnac Castle - May 20, Paris) - French politician. Participated in three revolutions: the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolution and the July Revolution of 1830.

Childhood and early years

On his father and mother, the Marquis de La Fayette belonged to the so-called nobility of the sword (i.e., acquired by military service). Soon after the birth of the six inherited names, the boy was chosen one main - Gilbert - in memory of his father and famous ancestor from the La Fayette family. It was named in memory of Gilbert de La Fayette, Marshal of France, associate of the legendary Joan of Arc and closest adviser to King Charles VII. Gilbert's father, Grenadier Colonel, Knight of the Order of St. Louis Louis Christophe Roque Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette died during the Seven Years' War with the British in the battle of Hastenbeck (Eng. Hastenbeck) July 26, 1757.

United States War of Independence

Marquis de la Fayette

In December 1777, La Fayette took part in a successful operation against the British in the area of ​​the Squikill River.

As the commander of the Northern Army stationed near the Canadian border, La Fayette led active agitation in favor of the American rebels among the Indian tribes, who, at the instigation of the British, attacked American settlements and even forts. On March 9, 1778, La Fayette took part in a meeting of the Indian leaders of the Six Tribes Union, which took place in the territory occupied by the British. The meeting was attended by 500 Indian leaders of the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk and Tuscarora tribes. La Fayette made a speech to the Indian leaders in which he tried to set out in an accessible form the main principles and goals of the American Revolution. He made a number of convincing arguments against the British and won the unanimous approval of those present. In a solemn ceremony and in accordance with the age-old Indian ritual, La Fayette was awarded the honorary name Kayevla, which was worn by one of the most revered legendary Indian military leaders. The meeting ended with the signing of an agreement on the alliance of the Six Tribes, who pledged to fight all the enemies of Kayevla on the side of the Americans, with songs, dances and the distribution of gifts to the leaders. And valuable gifts to Indian leaders, and the cost of maintaining the Northern Army, La Fayette paid from his own pocket. Beaumarchais responded to the Marquis with the following words: "This young crazy Marquis de La Fayette, who, not content with having opened his heart to America, opened his wallet to America."

With his own money, La Fayette built, at the request of the leaders of the Six Tribes, a fort on the US-Canadian border to protect against the "common enemy" and equipped it with cannons and other weapons.

From the first minute of his appearance in Paris, La Fayette became the hero of the day. Queen Marie Antoinette herself obtained consent from the king to promote La Fayette to the rank of colonel of the royal grenadiers. However, the popularity of the Marquis worried about Versailles. In the autumn of 1779, La Fayette turned to J. Washington with a request to officially summon him to the United States. At the beginning of 1780, such a request came and was immediately granted by Versailles. La Fayette was authorized to officially notify Congress of the decision of the French government to send Rochambeau's expeditionary force to North America as soon as possible to participate in joint military operations against England. March 13, 1780, the Marquis on the Royal Navy frigate "Hermione" departed from Larochelle, and April 27 - entered the harbor of Boston.

After his arrival in the United States, La Fayette participates both in military operations (as part of N. Green's army) and in political and diplomatic negotiations. He saw it as his duty not only to be on the battlefield, but also to strengthen Franco-American cooperation, to expand French assistance to America.

Taking advantage of the break in hostilities that came after the Yorktown operation (September-October 1781), La Fayette decided to visit France, where peace negotiations between the United States and England were soon to begin. Having received leave from Congress, Lafayette returns to France on December 18, 1781. At the king's reception for participation in the capture of Yorktown, Lafayette is promoted to the rank of field marshal.

After the conclusion of peace, La Fayette, in 1784, made a third trip to America; this time it was a triumphal procession for him.

French revolution

After the taking of the Bastille, the king had to agree to the appointment of Lafayette as head of the national guard. Lafayette was weary of police duties and understood that their performance harmed his popularity, but he considered it his duty to fulfill those duties that the nation would entrust to him. For example, on October 5, Lafayette, against his will, was forced to lead the national guard to Versailles in order to force the king to move to Paris. When on the night of the 6th riots and murders began, he vigorously stopped them.

After the relocation of the king to Paris, Lafayette, as chief of the main armed forces of the capital, was one of the most influential people in France. A liberal who did not completely abandon noble traditions, he dreamed of combining monarchy and order with freedom and the triumph of democratic principles; the rampage of the mob, the language of the Jacobin orators deeply resented him, but he liked the way the king and courtiers acted even less. As a result, he aroused against himself the extreme dislike of the king and especially the queen - and at the same time strong suspicions of extreme parties; Marat repeatedly demanded that he be hanged. When, on June 20, 1791, the king fled from Paris, in spite of the measures taken by Lafayette for his return, a suspicion fell on him, completely unfounded, of facilitating the flight. Robespierre, in the Jacobin club, directly accused him of this.

After he took part in the suppression of the uprising on July 17, 1791 on the Champ de Mars, his influence wanes. In November 1791, when the post of Commander-in-Chief of the National Guard was abolished, Lafayette put forward his candidacy for the mayor of Paris, but was defeated by Pétion.

