Chevalier d'Eon in his woman outfit
Although he was not the main character in the French Revolution, his life, particularly about his gender, raised lots of interest in the French history. Ikeda Riyoko, author of "Rose of Versailles" got the idea of the main character Oscar Francois de Jarjayes from d’Eon although D’Eon had no relationship with Jarjayes.
In October 5th 1728, famous winery town of France—Tonnerre, Charles-Genevieve Louis-Auguste-Andre-Timothee was born. Chevalier d’Eon’s father was an advocate in the high court of justice, Louis d’Eon de Beaumont. His mother was lady Francoise de Chavanson.
There was no doubt about his gender when he was born. Doctor, midwife, and other people who was there when d’Eon was born could prove that he was male.
D’Eon grew up in a normal schoolboy style. But his mother sometimes dressed him in his sister clothes to amuse herself. He completed his education in College Mazarin in Paris and became the secretary of Monsieur de Sauvigny, administrator of the fiscal department of Paris.
Chevalier d’Eon did not have a manly frame. He had slight, small body and delicate formed limbs. His waist was slender, his hands and feet were small. He had fair soft hair and blue eyes. (The description fit Oscar when Fersen found out that she was a woman in Episode 8—Oscar in My Heart)
Chevalier d’Eon gambled with his friends that his cross-dressing as a woman could cheat Madame Pompadour, Louis XV’s mistress. He succeed. But that was also an opportunity for him. Louis XV was also mistakened d’Eon as a woman. Louis XV was amazed on d’Eon’s cross-dressing.
Louis XV wanted to reconcile with Russia at that time. He sent two ambassadors to discuss the issue with Russia Empress Elisabeth but failed because the men were banned to the court. In order to penetrate into the court and successfully discuss the issue with Empress Elisabeth, he must sent a woman, but a woman could not handle the mission probably in such a danger. Therefore Louis XV decided to sent d’Eon as a secret ambassador/agent. D’Eon could dressed as a woman to penetrate into the court, and he had the manly braveness. D’Eon accepted the mission.
D’Eon’s identity changed to Mademoiselle de Beaumont. He successfully got into court with the identity as a woman. Then Elisabeth found out that d’Eon was a man. Elisabeth became d’Eon’s lover. D’Eon successfully had Elisabeth to sign the treaty between Russia and France which benefited France.
In Versailles, people started rumors that d’Eon was a hermaphrodite.
Then, d’Eon went back to France. He was then went to England as captain of Dragoons. In the memoir, he was believed to be the father of England Empress Sophia-Charlotte’s child. With the love relationship d’Eon and Sophia-Charlotte, England worked on the reconciliation between two countries.
D’Eon’s change of identity occured in the incident:
England Queen Sophia-Charlotte requested d’Eon to come to her room one late night because her son was seriously ill. She had a dream that only d’Eon could cure her son. She was superstitious and therefore asked d’Eon to come. While d’Eon was in Sophia-Charlotte’s room, King George III showed up. He was very frustrated that there was a man in his wife’s room that late at night.
In order to save the Queen and her child, Cockrell, the Queen’s assistant lied to George III that d’Eon was actually a woman. Since there was continous rumor that d’Eon was cross-dressing and his gender identity was unknown, King George III wondered if that was the truth. He wrote a letter to Louis XV.
Louis XV’s mistress, Jeanne du Barry (Mme de Pompardour died) suggested that if Louis XV helped to lie about d’Eon’s identity, it will save the love relationship between d’Eon and Sophia-Charlotte. Besides, that would maintain the relationship between France and England. So Louis XV wrote back to George III and "proved" that d’Eon was a female.
During that period, d’Eon’s gender became a matter of speculation in London stock exchange.
After Louis XV died, Louis XVI negotiated with d’Eon. A transaction was made between Caron de Beumarchais, representative of the King and d’Eon. Louis XVI gave the pension and interest that Louis XV owed back to d’Eon. In exchange of the money, d’Eon returned the important materials of France’s strategies towards England to Louis XVI. Also, d’Eon could not come back to France unless he dressed as a woman and brought no weapons.
In 1777, d’Eon left London and went back to France after 14 years. He went to Versailles in his uniform of Captain of Dragoons. Marie Antoinette sent her own dressmaker Rose Berlin to transform d’Eon from a man to a woman. From that day onward, Chevalier d’Eon became Chevaliere d’Eon.
But d’Eon’s story did not end like that. Nadejda, his lover whom he first met during his mission to Russia when he was young, showed up again in Paris after a long silence. D’Eon thought she was dead all this time. Nadejda was happy to see d’Eon again and told him that they had a boy. But d’Eon told Nadejda the sad story that he was no longer a man according to the royal rules.
Nadejda’s son died soon due to a high fever. Nadejda and d’Eon once again moved to England.
The French Revolution started. Although Louis XVI was no longer the King of France, the transaction between Louis XVI and d’Eon was not valid any longer, but d’Eon still kept dressing as a woman to protect Sophia-Charlotte.
The two old women, d’Eon and Nadejda was seen walking together on London streets. Bypassers were touched by their obvious devotion to each other. They thought the two women were sisters or mother and daughter, but none of them could imagine their relationship was actually husband and wife.
Chevalier d’Eon died in London in 1810, at the age of 83. Until that time, he was found to be a true male.
When George III knew the result of d’Eon examination, he went mad and remained like that till he died in 1820.
Like Oscar, he developed fencing as his hobby, which last for his entire life. He won many fencing duels. In 1796 a fencing match in Southampton, England, d’Eon was wounded with blood poisoning.
But different from Oscar, d’Eon wore woman outfit to fight.
Chevaliere d'Eon fencing duel in her woman clothings.
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