Miscellaneous papers relating to the Chevalier D'Éon, consisting, of letters addressed to him and to Mrs Cole, with draft answers, accounts and memoranda

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17 May 1796 - 26 Apr 1806

Biography

Charles, Chevalier d’Eon de Beaumont (1728-1810) was a celebrated soldier, diplomat and spy, who lived as both a man and woman throughout her life. Born to a minor aristocratic family in Burgundy, the Chevalier graduated in civil and canon law from the College Mazarin at the age of 21 and worked as a political writer. From 1756, they worked as a spy and diplomat for King Louis XV in Paris and as a dragoon captain, before being sent to London in 1762 as a diplomat. While there they fell out with a French ambassador and sought political exile, creating a public scandal and boosting them to celebrity status by publishing secret diplomatic documents, Lettres, Memoires et Negotiations. By 1771 public debate had risen on the question of d’Eon’s gender. For many years d’Eon presented as a man yet infiltrated the court of Empress Elizabeth of Russia as a woman. By 1777 they were permanently presenting as a woman. Later, as a way of earning income, the Chevalier started performing fencing exhibitions in women’s dress and became a distinguished personality. In later life, d’Eon lived with a widowed friend, Mrs Coles. They died in poverty in 1810, aged 81.

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