Lafayette was sent to the northern border, the head of one of the three detachments of the northern army. From there, he followed the events in Paris with increasing irritation. He sent letters to the legislature protesting against his decisions; but the letters did not work. Then he left the camp and appeared in the meeting, with the address of the officers, demanding the punishment of terrorist clubs, the restoration of the authority of laws and the constitution, and the salvation of royal dignity. Most of the congregation reacted to " new Cromwell' extremely hostile. In the palace he was also received dryly; " better death than Lafayette's help' said the queen. Under such conditions, he did not consider it possible to take any action.

Haunted by the hatred of the Jacobins and the suspicions of the Girondins, he returned to the army; the proposal to bring him to trial did not pass. After the overthrow of the king, Lafayette not only refused to receive the commissioners of the legislative assembly, who came to swear allegiance to the newly proclaimed republic, but arrested them; then the assembly declared him a traitor and demanded to answer. Lafayette fled to the Austrians, but was suspected of duplicity and was imprisoned in the Olmutz fortress, where he spent 5 years.

Oppositionist

July Revolution of 1830

Children

Monument to Lafayette in Paris

Sons of Lafayette Georges Washington (d.

Marquis Gilbert Lafayette is very popular in modern France as a politician who has always adhered to the golden mean. He lived a long life, was a participant in several wars and three revolutions. Now streets and squares are named after him. The elite squadron of the French Air Force during the First World War was also called "Lafayette".

Gilbert de La Fayette was born on September 6, 1757 into an aristocratic family. His full name was: Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roche Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette. In this long list, by tradition, all the famous ancestors of the marquis were named. Including Gilbert de La Fayette - Marshal of France and colleague of the legendary Joan of Arc.

Musketeer and millionaire

Gilbert's father, the commander of a regiment of grenadiers, died before the birth of his son, during the Seven Years' War in a battle with the British. When the young man studied at Plessy College, his mother suddenly died. A week later, my grandfather, a lieutenant general of the royal army, also died. Gilbert de La Fayette was left an orphan. But as a consolation, he inherited a huge fortune and became one of the richest people in France.

In April 1771, the Marquis de La Fayette entered the military service and was enrolled in the ranks of the famous royal musketeers. In September 1776, he learned about the beginning of the uprising in the North American colonies of Britain and the adoption of the US Declaration of Independence. He also personally met the ambassador of the young American republic in France, Benjamin Franklin. Gilbert hated the British, who killed his father, and was ready to fight them anywhere in the world. Therefore, he turned to Franklin with a request to accept him as a volunteer to serve in the American army. On April 26, 1777, together with other French volunteer officers, he sailed on the ship Victoire to the shores of America.

Gilbert was ready to fight in the ranks of the American rebels, even as a private. But the US Congress, taking into account his wealth and the nobility of the family, immediately appointed the Marquis chief of staff and awarded him the rank of major general. La Fayette was then only twenty years old. In fact, he was the senior adjutant to the US Army Commander George Washington.

The young Marquis received his baptism of fire at the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777. The British managed to outflank the rebels, and Washington's army began to retreat in disarray. Gilbert de La Fayette, trying to stop the retreating, rushed about with a sword in his hand until he was wounded in the thigh. The soldiers carried the French marquis from the battlefield on their hands.

After Gilbert's recovery, the US Congress invited him to determine the unit he would like to command. The choice fell on the militias from Virginia. The Marquis, at his own expense, equipped and armed a division of 1,200 people, since Washington's army lacked uniforms, warm shoes, provisions and weapons. On January 22, 1778, by decision of the Congress, Gilbert de La Fayette was appointed commander of the Northern Army stationed near the Canadian border.

In those parts, the Americans were greatly annoyed by the local Indian tribes. At the instigation of the British, they attacked American settlements, forts and small garrisons. Gilbert tried to resolve the issue through diplomacy. He invited five hundred Indian chiefs from different tribes to the meeting: Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneid, Mohawk and Tuscarora. The marquis generously treated the leaders with "fire water", tobacco, gave them expensive gifts. The meeting ended with the signing of an alliance of the six tribes with the Americans. The Indians agreed to fight against the British. The Marquis de La Fayette then joined Washington's main force and fought in several more battles. After the United States and England made peace, Gilbert de La Fayette returned to his homeland.

Great terror

Gilbert de La Fayette greeted the Great French Revolution with optimism. Back in the USA, he joined the Masonic lodge and welcomed the collapse of absolutism in France. After the storming of the Bastille, the marquis "democratized" his aristocratic surname, starting to write it together - Lafayette, and abandoned the title of nobility.

At the request of the deputies of Parliament, King Louis XVI appointed Lafayette commander of the National Guard. Its units were located in all major cities of France, simultaneously performing the functions of the police and the regular army.

General Lafayette was weary of police functions and understood that their performance harmed his popularity. But he considered it his duty to fulfill the duties which the nation had placed upon him. On October 5, 1789, against his will, Lafayette was forced to bring the National Guard into Versailles in order to force the king to move to Paris. When, on the night of October 6, riots and murders began in the capital, he energetically stopped them.

