#Lia De Beaumont

[whats-in-a-sentence]

Lia de Beaumont, Mademoiselle d'Éon, a French-born aristocrat, became the subject of a huge wager in London in 1776, printed in the Westminster Gazette:

This gentleman declares the d'Eon (alias the Chevalier d'Eon) a WOMAN in the clearest sense of the word; this declaration he supports with a bet of any such sum of money from one to five thousand guineas, or he proposes to any one, who will deposit five thousand guineas in the hand of his banker, to pay £10,000 if d'Eon proves herself either a MAN and HERMAPHRODITE or any other animal other than a WOMAN.

"Normal Women: 900 Years of Making History" - Philippa Gregory

[therosecrest]

[trishakaambl]

My anime/manga list:

Le Chevalier D'Eon

[oh-dear-so-queer]

Lia de Beaumont died at her home in London aged 81 and a medical examination revealed 'male genitals in every respect perfectly formed, breasts remarkably full, and unusual roundness in the formation of limbs'.

"Normal Women: 900 Years of Making History" - Philippa Gregory

[historicalfightingguide]

"Today on Murderhobos, our first guest episode! *Gasps, oohs and ahs*

We're joined by fantasy author, friend of the show, and noted trans historian Alina Boyden to discuss transness in history. We talk about Lia De Beaumont, the Chevalière d'Éon, one of the most famous trans women in history, and a kickass swordswoman. We also talk about the way academic historians often fail to recognize trans experiences (and trans women in particular), and why that matters.

You can find Alina and her books at https://twitter.com/AlinaBoyden

Subscribe to the show on Patreon: bit.ly/murderhobospatreon

Make a one-time donation to the show: bit.ly/donatetomurderhobos"

If you enjoy spy drama, fencing, duels or show combat, if you're interested in the history of trans folks, if you've ever wanted to know more about 'Chevalière d'Éon' or more precisely Lia De Beaumont, or Chevalier de Saint-Georges or Henry Angelo or Domenico Angelo you'll most likely find this particular episode interesting and worth a listen.

Furthermore if you specifically want to learn how to use a smallsword you may find the Smallsworders facebook group or the Smallsword Symposium facebook page useful.

Similarly this video may be a fun intro to smallsword fencing.

Honorable mention to the sparring clips embeded here.

For anyone who hasn’t yet seen the following links:

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Some advice on how to start studying the sources generally can be found in these older posts

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Remember to check out  A Guide to Starting a Liberation Martial Arts Gym as it may help with your own club/gym/dojo/school culture and approach.Check out their curriculum too.

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Fear is the Mind Killer: How to Build a Training Culture that Fosters Strength and Resilience by   Kajetan Sadowski   may be relevant as well.

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“How We Learn to Move: A Revolution in the Way We Coach & Practice Sports Skills”  by Rob Gray  as well as this post that goes over the basics of his constraints lead, ecological approach.

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Another useful book to check out is  The Theory and Practice of Historical European Martial Arts (while about HEMA, a lot of it is applicable to other historical martial arts clubs dealing with research and recreation of old fighting systems).

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Trauma informed coaching and why it matters

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Look at the previous posts in relation to running and cardio to learn how that relates to historical fencing.

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Why having a systematic approach to training can be beneficial

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Why we may not want one attack 10 000 times, nor 10 000 attacks done once, but a third option.

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How consent and opting in function and why it matters.

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More on tactics in fencing

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Types of fencers

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Open vs closed skills

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The three primary factors to safety within historical fencing

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Worth checking out are this blogs tags on pedagogy and teaching for other related useful posts.

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And if you train any weapon based form of historical fencing check out the ‘HEMA game archive’ where you can find a plethora of different drills, focused sparring and game options to use for effective, useful and fun training.

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Check out the cool hemabookshelf facsimile project.

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For more on how to use youtube content for learning historical fencing I suggest checking out these older posts on the concept of video study of sparring and tournament footage.

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The provoker-taker-hitter tactical concept and its uses

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Approaches to goals and methodology in historical fencing

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A short article on why learning about other sports and activities can benefit folks in combat sports

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Consider getting some patches of this sort or these cool rashguards to show support for good causes or a t-shirt like to send a good message while at training.

[amphibious-thing]

Philippa Gregory and Lazy Research: the Issue With Pop History as Exemplified by the Misinformation Surrounding Geneviève d'Eon in the Book Normal Women

If you frequent bookstores or libraries you might have seen Philippa Gregory's new book Normal Women in the best sellers or most wanted displays. The fact that Geneviève d'Eon, a trans woman, is included in a woman's history book is marvelous. D'Eon has been denied her place in woman's history for far too long. So what's the problem? Well Philippa Gregory's lazy research is the problem.

