Lafayette and the American Independence : from the Court of Versailles to the battlefields

Whilst Gilbert de Lafayette was fighting in America, his wife Adrienne de Noailles remained in France. He wrote to her from the battlefields.

Through the letters exchanged between the couple from 1776 to 1784, a different perspective on the American War of Independence emerges : that of a woman who also played a historic yet little-known role in this revolution. Close to the crown, to Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, she knew how to get messages around and ensure they reached the right ears.

Thus, having left the court at Versailles in secret, Gilbert de Lafayette returned as a hero of both worlds. He had witnessed freedom at work; she would cross the ocean a few years later, travelling in the opposite direction. From one revolution to the next, immerse yourself in this correspondence between the de Lafayette couple.

To mark the 250th anniversary of American Independence, retrace the Marquis de Lafayette’s journey to the heart of the American Revolution and the first ties forged between Versailles and the United States.

Lafayette and American Independence : from the Court of Versailles to the battlefields. A a historical fiction proposed by the Palace of Versailles, on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of American Independence and the early ties between Versailles and the United States, written by Elisa Chalaye, digital projects manager, produced by Image et Stratégie, and directed by Julien Rochard. With scientific advice from Vincent Bouat-Ferlier, Chief Heritage Curator and Director of the Chambrun-Lafayette Foundation, Clara Terreaux, Heritage Curator at the Palace of Versailles and Frédéric Lacaille, General Heritage Curator of at the Palace of Versailles.

© Chambrun-Lafayette Foundation, FC 15.1.54, FC 352 027, FC 15.1.51, FC 15.3.129, © Sémhur / Wikimedia Commons

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