At this point, General Lafayette was one of the most influential politicians in the country and clearly dreamed of becoming President of France. In the official newspapers, the general was called the "hero of two continents", alluding to his participation in the American War of Independence, and they wrote that only he could bring order to the country. However, the French radical revolutionaries hated the former aristocratic marquis. The leader of the Jacobins, Marat, in his newspaper directly called the general an "enemy of the people" and demanded his execution.

When the king fled from Paris on June 20, 1791, Lafayette was accused by all the deputies of the left of facilitating the escape. Interestingly, they were not so far from the truth. The commander of the National Guard indeed, secretly offered his services to the royal family. But Queen Marie Antoinette categorically refused to deal with "that scoundrel Marquis."

In November 1791, the left-wing deputies succeeded in abolishing the post of Commander-in-Chief of the National Guard.

Lafayette was sent to the border and appointed commander of one of the three corps of the Northern Army. From there, he followed the events taking place in Paris. The General regularly sent letters to the Legislative Assembly with protests, but they were not taken into account there.

After the overthrow of the king, Lafayette not only refused to receive the commissioners of the Legislative Assembly, who appeared in the corps to swear allegiance to the newly proclaimed republic, but also took them into custody. Then the deputies declared him a traitor and issued a warrant for the arrest of the general.

Opal and new rise

Gilbert Lafayette was forced to flee to the location of the Austrian army. However, the Austrians met the defector unkindly. For them, the French general was an incomprehensible person: neither a monarchist nor a republican - in general, an adventurer with a rather dark past. Just in case, they shackled Lafayette and imprisoned him in Olmutz Castle (now Olomouc in the Czech Republic). Gilbert Lafayette spent five years in prison.

At first he was kept in shackles in a dark basement casemate. Then things got better. The prisoner was moved to brighter rooms, the shackles were removed from him. The Austrians even allowed the general's wife and his young daughters to come to Olmutz and settle in the castle with her husband.

Gilbert Lafayette was released from prison in 1797, after the political situation in Europe had changed. After the defeat of Napoleon and the restoration of the monarchy, Lafayette returned to active political activity, was elected to the Chamber of Deputies. There he was in opposition to the current government and dreamed of Prince Louis-Philippe d'Orleans taking the throne.

In 1823, Lafayette made a triumphant tour of North America. He visited the sites of past battles, met with veterans of the War of Independence, was awarded an honorary meeting in Congress.

The last time Gilbert Lafayette was at the pinnacle of political glory was in the summer of 1830. During the July Revolution in France, he, at the request of the people, took command of the national guard and defeated the royalists, supporters of the Bourbons.

Then Gilbert Lafayette became a member of the municipal commission that acted as the Provisional Government. At that moment he was the most popular man in Paris. At the same time, the marquis categorically spoke out against the establishment of a republic in the country and voted for the coronation of Louis-Philippe of Orleans. Lafayette was sure until the end of his life that the French people were not yet ripe for a republican form of government, which was clearly demonstrated by the Great French Revolution with all the horrors of its terror. He died in 1834.

Gilbert was born into the de La Fayette family, who belonged to the so-called nobility of the sword (which was the name of the oldest noble families). The family, it is worth noting, was not rich, which cannot be said about the grandfather, the captain of the royal musketeers de La Riviera. At the age of 10, the young man is enrolled in the best aristocratic educational institution in France - Plessis College (I recall that the name of Cardinal Richelieu is Armand Jean du Plessis - the famous cardinal was a descendant of the founder of the college). In 1772, de La Fayette successfully completed his studies. He finishes his studies already being very rich - in 1770 his grandfather dies, who leaves his entire fortune to Gilbert. Briefly about the service: in 1771 he was enrolled in the ranks of the royal musketeers, and in 1775 he was transferred to Metz. A year earlier, Gilbert marries the beautiful Adrienne, daughter of the duke.
Since the beginning of the 70s, de La Fayette has been closely following the developments in the continent, getting acquainted with the “Common Sense” of the “godfather of the USA” Thomas Paine and corresponding with some who are not indifferent in France. After the news of the beginning of the uprising in the North American colonies and the adoption of the US Declaration of Independence (1776), La Fayette equips a ship at his own expense (he also refuses American salaries) and sets off for America at the head of a detachment of volunteers. “At the first news of this war,” Lafayette later wrote, “my heart was recruited ...”

On July 31, 1777, Congress decided: to accept the services of the Marquis de La Fayette and, recognizing the energy and nobility of the family, appoint him Chief of Staff of the United States Army and confer on him the rank of Major General of the North American Army. Note that the post of chief of staff of the army, received by La Fayette from Congress, had no practical significance - George Washington took the reins of power.

