This week Alex is talking about the extraordinary life of a French knight. Who lived as both man and woman during different stages of their life. An autobiography was commissioned but never written, so we can only speculate on why.
From Tonnerre in Burgundy, Charles or Charlotte was a minor aristocrat, lawyer, writer, soldier, diplomat and "top secret" royal spy. Did he dress as a woman to secretly visit Empress Elizabeth of Russia. Or was she raised as a man so that her father could inherit?
They did spend time in St Petersburg, and fought in the Seven years way, and helped to draft the peace treaty for which they received the title Chevalier.
But, there was intrigue, and plotting, and while in London D'Eon published diplomatic correspondence and threatened to spill the beans. Making themselves centre of attention.
The cartoonists sprang into action depicting the Chevalier in pamphlets and publications. But another rumour was circulating, that he was in fact she. Their were wagers and a betting pool at the London Stock Exchange that the Chevalier refused to indulge, so eventually the bets lapsed. But not the cartoons:
Listen to the pod to find out how they were pardoned, and what conditions were attached. 1775 onwards D'Eon is in London, dressing entirely as a woman.
Still wearing his Order of Saint Louis and the red, white and blue cockade showing his support for the revolution. By now, without a royal pension, they were making money by competing in fencing tournaments and exhibition matches.
Fighting as woman must have been an unusual sight, and therefore potentially lucrative,. But, as Alex says perhaps the gender roles were not as clear cut back then as we might think. Here's an image of a Macaroni as mentioned by Alex:
Angela Burdett-Coutts got a mention today - in the tour Alex was doing at the Abbey. But she also gave money to erect a memorial at St Pancras Old Church. They (the church) lost part of their churchyard to the railways. Angela wanted to remember the names of those whose graves were lost. And look who is second on the list....
I've looked up Plenipotentiary - just in case anyone* isn't familiar: a person, especially a diplomat, invested with the full power of independent action on behalf of their government, typically in a foreign country.
One more to visit this remarkable church, to pay our respects to a remarkable person.
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*me.