Search -
Adrienne: The Life of the Marquise de La Fayette
Adrienne The Life of the Marquise de La Fayette Author:André Maurois Marie Adrienne Françoise de Noailles, Marquise de La Fayette (1759-1807) married Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette, by arrangement when she was only 15. The orphan Lafayette had inherited large estates that yielded an annual income of 150,000 livres ($1.5 million). Her mother, concerned with their youth, kept them apart for a year whil... more »e she managed their courtship. Lafayette went on to become famous as a general in the American Revolutionary War and a leader of the Garde Nationale during the French Revolution. In 1783, Lafayette bought a townhouse, at 183 rue de Bourbon, for 200,000 livres ($2 million). He and Adrienne were active in their salon, at the Hôtel de La Fayette, the headquarters of Americans in Paris, such as Benjamin Franklin, Mr. and Mrs. John Jay, and Mr. and Mrs. John Adams who met every Monday, and dined in company with family, and the liberal nobility. This time in Paris (the 1790s) was very tumultuous and even though Lafayette defended the King, he was accused of treason and both he and Adrienne were imprisoned where she stayed during the Reign of Terror (1794-97). This book is the fascinating story of her life during a very important political time in European and American history.« less