La Fayette received his baptism of fire in the battle of Brandywine, which the Americans lost (Gilbert himself was wounded in the thigh). In December 1777, La Fayette took part in a successful operation against the British in the area of ​​the Squikill River (and met his most prominent officer, the unforgettable Tadeusz Kosciuszko). In May 1778, La Fayette's detachments were surrounded in the Warren Hill area, but thanks to the ingenious maneuver of the French, the troops managed to escape from the trap without loss of personnel and weapons. After a forced leave taken at the end of 1778, La Fayette is increasingly engaged in diplomatic affairs - he saw his duty in not only being on the battlefields, but also strengthening Franco-American cooperation, expanding French assistance to America.

At the end of the American stage of life, the revolutionary adventures of the Marquis did not end - they only had to wait a little. After the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, the king had to agree to the appointment of the popular La Fayette as head of the national guard. July 15 - after the storming of the Bastille - the marquis "democratized" his aristocratic surname, starting to write it together (Lafayette). Since then, according to the established tradition, this surname has such a spelling. Let's return to the king - after his relocation to Paris, Lafayette, as the head of the main armed forces of the capital, was one of the most influential people in France. A liberal who did not completely abandon the traditions of the nobility, he dreamed of combining the monarchy and order with freedom and the triumph of democratic principles; the rampage of the mob, the language of the Jacobin orators deeply resented him, but he liked the way the king and courtiers acted even less.

As a result, he aroused against himself the extreme hostility of the king and especially the queen (“death is better than the help of Lafayette,” the queen used to say) - and at the same time strong suspicions of extreme parties.

Marat repeatedly demanded that he be hanged. When, on June 20, 1791, the king fled from Paris, in spite of the measures taken by Lafayette for his return, a suspicion fell on him, completely unfounded, of facilitating the flight; Robespierre, in the Jacobin club, directly accused him of this. After he took part in the suppression of the uprising on July 17, 1791 on the Champ de Mars (the case when Lafayette stood on horseback opposite the muzzle of a cannon is famous, so that the gunners would not shoot at the people), his influence waned. In November 1791, when the post of Commander-in-Chief of the National Guard was abolished, Lafayette put forward his candidacy for mayor of Paris, but was defeated by Pétion.

After the November political defeat, the persecution of Lafayette begins, which ends (in 1792) with his flight to Austria and imprisonment in the Olmütz fortress for a long 5 years. Naturally, Lafayette experiences the Napoleonic rule, not quite peacefully - in 1802 he becomes a deputy and takes the side of the opposition; wishes to see Louis-Philippe d'Orleans on the throne. All this time, the Marquis takes an active part in the Masonic movement as a member of the Parisian lodge Saint-Jean d "Écosse du Contrat social.

The July Revolution of 1830 forced Lafayette again to act as the guardian of the existing regime - he spoke out against the republic and for Louis-Philippe of Orleans, since the latter "is the best of the republics." Lafayette was sure to the end that France was not yet ripe for a republic. As a result, Lafayette, at the head of the National Guard, very quickly suppressed the speeches, but already in September, disappointed, resigned.

Gilbert Lafayette died on May 20, 1834, at the age of 76 - in complete peace, peace, covered with the unfading glory of a true citizen and patriot.

Biography

Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roche Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (French Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette; September 6, 1757, Chavagnac Castle - May 20, 1834, Paris) - French politician. Participated in three revolutions: the American War of Independence, the French Revolution and the July Revolution of 1830.

Childhood and early years

On his father and mother, the Marquis de La Fayette belonged to the so-called nobility of the sword (that is, acquired by military service). Shortly after the birth of the six inherited names, the boy was chosen one main - Gilbert- in memory of the father and the famous ancestor of the La Fayette family. It was named in memory of Gilbert de La Fayette, marshal of France, associate of the legendary Joan of Arc and closest adviser to King Charles VII. Gilbert's father, Grenadier Colonel, Knight of the Order of St. Louis Louis Christophe Roque Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette died during the Seven Years' War with the British in the battle of Hastenbeck (Eng. Hastenbeck) July 26, 1757.

In 1768, Gilbert de La Fayette was enrolled in one of the most aristocratic educational institutions in France at that time - Plessis College (fr.) Russian, from which he graduated in 1772. On April 3, 1770, at the age of 33, his mother died suddenly (Marie-Louise-Julia, nee Marquise de La Rivière, who belonged to the noble nobility of Brittany), and a week later his grandfather Marquis de La Rivière, who was once the captain of the royal musketeers, died and lieutenant general of the royal army and left Gilbert all his fortune. “His death,” Lafayette later wrote in his memoirs, “turns me, born poor, into a rich man.”

In April 1771, the 13-year-old Marquis de La Fayette was enrolled in the second company of the royal musketeers - an elite guard unit known as the "black musketeers" (after the suit of horses) and eventually became its lieutenant.

In 1773, the Marquis de La Fayette was appointed to the post of squadron commander in the cavalry regiment of Noailles. In 1775 he received a promotion and, with the rank of captain, was transferred to the garrison of the city of Metz to serve in a cavalry regiment.