For full transparency I have to admit I didn't read the whole book. And honestly based on what I did read I probably wont read it because the short section I did read left a lot to be desired. While the section on d'Eon is short Gregory sure can pack a fair bit of misinformation into 7 paragraphs.

The most glaring error is d'Eon's name. Gregory claims her name was Lia however this is simply not true. D'Eon's full name was Charlotte-Geneviève-Louise-Auguste-André-Timothée d’Eon de Beaumont, or Geneviève d'Eon for short. When d'Eon transitioned she changed her first name to Charlotte, but she actually went by her middle name Geneviève, which was one of her baptismal names. The name Geneviève had both personal and religious significance for d'Eon having been given to her by her godmother. She talks about this in the draft of her autobiography:

I did undertake to make a novena to my patron saint, Geneviève, in the hope of gaining insight, since the name Geneviève was given to me at baptism by my godmother, the sister of my father and of my uncle.

(The Maiden of Tonnerre, p9)

She also mentions her name when writing about the joy of being able to live openly as a woman:

At present I am living in profound peace; and my joy is so great that I praise God in three languages so that a greater number of people may partake of the happiness of the angels in this life while awaiting the crown of ordinary martyrs, Nunc Genofeva d'Eon est nomen meum; quam suave et dulce est laetitia mea! [My name is now Geneviève d’Eon; how delightful and how sweet is my joy!]

(The Maiden of Tonnerre, p87)

[Ticket for Geneviève d'Eon's fencing display at Mrs. Bateman's house in Soho, c. 1793, via The British Museum]

The only evidence that suggests d'Eon may have used the name Lia is from a flirtatious letter written by her then boss the Marquis de l'Hôpital during her mission in Russia. L'Hôpital, who was 30 years her senior, calls d'Eon "ma chère Lia" and "ma belle de Beaumont". In other letters l'Hôpital often complains about d'Eon's lack of sexual activity, often making comments about her penis. It's unclear how d'Eon felt about the name Lia or the multiple sexual remarks made by her boss. (see Mémoires sur la Chevalière d'Éon by Frédéric Gaillardet, p16, 77, 80, 94, 99 & 110 for the l'Hôpital letters)

Gregory isn't just confused about d'Eon's name, she also mixes up details of d'Eon's life claiming that d'Eon dressed as a woman during her mission to spy on England in preparation for an French invasion, stating that d'Eon "moved in London society as Lia de Beaumont." I've never seen any strong evidence that d'Eon was dressing in woman's clothes for this mission and Gregory doesn't provide any evidence of this either. Certainly d'Eon claimed to have dressed in women's clothes during her mission in Russia but not England. (see The Maiden of Tonnerre for d'Eon's claims that she adopted a female alias in Russia)

Gregory also claims:

In August 1777, Lia de Beaumont chose a male identity and wore a grenadier's uniform to volunteer for military service in the American War of Independence, but was prevented from joining the conflict

While d'Eon did attempt to rejoin the French army in 1778 & 1779 she did not "chose a male identity". D'Eon asked to be able to rejoin the army as a woman. In February 1779 d'Eon published an open letter to "several Great Ladies at Court" hoping for support in rejoining the army:

Foreseeing that there will be less fighting on land this year than last, I earnestly entreat you to use your influence with the ministers, in favour of my petition (as stated in the enclosed copy of my letter to the Comte de Maurepas) to serve as a volunteer in the fleet of the Comte d'Orvilliers. Your name, Madame, is one to which military glory is familiar, and, as a woman, you must love the glory of our sex. I have striven to sustain that throughout the late war with Germany, and in negotiating at European courts during the last twenty-five years. There is nothing left for me to do but to fight at sea in the Royal Navy. I hope to acquit myself in such a way that you will not regret having fostered the good intention of one who has the honour to be, with profoundest respect, faithfully yours. La Chevalière d'Eon.

(Originally published in Correspondance Littéraire, Philosophique et Critique, translation by Alfred Rieu in D'Eon de Beaumont, His Life and Times, p233)

Nowhere in this letter does d'Eon claim to be a man. In fact she writes "as a woman, you must love the glory of our sex" (emphasis mine) and signs it in the feminine "La Chevalière d'Eon."

