On September 5, 1789, a large-scale riot broke out in the Lyon area of southern France. The riot happened suddenly and suddenly. From the time gunfire rang out in the city to the mob surrounding the city hall, it only took more than two hours.
.
When Gérard, the mayor of Lyon, saw the mob surrounding the city hall, he trembled and asked his assistant:
"Are these mobs trying to rebel?"
"No, sir, this is revolution!"
Afterwards, the mob rushed into the city hall and arrested Lyon government officials headed by Mayor Gérard. While the people were celebrating Lyon's victory, an unexpected person appeared at the Lyon City Hall.
At the door of the hall, this person is Gilbert de Motiler, Marquis de Lafayette.
Speaking of the Marquis de Lafayette, it can be said that he is a legendary figure. Lafayette was born in Chavannac Manor in the Haute-Loire Province in 1757 and grew up in the mountainous Owino region of France. He
The origin of the family is said to be traced back to the Caesar period of the Roman Empire. When Lafayette was 2 years old, his father was killed by a British cannonball during the Battle of Minden in 1759. When he was 13, his mother and grandmother died.
He was educated by his aunt and two priests, and later at the Lycée Louis the Great. On April 9, 1771, at the age of 14, Lafayette followed in the footsteps of his grandfather and father and joined the French army.
In April 1776, when Lafayette learned that people in the thirteen British colonies on the North American continent had revolted against the rule of the British King, the 19-year-old boy immediately became excited. At that time, Lafayette was influenced by the democratic enlightenment ideas in the country.
Although he inherited a long-established aristocratic family, this did not affect his love for democracy, equality, and freedom.
Moreover, in Lafayette's mind, the British were always his enemies. As mentioned above, when he was two years old, his father died at the hands of the British. Regardless of the purpose,
Lafayette was determined to go to North America to help the people there resist British tyranny.
As an ancient family with hundreds of years of history, Lafayette holds a huge amount of wealth. With the money on hand, the young Marquis bought a warship and recruited a large number of men.
He was determined to sail to the New World to wage war with the British.
What Lafayette did was not hidden from the eyes and ears of the British. As a family leader ranked among the top in France, Lafayette's actions could not be hidden from those who were interested. Moreover, his actions were really too big. After all,
Besides Lafayette, which nineteen-year-old boy could come up with a huge sum of money to purchase warships and recruit manpower.
He was young, had a small official position, had a lot of money, and was very famous (depending on his family's reputation). His actions were discovered by the British. At that time, France had not yet declared war on Britain, so the British ambassador immediately negotiated with France and asked to stop it.
Lafayette went to North America. In fact, at that time, there were many French people like Lafayette who helped the United States fight against the British, and there were also many people who secretly sold arms to the United States. The British were very angry, and they happened to take advantage of the Marquis Lafayette.
Regarding the matter, why not give France a beating?
In front of the British, Louis XVI ordered Lafayette to be prohibited from leaving the port. However, it was obvious that Lafayette still did not take Louis XVI's order to heart. He still recruited soldiers and sailors in his own way.
After the dissuasion failed and the British strongly protested, Louis XVI ordered Lafayette to be arrested. But who knows whether it was a real arrest or a false arrest, Lafayette still escaped on a boat. The British
Two warships were sent to pursue him, but they failed to catch up. After two months of sailing, in June 1777, Lafayette's ship landed in the United States, thereby participating in the North American War of Independence.
On July 31, 1777, the Continental Congress in Philadelphia made a decision: Based on Lafayette’s glorious family history, twenty-year-old Lafayette was awarded the rank of Major General of the Continental Army. This was the highest military rank in the U.S. military at that time, because George
-As commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, Washington only held the rank of major general.
Lafayette's first participation in the war was at the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777. He was injured in the leg. After returning from the injury, he received a division. This was the result of communication between Washington and the Continental Congress.
In 1778, Washington adopted Lafayette as his adopted son. As the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and one of the top richest men in North America, it was not a shame to have Lafayette as his adopted son!
While commanding the expedition to Rhode Island in August 1778, Lafayette received a formal letter of commendation from the Continental Congress for his outstanding performance. In the same year, North America and France formally signed an alliance on February 6, 1778, and France signed a treaty with Great Britain.
War was declared. Lafayette requested to return home to consult Louis XVI about his future actions.
On January 16, 1779, Lafayette left the United States. After returning to France, Louis XVI awarded the American major general the rank of French cavalry colonel. Six months later, he returned to North America and brought a force with him.
French reinforcements.
After that, Lafayette performed very well, and his performance was recognized by all North American people. However, after October 1780, Lafayette's life became difficult. In fact, it was not only him,
Including Washington, most of the North American Continental Army was having a hard time because the British received reinforcements from their ally, Prussia!
Although Lafayette fought bravely, defeat was inevitable. In June 1782, Lafayette led five thousand French troops to cooperate with Washington in the Battle of Philadelphia. However, this battle ended with the Continental Army's
It ended in failure, and Washington himself even died for his country.
When he learned the news of Washington's death in battle, Lafayette once again felt a strong sense of hatred in his heart. He led five thousand French troops to attack the Prussian army's formation at all costs. However, when Washington was dead and the group was leaderless,
Everything Lafayette did was in vain.
Although the North American War ultimately ended with the defeat of the colonies, when the dejected Lafayette returned to France, he was greeted like a hero. Although the war failed, everything he had done had been recognized by everyone.
Known to the French.
Louis XVI received Lafayette at Versailles and promoted him to brigadier general.
Logically speaking, what would a person with such a rich net worth and high social status and popularity have to be dissatisfied with?
The days in the North American continent opened a window for Lafayette's life, especially his adoptive father, Washington. During his close interaction with Washington, Lafayette was deeply influenced by Washington's liberal thoughts and conservative politics.
The influence of the theory, and after returning to France, facing the increasingly serious social conflicts in the country, Lafayette eagerly hoped to change France through his own power! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to
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