United States War of Independence

On September 8, 1776, an event occurred that became a turning point in the fate of the Marquis de La Fayette. Marshall on this day de Broglie, commander of the military district of Metz, gave a dinner in honor of William Henry who traveled through France and stopped in Metz, Duke of Gloucester and his wife. At the dinner, at which, among other guests, the Marquis of La Fayette, Duke of Gloucester, who was openly at odds with his older brother, the English King George III, was present, spoke about the “people from Boston”, who put forward a demand for political independence for 13 British possessions in North America, about pamphlets Thomas Paine, who called the colonists to arms, about the unreasonableness of George III, who refuses to make the slightest concessions to the North American colonies. The next day, during an inspection by the Duke of Gloucester, together with French officers, among whom was La Fayette, of the fortifications, the Duke received an urgent package from London, which he immediately opened and familiarized those present with the text of the letter, which announced the beginning of the uprising in the North American colonies and the adoption of the Declaration of Independence of the United States, as well as the text of the "Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America" ​​adopted on July 4, 1776 by the Continental Congress of the young republic, attached to the letter. “At the first news of this war,” Lafayette later wrote, “my heart was recruited ... Republican relations fascinated me, and when my new parents [we are talking about the test and mother-in-law of the marquis] secured a place for me at court, I did not hesitate to arouse someone's displeasure for the sake of preserving my independence."

In negotiations with B. Franklin and S. Dean about his participation in the American Revolution, the Marquis La Fayette put forward 2 conditions: he will go to America on a ship he bought and fully equipped; he refuses any salary and any other material compensation for his service. At the end of the negotiations, not wanting to be accused of desertion from the army, La Fayette filed a request for a temporary release from royal service to the reserve "for health reasons".

On April 26, 1777, the Marquis de La Fayette, with 15 other French officers, sailed on the ship Victoire from the port of Los Passahes to the shores of America. On June 15, 1777, together with his companions, he set foot on American soil in Georgetown Bay, near the town of Charleston, and on July 27 - having overcome 900 miles of travel - arrived in Philadelphia. He writes an appeal to the US Congress: "After all the sacrifices I have made, I consider myself entitled to ask for the following: to allow me to serve in your army, firstly, at my own expense and, secondly, as a simple volunteer." On July 31, 1777, Congress decided: to accept the services of the Marquis de La Fayette and, recognizing the energy and nobility of the family, appoint him Chief of Staff of the United States Army and confer on him the rank of Major General of the North American Army. The post of chief of staff of the army, received by La Fayette from Congress, had no practical significance and corresponded, rather, to the position of senior adjutant to the commander-in-chief J. Washington, with whom La Fayette eventually established friendly relations.

La Fayette received his baptism of fire at the Battle of Brandywine (20 miles from Philadelphia), which took place on September 11 of the same year, 1777. The British managed to outflank the rebels, and the position of the latter became hopeless: unable to withstand the blow of superior enemy forces, Washington's army began to retreat in disarray. Being in the midst of the battle in the division of General Stirling, who occupied a position in the central sector of the front, and seeing a disorderly flight, La Fayette, trying to stop the retreating, rushed across the battlefield with a sword in his hand until he was wounded in the thigh by one of the enemy’s bullets . Nevertheless, La Fayette remained on the battlefield until he lost consciousness. At this time, reinforcements led by Washington himself approached the central sector of the battle. The soldiers carried La Fayette from the battlefield. By the end of the day, it became clear that the Americans were defeated, and Washington hastily withdrew its army from the ring of encirclement, ready to close. Among the wounded in the convoy was General La Fayette.

Without waiting for the final recovery, La Fayette returned to Washington headquarters and received under his command a detachment of 350 people in the brigade of one of the most capable American generals - Nathaniel Green, a former blacksmith. On November 25, 1777, La Fayette, sent with his detachment for reconnaissance, defeated a detachment of 400 Hessian mercenaries, moving from Canada to join the English army. On December 1, Congress adopted a resolution recommending the appointment of the Marquis de La Fayette as division commander. Moreover, the Congress invited La Fayette to determine the part he would like to lead. The Marquis's choice fell on a Virginia militia division whose commander, General Stephen, was retiring. Without waiting for the commissariat to fork out, La Fayette equipped and armed the division (1200 people) at his own expense. Washington's army suffered hardships in everything - there were no uniforms and warm shoes, provisions and weapons. In one of his addresses to Congress, Washington wrote: "Unless there is a decisive change, the army will suffer one of three evils: starve to death, lose internal communication, and scatter."

In December 1777, La Fayette took part in a successful operation against the British in the area of ​​the Squikill River.

On January 22, 1778, by decision of the Congress, La Fayette was appointed commander of the Northern Army, which was concentrated in the Albany area. Among the officers of his headquarters was the colonel of the engineering service T. Kosciuszko.