Gregory also includes the following quote from Madame Campan's book Memoirs Of The Court Of Marie Antoinette:

He was made to resume the costume of that sex to which in France everything is pardoned. The desire to see his native land once more determined him to submit to the condition, but he revenged himself by combining the long train of his gown and the three deep ruffles on his sleeves with the attitude and conversation of a grenadier, which made him very disagreeable company.

I have to ask why Gregory felt this needed to be included? Why is Campan's speculation on d'Eon's gender given more weight than any of d'Eon's own writings on gender? Shouldn't we prioritise what d'Eon said about herself over the speculation of an acquaintance of hers?

Why not include this quote:

I would prefer to keep my male clothes, because they open all the doors to fortune, glory, and courage. Dresses close all those doors for me. Dresses only give me room to cry about the misery and servitude of women, and you know that I am crazy about liberty. But nature has come to oppose me, and to make me feel the need for women’s clothes, so that I can sleep, eat, and study in peace. I am constantly in fear of some sickness or accident that will, despite myself, allow my sex to be discovered …. Nature makes a good friend but a bad enemy. If you chase it through the door, it just blows back in through the window.

(Monsieur D'Eon Is a Woman by Gary Kates p71)

Or this one:

If certain modern philosophers do not approve of my conversion, it is because they do not believe in God, the law, or the King. God forgave me, the living law vindicated me, and the legal systems in England and France awarded me full rights to wear a dress. Louis XV and Louis XVI were my patrons, the Queen who is the daughter of the Caesars had me dressed in her court by Mademoiselle Bertin; the very woman who dresses the Queen did not turn up her nose at dressing Mademoiselle d'Eon grandly.

(The Maiden of Tonnerre, p134)

Or maybe this one:

Having been a decent man, a zealous citizen and a brave soldier all my life, I triumph in being a woman and in being able to be cited for ever amongst those many woman who have proved that the qualities and virtues of which men are so proud have not been denied to those of my sex.

(La Vie militaire, politique et privée de Melle d’Eon (1779): Biography and the Art of Manipulation by Anne-Marie Mercier-Faivre)

Gregory isn't alone in the choice to highlight Campan's speculation over d'Eon's own words, Wikipedia also does this, which makes me wonder if she originally got this quote from d'Eon's Wikipedia page. Perhaps Gregory doesn't know what d'Eon wrote about gender because she hasn't read anything d'Eon wrote about gender.

It's clear that Philippa Gregory's research on d'Eon was frankly lazy and nothing exemplifies this as much as her thinking d'Eon's name was Lia. But why does Philippa Gregory think d'Eon's name is Lia when primary source evidence clearly shows otherwise? Well it's certainly a common myth that d'Eon used the name Lia de Beaumont as a alias while working as a spy in Russia. The assumption was originally made by Frédéric Gaillardet in his largely fictitious book Memoires du Chevalier d'Eon. Gaillardet assumes that d'Eon used the name Lia de Beaumont because of the letter from the Marquis de l'Hôpital in which he calls her "ma chère Lia" and "ma belle de Beaumont". Whether or not d'Eon even did have a female alias while working as a spy in Russia is a controversial point amongst historians. However even if we assume she did use the name Lia as an alias its still not really her name.

I don't think I've seen a single historian claim d'Eon's name was actually Lia but I have seen many people on social media claim this was her name. The logic seems to be that if d'Eon used Lia de Beaumont as an alias that it was probably her preferred name. With most secondary sources on d'Eon using her deadname and never identifying d'Eon by either her first name Charlotte or preferred name Geneviève the issue gets confused. Lia seems like the preferable choice of name to people who don't want to deadname d'Eon but also aren't aware of any other feminine name she went by.

But why does Philippa Gregory think d'Eon's name is Lia? Surely Gregory isn't getting her information from social media? Right? But none of her cited sources identify Lia as d'Eon's name. In fact one of her cited sources, D'Eon Returns to France: Gender and Power in 1777 by Gary Kates, is one of the few secondary sources that does mention that d'Eon's name was Charlotte. Is Gregory even reading her own sources?

This issue isn't unique to Philippa Gregory it's a common issue in pop history. If you want to cover a broad topic that will appeal to a wide audience, like 900 years of women's history, you almost certainly are not going to study every aspect in significant detail. Can we really expect Philippa Gregory to do in-depth research into one individual she only talks about for 7 paragraphs? Of course not. So the research gets lazy.

