3 Floréal
An CCXXXIV
Marquis de Lafayette
Lafayette, the hero of the American War of Independence, became a traitor in his native France. At the beginning of the Revolution he stood at the head of the constitutional movement. His goals were clear: constitution, king, peace in the streets. No republic. To prevent popular rule, he had his National Guard fire on unarmed demonstrators in July 1791. His reputation as a hero of liberty was gone. He withdrew from Parisian politics and sought his fortune as a general at the front. But even there the born aristocrat remained a man of half measures. After the storming of the Tuileries he went over to the side of the enemies – who did not thank him for the betrayal. They captured the defector. Meanwhile, in Paris the Republic was proclaimed and the king was beheaded.
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1757 - 1834
- September 6, 1757 · Birth in Chavaniac (Auvergne), son of Michel Louis Christophe Roch Gilbert Motier, Marquis de La Fayette, and Marie Louise Jolie de La Rivière.
- 1771 · Entry into the army.
- 1777 · He takes part as a major general under George Washington in the war against the British in America.
- 1783 · Return to France. Lafayette is celebrated as a hero of the American War of Independence.
- May 5, 1789 · Opening of the Estates-General. Lafayette serves as a deputy of the Second Estate (nobility).
- July 1789 · After the storming of the Bastille, Lafayette is appointed commander of the National Guard.
- October 6, 1789 · March of the Parisian market women to Versailles. Lafayette ensures the transfer of the royal family to Paris.
- July 17, 1790 · At the Festival of the Federation on the Champ de Mars, Lafayette, as commander of the National Guard, swears loyalty to the constitution.
- June 21, 1791 · After the king’s failed flight, Lafayette is entrusted with guarding the royal family.
- July 17, 1791 · Champ de Mars massacre. Lafayette orders the National Guard to fire on republican demonstrators. About 50 people are killed. In September, Lafayette resigns from the command of the National Guard.
- December 15, 1791 · Lafayette receives command of an army on the northeastern frontier.
- June 16, 1792 · In a letter to the National Assembly, Lafayette demands the closure of the Jacobin Club.
- August 19, 1792 · Lafayette leaves his army and crosses the border. He is captured by Austrian troops.
- 1797 · After several years of captivity, Lafayette is released.
- 1800 · After stays in Hamburg and Utrecht, Lafayette returns to France.
- May 20, 1834 · Death in Paris.
Quotes
The nation, the law and the king!
Lafayette, 1789
Martial law was proclaimed, and the public force had to act.
Lafayette after the Champ de Mars massacre, July 1791
Finally, may the reign of the clubs, destroyed by you, give way to the reign of the law.
Lafayette, June 16, 1792, to the National Assembly
Le Moniteur
Mercredi 22 Août 1792 L'An quatrième de la Liberté, et le premiere de l'Égalité
The Champ de Mars massacre
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