As the commander of the Northern Army stationed near the Canadian border, La Fayette led active agitation in favor of the American rebels among the Indian tribes, who, at the instigation of the British, attacked American settlements and even forts. On March 9, 1778, La Fayette took part in a meeting of the Indian leaders of the Six Tribes Union, which took place in the territory occupied by the British. The meeting was attended by 500 Indian leaders of the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk and Tuscarora tribes. La Fayette made a speech to the Indian leaders in which he tried to set out in an accessible form the main principles and goals of the American Revolution. He made a number of convincing arguments against the British and won the unanimous approval of those present. In a solemn ceremony and in accordance with the age-old Indian ritual, La Fayette was awarded the honorary name Kayevla, which was worn by one of the most revered legendary Indian military leaders. The meeting ended with the signing of an agreement on the alliance of the Six Tribes, who pledged to fight all the enemies of Kayevla on the side of the Americans, with songs, dances and the distribution of gifts to the leaders. And valuable gifts to Indian leaders, and the cost of maintaining the Northern Army, La Fayette paid from his own pocket. Beaumarchais responded to the Marquis with the following words: "This young crazy Marquis de La Fayette, who, not content with having opened his heart to America, opened his wallet to her."

With his own money, La Fayette built, at the request of the leaders of the Six Tribes, a fort on the US-Canadian border to protect against the "common enemy" and equipped it with cannons and other weapons.

On April 1, 1778, La Fayette joined Washington's main force at Valley Fodge. On May 18, 1778, Washington entrusted him with the leadership of an operation aimed at conducting reconnaissance in force in the Philadelphia area. The American command decided to recapture this city. According to the plan developed by Washington, La Fayette was supposed to connect with a large detachment of General Poter in the Warren Hill area, but he was late for the appointed time, and La Fayette's division (2500 people with 5 guns) was in a trap arranged by superior British forces under the command of General Howe (7000 people with 14 guns). But thanks to an ingenious maneuver, La Fayette managed to escape from the trap without loss of personnel and weapons.

From November 1 to December 1, 1778, La Fayette suffered from a severe form of pneumonia. He agreed to take a vacation and go to France. Congress specially allocated for La Fayette the frigate "Alliance", which on November 11, 1779, with La Fayette on board, left the shores of North America, and on February 6, 1780, anchored in the port of Brest.

From the first minute of his appearance in Paris, La Fayette became the hero of the day. Queen Marie Antoinette herself obtained consent from the king to promote La Fayette to the rank of colonel of the royal grenadiers. However, the popularity of the Marquis worried about Versailles. In the autumn of 1779, La Fayette turned to J. Washington with a request to officially summon him to the United States. At the beginning of 1780, such a request came and was immediately granted by Versailles. La Fayette was authorized to officially notify Congress of the decision of the French government to send Rochambeau's expeditionary force to North America as soon as possible to participate in joint military operations against England. On March 13, 1780, the Marquis on the frigate of the Royal Navy "Hermione" departed from Larochelle, and on April 27 - entered the harbor of Boston.

After his arrival in the United States, La Fayette participates both in military operations (as part of N. Green's army) and in political and diplomatic negotiations. He saw it as his duty not only to be on the battlefield, but also to strengthen Franco-American cooperation, to expand French assistance to America.

Taking advantage of the break in hostilities that came after the Yorktown operation (September-October 1781), La Fayette decided to visit France, where peace negotiations between the United States and England were soon to begin. Having received leave from Congress, Lafayette returns to France on December 18, 1781. At the king's reception for participation in the capture of Yorktown, Lafayette is promoted to the rank of field marshal.

After the conclusion of peace, La Fayette, in 1784, made a third trip to America; this time it was a triumphal procession for him.

French revolution

In the assembly of notables of 1787, La Fayette belonged to the opposition against Calonne. Chosen in 1789 as a representative of the nobility to the assembly of the States General, he was among the few nobles who stood for joint meetings of the estates; On June 25, he defiantly joined the Third Estate. On July 12, he proposed to the Constituent Assembly the first draft of a "Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen," modeled on the American Declaration of 1776.

After July 14, 1789 - the storming of the Bastille - the Marquis "democratized" his aristocratic surname, starting to write it together (Lafayette). Since then, according to the established tradition, this surname has such a spelling.

After the taking of the Bastille, the king had to agree to the appointment of Lafayette as commander of the national guard. Lafayette was weary of police duties and understood that their performance harmed his popularity, but he considered it his duty to fulfill those duties that the nation would entrust to him. For example, on October 5, Lafayette, against his will, was forced to lead the national guard to Versailles in order to force the king to move to Paris. When on the night of the 6th riots and murders began, he vigorously stopped them.

After the relocation of the king to Paris, Lafayette, as chief of the main armed forces of the capital, was one of the most influential people in France. A liberal who did not completely abandon noble traditions, he dreamed of combining monarchy and order with freedom and the triumph of democratic principles; the rampage of the mob, the language of the Jacobin orators deeply resented him, but he liked the way the king and courtiers acted even less. As a result, he aroused against himself the extreme dislike of the king and especially the queen - and at the same time the strong suspicions of the republicans; Marat repeatedly demanded that he be hanged. When, on June 20, 1791, the king fled from Paris, in spite of the measures taken by Lafayette for his return, a completely unfounded suspicion fell on him of facilitating the escape. Robespierre in the Jacobin club directly accused him of this.