[nooowestayandgetcaught]

And She Never Wanted To Leave

read on AO3

~1k, Lia de Beaumont & D’Eon de Beaumont, Canon AU

Summary: Knowing her soul is weighed down by grief and her love for D'Eon, Lia cannot go to heaven.

[whats-in-a-sentence]

The Chevalier d'Éon (1728-1810) was raised in France as the male heir to the Beaumont family. The decorated soldier dressed as a man to serve as a captain of Dragoons, and as a woman named Lia de Beaumont to spy for France on Russia and England. A master fencer, the Chevalier is shown here on the right in a celebrated match against Chevalier de St Georges. This was painted by Alexandre-Auguste Robineau c.1787.

"Normal Women: 900 Years of Making History" - Philippa Gregory

[therosecrest]

[saint-seiya-alfa]

[hotwaterandmilk]

D’Eon from Le Chevalier D’Eon as illustrated by animation director, Chiba Takahiro. This image was originally used as the cover art for the April 2007 issue of Newtype USA, but I have scanned a clean version from my personal copy of the 9th Japanese DVD booklet.

[absintheblanche]

i’m in the same fate with you

Summary: Robespierre believes revolution is inevitable and necessary; Lia has faith in God's chosen King. Each tries to convince the other of their view on what's right amidst their neglected love. Le Chevalier d'Eon, pre-French Revolution. Semi-canon AU.

disclaimer: this piece deals with potentially controversial religious and political topics. the views expressed in this fanfic do not necessarily reflect those of the author, just the characters (hopefully, if i've characterised them well).

“Stay,” she whispered, eyelids stilled at half mast. Her hands folded neatly around the hardly-touched glass of bourgogne settled in front of her on the table. Maximilien sat opposite to her, gaze fixed on her downcast eyes. One hand rested on the table; the other was held slightly raised, with his elbow as leverage, idly turning a steel lighter around between his slim fingers.

Either way, Maximilien intended to remain within French borders, but he understood the meaning beneath Lia’s singular uttered word. Stay by my side. He felt a dull ache in his chest, envisioning the prospect of leaving his beloved—alone, in a nation that did not love her too. Her voice sounded strained, lacking its usual content and confidence. He could acquiesce, promise that yes, he would stand by her until the end of time, and he knew that she would smile once more, eyes alight with hopeful mirth and willing to look him in his with the doting glimmer that made his heart quicken.

Instead, he said, “France needs me to go.” He raised his glass and sipped at the wine.

“France is the King.” Lia’s reply was fast, laced with an unnatural edge. “Robespierre, to turn your back on the King is to betray France herself.”

Robespierre. The name cut painfully into his chest, but he easily suppressed a wince. His eyelashes fluttered as he took in the sight of this lady, suffering by the King’s decisions and yet remaining so resolutely devout in her loyalty to God’s designated servant. She was noble in that way, beliefs uncomplicated and steadfast, serving truthfully by the side of the monarchy with unquestioning loyalty. The King didn’t deserve it.

“The King is traitor to his own country,” Maximilien spoke with the slightest trace of a hiss in his voice, to which he had no doubt Lia noticed, “And to his people. His life is one defined by his indulgence in pompousness, while his citizens slave away and sell themselves to buy the threads of their lives. We suffer to pay for his gluttony. Is that fair to the people?” His tone was measured, and he was careful to control his deep resentment for the monarchy from engulfing his voice.

Lia closed her eyes. “It is the Lord’s will; it is not up to us. We can only do as we are destined.”

Maximilien allowed himself a momentary silence to fairly consider Lia’s words. He took another steady sip of his wine, setting it down soundlessly. “The Lord would not wish this injustice upon His people. The King is a tyrant, uncaring for the citizens. He has become corrupt by his power—to remove him is for the good of the nation.”

Lia’s eyes snapped open, and she lifted her head to face Maximilien with an unmistakable glint of conviction. “You cannot presume to know God’s will, Robespierre. The King is his chosen representative; it is written in the Bible.” A stranger may have resigned to her hostility, but Maximilien knew better. He searched her stare until he found it—an almost imperceptible furrow of the arched eyebrows, a minute quiver of the bottom lip. A tender softness resided beneath her determined exterior, tinted with desperation. If there existed any reason, any sign that could convince him that the people’s liberty was worth fighting for, this was it.

