Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gilbert du Motier
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![]() Lafayette in the uniform of a major general of the Continental Army, by Charles Willson Peale, between 1779–1780
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Member of the Chamber of Deputies for Seine-et-Marne | |
In office 22 May 1815 – 22 June 1815 |
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Member of the Chamber of Peers for Sarthe | |
In office 4 October 1816 – July Revolution |
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Personal details | |
Born |
Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette
6 September 1757 Château de Chavaniac, Auvergne Province, Kingdom of France |
Died | 20 May 1834 Paris, Kingdom of France |
(aged 76)
Resting place | Picpus Cemetery |
Political party | Liberals (1815–1824) Doctrinaires (1824–1834) |
Spouse(s) |
Adrienne de Noailles
(m. 1774; died 1807) |
Children | 4, including Georges Washington |
Awards | Order of Saint Louis |
Signature | ![]() |
Nickname(s) | The Hero of the Two Worlds (Le Héros des Deux Mondes) |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Branch/service |
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Years of service | 1771–1792 1830 |
Rank |
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Battles/wars | American Revolutionary War
July Revolution |
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 and military officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War, commanding American troops in several battles, including the siege of Yorktown. After returning to France, he was a key figure in the French Revolution of 1789 and the July Revolution of 1830. He has been considered a national hero in both countries.
Lafayette was born into a wealthy land-owning family in Chavaniac in the province of Auvergne in south central France. He followed the family's martial tradition and was commissioned an officer at age 13. He became convinced that the American revolutionary cause was noble, and he traveled to the New World seeking glory in it. He was made a major general at age 19, but he was initially not given American troops to command. He was wounded during the Battle of Brandywine but still managed to organize an orderly retreat, and he served with distinction in the Battle of Rhode Island. In the middle of the war, he sailed for home to lobby for an increase in French support. He returned to America in 1780 and was given senior positions in the Continental Army. In 1781, troops under his command in Virginia blocked forces led by Cornwallis until other American and French forces could position themselves for the decisive siege of Yorktown.
Lafayette returned to France and was appointed to the Assembly of Notables in 1787, convened in response to the fiscal crisis. He was elected a member of the Estates General of 1789, where representatives met from the three traditional orders of French society: the clergy, the nobility, and the commoners. After forming the National Constituent Assembly, he helped to write the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen with Thomas Jefferson's assistance. This document was inspired by the United States Declaration of Independence and invoked natural law to establish basic principles of the democratic nation-state. He also advocated the end of slavery, in keeping with the philosophy of natural rights. After the storming of the Bastille, he was appointed commander-in-chief of France's National Guard and tried to steer a middle course through the years of revolution. In August 1792, radical factions ordered his arrest, and he fled into the Austrian Netherlands. He was captured by Austrian troops and spent more than five years in prison.
Lafayette returned to France after Napoleon Bonaparte secured his release in 1797, though he refused to participate in Napoleon's government. After the Bourbon Restoration of 1814, he became a liberal member of the Chamber of Deputies, a position which he held for most of the remainder of his life. In 1824, President James Monroe invited him to the United States as the nation's guest, where he visited all 24 states in the union and met a rapturous reception. During France's July Revolution of 1830, he declined an offer to become the French dictator. Instead, he supported Louis-Philippe as king, but turned against him when the monarch became autocratic. He died on 20 May 1834 and is buried in Picpus Cemetery in Paris, under soil from Bunker Hill. He is sometimes known as "The Hero of the Two Worlds" for his accomplishments in the service of both France and the United States.
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 was Marie Louise Jolie de La Rivière. She was from an aristocratic family from the north part of France.
Children
- Adrienne Henriette Catherine Charlotte du Motier (Hôtel de Noailles 15 December 1775- Paris 3 October 1777) died young.
- 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 Lasteyrie du and no u, Marquis of Lasteyrie.
Images for kids
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Lafayette's wife, Marie Adrienne Francoise
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Statue of Lafayette in front of the Governor Palace in Metz, where he decided to join the American cause
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1879 Alonzo Chappel print of Lafayette (center) being introduced by Baron Johann de Kalb (left) to Silas Deane
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Plaza Lafayette in Pauillac, where Victoire set sail to Pasaia on 25 March 1777
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The Marquis de Lafayette first meets George Washington on 5 August 1777. By Currier and Ives.
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Map of the Battle of Barren Hill by Michel Capitaine du Chesnoy, aide-de-camp to Lafayette
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Map of the Battle of Monmouth by Michel Capitaine du Chesnoy, aide-de-camp to Lafayette
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"Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen", proposed to the Estates-General by Lafayette
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Lafayette at the balcony of Versailles with Marie Antoinette
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The oath of Lafayette at the Fête de la Fédération, 14 July 1790; French School, 18th century at Musée de la Révolution française
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The 1899 Lafayette silver dollar, designed by Charles E. Barber, honors Lafayette and George Washington
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200th anniversary of Lafayette's arrival, 1977 issue as part of the Bicentennial Series
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