After he took part in the suppression of the uprising on July 17, 1791 on the Champ de Mars, his popularity plummeted. In November 1791, when the post of Commander-in-Chief of the National Guard was abolished, Lafayette put forward his candidacy for the mayor of Paris, but with the assistance of the royal court who hated him, he was defeated by Pétion.

Lafayette was sent to the northern border as the commander of one of the three detachments of the northern army. From there, he followed the events in Paris with increasing irritation. He sent letters to the Legislative Assembly protesting his decisions, but the letters had no effect. Then he left the camp and appeared in the Assembly with a petition of a number of officers demanding a ban on radical clubs, the restoration of the authority of laws and the constitution, and the salvation of royal dignity. Most of the Assembly reacted to the "new Cromwell" extremely hostile. In the palace he was received just as dryly; "Better death than Lafayette's help," said the queen. Under such conditions, he did not consider it possible to take any action.

Haunted by the suspicions of the Girondins and the hatred of the Jacobins, he returned to the army; the proposal to bring him to trial did not pass. After the overthrow of the king, Lafayette not only refused to receive the commissioners of the Legislative Assembly, who came to swear allegiance to the newly proclaimed republic, but arrested them; then the assembly declared him a traitor and demanded to answer. Lafayette fled to the Austrians, but was accused by the French royalists of duplicity and imprisoned in the Olmutz fortress, where he spent 5 years.

Oppositionist

In 1797 he was released and after 18 Brumaire he returned to France, where he lived until 1814, not participating in politics. Only in 1802, during a plebiscite, did he turn to Napoleon with a letter in which he protested against the establishment of an authoritarian regime. During the Hundred Days, Napoleon offered him a peerage, which Lafayette rejected. In the Chamber of Deputies, to which he had meanwhile been elected, Lafayette stood in resolute opposition to the Napoleonic government; his desire already then was the calling to the throne of Louis-Philippe d'Orléans. During the second restoration, he belonged to the extreme left side of the Chamber of Deputies and took part in various societies aimed at combating the return of absolutism. The publicly established "society of friends of the freedom of the press" (Tracy, C. Perrier, Lafitte, and others) was closed 2 years after its foundation (1821), but the "secret committee of action" behind it, in which Lafayette participated with Argenson and others, existed longer. Attempts by the royalists to implicate Lafayette in the murder of the Duke of Berry failed.

Retiring from the chamber (1823), together with the entire liberal party, as a result of the expulsion of Manuel, Lafayette made a new triumphant trip to America. Since 1825, he again sat in the Chamber of Deputies.

In Freemasonry

Lafayette was a Masonic initiation, and as another participant in the war in the United States - Alexander de Grasse, he was a member of the Parisian Masonic lodge Saint Jean d "Écosse du Contrat social".

July Revolution of 1830

On July 29, 1830, Lafayette, at the request of the people, took command of the national guard and, at the head of this quickly organized force, ended the street fighting. At the same time, he was a member of the municipal commission that acted as the interim government. At that moment he was the most popular man in Paris and the master of the moment. He spoke out against the republic and for Louis-Philippe of Orleans, since the latter "is the best of the republics." Lafayette was sure to the end that France was not yet ripe for a republic.

The new king approved him with the rank of commander-in-chief of the national guard; but already in September of the same year, Lafayette, dissatisfied with the general direction of Louis Philippe's policy, resigned. Since February 1831, the chairman of the "Polish Committee" (a committee in support of the Polish uprising), ardently advocated the armed action of France on the side of the rebellious Poles against Nicholas I. In 1833, he founded the opposition "Union for the Defense of Human Rights." A monument to Lafayette was erected in Puy (department of the Haute-Loire, the place of his birthplace) in 1883.

Family and descendants

On April 11, 1774, the 16-year-old Marquis de La Fayette married Adrienne, daughter of the Duke d'Ayen, who inherited the title of Duke de Noaille after the death of his father. From the side of the groom, the witnesses were the Count de Lusignac and La Fayette's cousin, the Marquis de Bouillet (in the future, one of the main organizers of the unsuccessful flight of Louis XVI from revolutionary Paris on the night of June 19-20, 1791).

During the Jacobin dictatorship, Lafayette's wife was imprisoned and dragged around prisons for several years. Her mother, grandmother and one of the sisters were guillotined only on the basis of their noble origin. They did not dare to behead Lafayette's wife. After leaving prison in 1795, she sent her son to study at Harvard, and together with her daughters went to Austria and asked the emperor to allow her to stay with her husband in the Olmütz fortress, which she was allowed to. The family left there in 1797 and returned to France in 1799. After all the experiences, Adrienne's health deteriorated greatly, she was ill for a long time and in 1807 she died.

