Person:Gilbert du Motier de Lafayette (1)

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Gilbert du Motier de Lafayette, Marquis de Lafayette
b.6 Sep 1757 Auvergne, France
d.20 May 1834 Paris, Paris, France
  1. Gilbert du Motier de Lafayette, Marquis de Lafayette1757 - 1834
  1. Henriette du Motier1776 - 1778
  2. Anastasie Louise Pauline du Motier1777 - 1863
  3. Georges Washington de La Fayette1779 - 1849
  4. Marie Antoinette Virginie du Motier1782 - 1849
Facts and Events
Name[1] Gilbert du Motier de Lafayette, Marquis de Lafayette
Baptismal Name[1] Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de Lafayette, Marquis de Lafayette
Alt Name[2] Gen. Marquis de Lafayette
Gender Male
Birth[1][2] 6 Sep 1757 Auvergne, France
Marriage to Marie Adrienne Françoise de Noailles
Death[1][2] 20 May 1834 Paris, Paris, France
Burial[1][2] Picpus Cemetery, Paris, Paris, France
Reference Number? Q186652?


the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette, was a French aristocrat and military officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War, commanding American troops in several battles, including the siege of Yorktown. After returning to France, he was a key figure in the French Revolution of 1789 and the July Revolution of 1830. He has been considered a national hero in both countries.

Lafayette was born into a wealthy land-owning family in Chavaniac in the province of Auvergne in south central France. He followed the family's martial tradition and was commissioned an officer at age 13. He became convinced that the American revolutionary cause was noble, and he traveled to the New World seeking glory in it. He was made a major general at age 19, but he was initially not given American troops to command. He was wounded during the Battle of Brandywine but still managed to organize an orderly retreat, and he served with distinction in the Battle of Rhode Island. In the middle of the war, he sailed for home to lobby for an increase in French support. He returned to America in 1780 and was given senior positions in the Continental Army. In 1781, troops under his command in Virginia blocked forces led by Cornwallis until other American and French forces could position themselves for the decisive siege of Yorktown.

Lafayette returned to France and was appointed to the Assembly of Notables in 1787, convened in response to the fiscal crisis. He was elected a member of the Estates General of 1789, where representatives met from the three traditional orders of French society: the clergy, the nobility, and the commoners. After forming the National Constituent Assembly, he helped to write the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen with Thomas Jefferson's assistance. This document was inspired by the United States Declaration of Independence and invoked natural law to establish basic principles of the democratic nation-state. He also advocated the end of slavery, in keeping with the philosophy of natural rights. After the storming of the Bastille, he was appointed commander-in-chief of France's National Guard and tried to steer a middle course through the years of revolution. In August 1792, radical factions ordered his arrest, and he fled into the Austrian Netherlands. He was captured by Austrian troops and spent more than five years in prison.

Lafayette returned to France after Napoleon Bonaparte secured his release in 1797, though he refused to participate in Napoleon's government. After the Bourbon Restoration of 1814, he became a liberal member of the Chamber of Deputies, a position which he held for most of the remainder of his life. In 1824, President James Monroe invited him to the United States as the nation's guest, where he visited all 24 states in the union and met a rapturous reception. During France's July Revolution of 1830, he declined an offer to become the French dictator. Instead, he supported Louis-Philippe as king, but turned against him when the monarch became autocratic. He died on 20 May 1834 and is buried in Picpus Cemetery in Paris, under soil from Bunker Hill. He is sometimes known as "The Hero of the Two Worlds" for his accomplishments in the service of both France and the United States.

This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with WeRelate, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
References
  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Gen Marquis de Lafayette, in Find A Grave: Picpus Cemetery, Paris, City of Paris, Île-de-France, France
    Memorial# 1641, Jan 01, 2001.

    Birth: Sep. 6, 1757, Auvergne, France
    Death: May 20, 1834, Paris, City of Paris, Île-de-France, France
    Burial: Picpus Cemetery, Paris, City of Paris, Île-de-France, France