In Lia’s unwavering loyalty, Maximilien recognised a sacred love for the country. In her spirit lay the resolve of imperious passion and faith in the inherent good of humanity. In her secret tenderness resounded the sublime compassion for the wellbeing of Earth’s people that was inevitably shared by all uncorrupted men. Indeed, Maximilien could feel it beating in his own heart—the pure, innocent zeal for the liberation of all humankind, and his irrepressible horror towards the tyranny and oppression exercised by the monarchy, the aristocracy, all those who hoarded power and wealth.

Lia would say that it was their right to possess that power and wealth. Maximilien flicked at the lighter in his hands, unconsciously toying at the catch.

Lia’s muted blue irises had dropped to follow the lighter’s movements. She raised her glass to her mouth hesitantly, but set it down with no more than a brief touch of the liquid to her lips. “If you were to overthrow the King—to harm or defy him in any way—you would be committing a sin imperviously contrary to the will of the Lord.” Flick, turn, turn. This time when she looked up her eyes were vulnerable and beseeching. “Maximilien, please. Stay with me for eternity.”

For eternity. This time he did flinch as he caught the implication of her words. “He promises eternity to those who tread the path of the righteous. And if the just path does not lead me to eternity,” and his eyes narrowed as he steeled himself, “then so be it.” Another taste of the wine; Lia continued to nurse hers in her hands.

“No, do not allow yourself to think in that way. Unconditional servitude to the Lord is right, so do not doubt Him. Your reasons sound so much alike to those wielded by the anthropocentrists, those who deny any faithfulness to God. As soon as you reject that God’s will is right, you in essence deny the holiness, the existence, of the Lord.”

Flick, turn, turn of the lighter. He was absently aware of its circular movements, but had focused his attention on the sky beyond the open window of the room. The horizon was grey and misty, unclear. “I do not share the faith of the anthropocentrists.” If it could be considered faith at all. “They worship humankind, placing mortality on the pedestal meant for the divine. They revel in human urges, vices, primitivity, with no thought for the righteousness that must be followed by all people for the justice of the people. Their practices are scandalous and wild. Their indulgence is no better than the King’s.” He searched the sky for lightness, aware of his gaze growing inexplicably fervent. He exhaled with deliberacy, closing his eyes for the greater half of a moment and reached for his glass. “For human virtue to prevail, there must exist a God upon which humans can be guided and their vices tempered. I simply believe that this God asks most finally for our virtuousness.”

“Robespierre.” Lia slowly tilted her glass, causing the bourgogne to swirl in vaguely alluring circles. “To be virtuous you must remain loyal to that which the Lord declares saintly. If you believe in the righteousness of God then you mustn’t sin in the name of virtue. God’s will does not change. What was just in the time of France’s birth remains just as long as France lives, and longer. The King is France; the King is God’s will.”

“Liberté, egalité, fraternité. Those are the principles of the righteous.” Gaze still trained on the night sky, his breath hitched and his gaze caught. The rising moon hung suspended by the torn tendrils of wafting grey-blue cloud. Maximilien brought his free hand to his chin contemplatively, still continuously turning the lighter over in the other. The moonlight flickered uncannily, a strangled picture of asphyxiation by the ropes and nooses of light-obscuring clouds. “The world is unstable,” he distantly heard himself say. “France is changing—must change.”

Lia rose from her chair and strode purposefully to rest in front of Maximilien. She crouched down, eyes benign, cupping his face tenderly in her calloused hands; unable to fight his racing pulse, Maximilien leaned into her touch. He was suddenly stricken by an inexplicable grief, resigned to Lia’s unwillingness to traverse with him the journey he knew he ought to take, and the uncertainty of ever holding her close again within the doubtlessly divisive chaos of the impending uprising. “Maximilien,” she breathed, ever softly, emotion leaking stagnant into the air between the two. “Don’t go. Please.” Staring back into her misty blue irises, Maximilien felt waves of the same mournful sorrow emanating from her spirit.

His finger suddenly tripped the lighter’s catch, and a single spark flew into the air between them, then dissipated. His gaze trailed after it, lingering in the space it had set alight. “The flames of revolution have already begun. My duty is to fan them and let them burn.”

Inexplicably his gaze shifted again to the night sky, only to find that the rising moon, too, had dissipated into the darkness of night.

[kusuriiuri]

You idiots, you fools, how dare you all sleep on this series

Photographer: Spaz by Design ; Connecticon 2017

Series: Le Chevalier D’Eon 

Character: Lia De Beaumont

[nikelyzed]

Watercolor progress shot of Lia de Beaumont 🌹🌹🌹

[officialwarspite-blog]

[therosecrest]