Lafayette had four children: 3 daughters and a son. Henriette (1776-1778) lived only 2 years, Anastasia Louise Pauline (1777-1863) married the Count of Latour-Maubourg and lived to the age of 86, and Marie Antoinette Virginia (1782-1849) in the marriage of the Marquis de Lasteyry, published maternal and personal memories of their family.

Son Georges Washington de Lafayette (1779-1849) studied at Harvard, served in the army during the Napoleonic Wars, where he distinguished himself with courage, and after his dismissal entered politics and was elected to the deputies, also from the Liberal Party. During the July Revolution of 1830 he was far from Paris, but 16 years later he took an active part in the political campaign that led to the Revolution of 1848.

Georges Washington de Lafayette married Emilie de Tracy, daughter of the Comte de Tracy. They had 5 children: 3 daughters and 2 sons. The eldest of them, Oscar Thomas Gilbert du Motier de Lafayette (1815-1881), served 7 years in the army, retired and, according to the old tradition of the family, also entered politics, reaching in 1875 the post of senator for life. The youngest son, Edmond du Motier de Lafayette (1818-1890), was engaged only in politics. He reached the post of secretary of the Legislative Assembly, and then he was elected to the senators (1876-1888).

In culture

Lafayette's activities during the American Revolutionary War are reflected in the Assassin's Creed III computer game, where he is one of the characters.

He is also one of the main characters in the computer game The Order: 1886.

Knowing about the impending mass action, the leadership of the Paris Commune ordered the Commander-in-Chief of the National Guard to prevent this. Lafayette issued an order forbidding any gathering of people on the Champ de Mars on 17 July. Fearing arrest, Danton and his friend Desmoulins prudently (or cowardly?) disappeared from Paris, leaving their supporters to act.

From the early morning of July 17, despite the ban, people began to flock to the Champ de Mars. Soon there were several thousand of them. They were all extremely excited and very belligerent. Unexpectedly, under the Altar of the Fatherland, two tipsy vagrants were found. They were suspected of being "enemies of freedom" who allegedly intended to blow up the Altar of the Fatherland. In a matter of minutes, the unfortunate clochards were torn to pieces by the crowd, and their severed heads were put on peaks. With these intimidating "banners", the demonstrators loudly chanted: "Down with the king!"

Lafayette, who arrived on the scene, was met with hostility. The crowd responded to his call to disperse with a hail of stones. One of the stones was seriously wounded in the head by Lafayette's adjutant, another stone hit the general himself on the cheek. In the report of I.M. Simolin dated July 22, 1791, it was said about the attempt on the life of Lafayette on the Champ de Mars: “... an unknown person fired at M. de Lafayette from a gun, but missed. He was arrested and brought before the Committee. Some time later M. de Lafayette ordered his release." It is characteristic that Lafayette himself does not mention this fact in his memoirs, but the Constituent Assembly, according to the Russian envoy, in a decree on the events on the Champ de Mars, specifically decided to take measures to find and arrest the assassin, released by Lafayette.

Initially, the National Guards managed to disperse the demonstrators without the use of firearms, but from the middle of the day reinforcements arrived to the latter. Lafayette realized that he could not cope with his available forces, which he reported through a messenger to the Town Hall.

The Constituent Assembly, seriously frightened, ordered the mayor of Bailly to introduce martial law in the city and restore order at any cost. Soon, red banners appeared on the Town Hall building - a symbol of martial law. Reinforcements were sent to Lafayette. At the head of the battalion, a grenadier under a red banner, Bailly himself appeared on the Champ de Mars.

The attempts of the commander-in-chief and the mayor to persuade the crowd to disperse were unsuccessful. On the contrary, seeing the red banners, the demonstrators became even more excited. A new hail of stones fell on Lafayette and Bailly. Then pistol shots were heard. Subsequently, Bayi will claim that one of the bullets whistled right under his ear. Two National Guardsmen were killed.

Bailly ordered Lafayette to act immediately. At the command of their general, the soldiers raised their guns and fired blanks. The crowd did not disperse - then a second volley struck, followed by a third. Arriving artillery fired several shots of grapeshot.

Seeing that the crowd was fleeing in horror, leaving the dead and wounded, Lafayette ordered a ceasefire. In the ensuing unimaginable panic, accompanied by noise, screams and groans, Lafayette's order was not heard. Then the commander-in-chief, on horseback, stood in front of the muzzle of one of the guns and forced the gunners to cease fire. A squadron of cavalry dispersed the remnants of the demonstrators.

More than 50 corpses remained on the Champ de Mars. About a thousand people were injured. The next day, Bayi stated in the Assembly that the number of deaths on the Champ de Mars did not exceed 11-12 people, and the number of wounded - 10. Marat wrote about 1,500 killed.

Order was restored, but Lafayette's popularity and prestige were irreparably damaged. It will take time for more tragic events to erase the massacre on the Champ de Mars from the memory of the French. The resolution of the Constituent Assembly of July 18, approving Lafayette's actions on the Champ de Mars, could no longer restore his former reputation.

// Cherkasov P.P. Lafayette: a political biography. - M., 1991. - S. 196-197.