The
James Bond of his time, d'Éon de Beaumont, was a French knight, a
spy in the elite secret
espionage
force of King Louis XV and a swashbuckling swordsman. A member of La
Lodge de l'Immortalite 376,
London, he was also a member of the Royal Court, a captain of
dragoons wounded in the Seven Years War, and a recipient of the
coveted Order of Saint-Louis for service to France; and King Louis
XVI, assuming the throne upon the death of his grandfather, ordered
de Beaumont to wear a dress for the rest of his life!
You
heard that right. The bizarre story of le Chevalier d'Éon de
Beaumont puzzled his contemporaries and has caused historians since
to speculate about the motives behind his quirky personality. It all
started when Louis XV decided to stick his nose into Russian affairs.
He needed a spy...
Fair-featured,
one reason de Beaumont enjoyed stunning success as a spy was his
ability to disguise himself as a woman and move about unnoticed. He
was so convincing in this role that he conspired with Russia's
Empress Elizabeth to pass himself off as her maid of honor.
After
de Beaumont's mission in Russia, King Louis XV developed secret plans
to invade England. He shared those plans with de Beaumont and sent
him there to spy on the English and gather information that would
facilitate the impending conflict. De Beaumont was so successful
Louis XV appointed him Minister Plenipotentiary — the most
powerful French citizen in England. De Beaumont enjoyed his elevated
status in England until the King abandoned his plan to invade England
and appointed the Count of Guerchy as that country's French
ambassador. In the same action, the King demoted de Beaumont,
betraying his years of loyalty. De Beaumont, in return, used secret
French documents to discredit Guerchy and have him convicted of
corruption.
De
Beaumont shrewdly held back the documents which exposed the plans
King Louis XV had devised to invade England. Not only did this in
all likelihood save his life, but it also gave him an enormous amount
of leverage in his future negotiations with the French government;
and negotiate he did, obtaining a generous pension and keeping his
job as a spy, although the King refused to let him return to France.
Continuing
to live in England, de Beaumont began to dress openly as a woman and
rumors circulated that he actually was a female. He refused to
cooperate with requests to prove his sex.
Homesick,
de Beaumont negotiated his return to France by agreeing to relinquish
the damning documents detailing France's previous intention to invade
England. He also demanded the French Government officially recognize
him as a woman. King Louis XVI agreed but, in return, ordered him to
dress as a female for the remainder of his life. De Beaumont
consented and astonishingly, King Louis XVI paid for his wardrobe.
His Masonic records are lost but from that point it is certain de
Beaumont never entered a Masonic Lodge again.
Speculation
raged over his true gender. De Beaumont continued to insist he was a
female, but never offered proof. He lived another 33 years after
returning to France — all the while claiming to be a woman. He
lost his pension and died penniless in London in 1810. Finally, an
autopsy ended speculation about his gender when it determined
conclusively that le Chevalier d'Éon de Beaumont was, anatomically
at least, a male.
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A
Charles Jean Robineau painting of a match between d'Eon de
Beaumont and Saint George circa 1789.
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