Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette
Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette, was a French aristocrat, politician and liberal thinker. He believed in the Age of Enlightenment and played an important role during the American War of Independence and the French Revolution.[2] In 1789, he presented a draft of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. He worked on the document with Thomas Jefferson, who was the American ambassador in Paris.
| Marquis de Lafayette | |
|---|---|
 Lafayette as a lieutenant general in 1791; portrait by Joseph-Désiré Court | |
| Birth name | Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette |
| Nickname | The Hero of the Two Worlds (Le Héros des Deux Mondes),[1] America’s Favourite Fighting Frenchman |
| Born | 6 September 1757 Chavaniac, France |
| Died | 20 May 1834 (aged 76) Paris, France |
| Buried at | Picpus Cemetery |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of France (1771–1777, 1781–1791) United States (1777–1781).svg){kind=small} Kingdom of France (1791–1792) French First Republic (1792).svg){kind=small} Kingdom of France (1830) |
| Service/branch | |
| Years of service | 1771–1792 1830 |
| Rank |
|
| Battles/wars | American Revolutionary War
July Revolution |
| Awards | Order of Saint Louis |
| Other work |
|
| Signature |  |
Birth and family
Gilbert du Motier was born at the château de Chavaniac, in southern France. His father, Louis Christophe du Motier, was Marquis of La Fayette in his own right. His mother, Marie Louise Jolie de La Rivière, was from an aristocratic family from northern France. His sister, Buena es Motier, became a popular artist in France.[source?]
Children
- Adrienne Henriette Catherine Charlotte du Motier (Hôtel de Noailles 15 December 1775- Paris 3 October 1777) died young.[3]
- Anastasie Louise Pauline Motier du Motier (Paris 1 July 1777 - Turin 24 February 1863, Turin) married Jules César Charles de Fay, Count of La Tour Maubourg.
- George Washington Louis Gilbert du Motier (24 December 1779 - 29 November 1849) died childless but married Émilie d'Estutt de Tracy.
- Marie Antoinette Virginie du Motier (17 September 1782 - 23 July 1849) married Louis de Lasteyri, Marquis of Lasteyrie.[3]
Gilbert Du Motier, Marquis De Lafayette Media
Lafayette's wife, Marie Adrienne Francoise
Statue of Lafayette in front of the Governor Palace in Metz, where he decided to join the American cause
1879 Alonzo Chappel print of Lafayette (center) being introduced by Baron Johann de Kalb (left) to Silas Deane
Plaza Lafayette in Pauillac, where Victoire set sail to Pasaia on 25 March 1777
Plaque at Pasaia in the Basque Country, Spain commemorating La Fayette's departure in 1777
John Ward Dunsmore's 1907 depiction of Lafayette (right) and Washington at Valley Forge
Map of the Battle of Barren Hill by Michel Capitaine du Chesnoy, aide-de-camp to Lafayette
References
- ↑ Carlier Jeannie, Lafayette, Héros des deux Mondes, Payot, 1988.
- ↑ Gregory Payan, Marquis de Lafayette: French Hero of the American Revolution (New York: PowerPlus Books, 2002), pp. 5–6
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Adrienne de Noailles, Marquise de La Fayette". This is Versailles. 23 September 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
Other websites
Media related to Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette at Wikimedia Commons