Based on archival research in Europe and the United States, this authoritative study tells the fascinating story of Beaumarchais's role in the American War of Independence as an owner and outfitter of ships and as an arms merchant. It chronicles his dealings with Louis XVI, Vergennes, Benjamin Franklin, and the American Continental Congress and recounts his family's struggle to receive payment for the weapons and materials sent to the American colonists.
The outrageous true story of the French plot to supply arms and ammunition to Washington's Continental Army, and the bold French spy, inventor, playwright, and rogue behind it all
"Beaumarchais and the War of American Independence" in 2 volumes is one of the best-known works by an American historian Elizabeth Sarah Kite. Pierre Beaumarchais (1732-1799) was a French polymath who rose in French society and became influential in the court of Louis XV as an inventor and music teacher. He made a number of important business and social contacts, and played various roles as a diplomat and spy. An early French supporter of American independence, Beaumarchais lobbied the French government on behalf of the American rebels during the American War of Independence. Before France officially entered the war in 1778, Beaumarchais played a major role in delivering French munitions, money and supplies to the American army._x000D_ Volume 1:_x000D_ Early life_x000D_ First Financial Successes_x000D_ Business Negotiations in Spain_x000D_ Beaumarchais's Return from Madrid_x000D_ The Famous Memoirs of Beaumarchais_x000D_ Beaumarchais Goes to London in Quality of Secret Agent of Louis XV_x000D_ Beaumarchais's Second Mission Under Louis XVI_x000D_ Playing Figaro upon the Stage of Life_x000D_ Visits the Empress of Austria_x000D_ The Character of Figaro_x000D_ The First Performance of Le Barbier de Séville_x000D_ Founder of the First Society of Dramatic Authors..._x000D_ Volume 2:_x000D_ Beaumarchais's Earliest Activities in the Cause of American Independence_x000D_ First Steps of the Government of France_x000D_ Beaumarchais's Memoirs to the King_x000D_ Beaumarchais's English Connections_x000D_ Memoirs Explaining to the King the Plan of His Commercial House_x000D_ Suspicions of England Aroused Through Indiscretions of Friends of America_x000D_ The Declaration of Independence and Its Effect in Europe_x000D_ Beaumarchais's Activity in Getting Supplies to America_x000D_ Letters to Congress_x000D_ The Mariage de Figaro_x000D_ House of Beaumarchais Searched_x000D_ Declared an Emigré_x000D_ Confiscation of his Goods_x000D_ Imprisonment of his Family_x000D_ The Ninth Thermidor Comes to Save Them_x000D_ Beaumarchais After his Return from Exile_x000D_ Correspondence with Bonaparte_x000D_ Pleads for Lafayette Imprisoned_x000D_ Death of Beaumarchais...
"The Influence of Beaumarchais in the War of American Independence" in 2 volumes is one of the best-known works by an American historian Elizabeth Sarah Kite. Pierre Beaumarchais (1732-1799) was a French polymath who rose in French society and became influential in the court of Louis XV as an inventor and music teacher. He made a number of important business and social contacts, and played various roles as a diplomat and spy. An early French supporter of American independence, Beaumarchais lobbied the French government on behalf of the American rebels during the American War of Independence. Before France officially entered the war in 1778, Beaumarchais played a major role in delivering French munitions, money and supplies to the American army. Volume 1: Early life First Financial Successes Business Negotiations in Spain Beaumarchais's Return from Madrid The Famous Memoirs of Beaumarchais Beaumarchais Goes to London in Quality of Secret Agent of Louis XV Beaumarchais's Second Mission Under Louis XVI Playing Figaro upon the Stage of Life Visits the Empress of Austria The Character of Figaro The First Performance of Le Barbier de Séville Founder of the First Society of Dramatic Authors... Volume 2: Beaumarchais's Earliest Activities in the Cause of American Independence First Steps of the Government of France Beaumarchais's Memoirs to the King Beaumarchais's English Connections Memoirs Explaining to the King the Plan of His Commercial House Suspicions of England Aroused Through Indiscretions of Friends of America The Declaration of Independence and Its Effect in Europe Beaumarchais's Activity in Getting Supplies to America Letters to Congress The Mariage de Figaro House of Beaumarchais Searched Declared an Emigré Confiscation of his Goods Imprisonment of his Family The Ninth Thermidor Comes to Save Them Beaumarchais After his Return from Exile Correspondence with Bonaparte Pleads for Lafayette Imprisoned Death of Beaumarchais...
From the author of Without Precedent and Indivisible, the gripping true story of how three men used espionage, betrayal, and sexual deception to help win the American Revolution. Unlikely Allies is the story of three remarkable historical figures. Silas Deane was a Connecticut merchant and delegate to the Continental Congress as the American colonies struggled to break with England. Caron de Beaumarchais was a successful playwright who wrote The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro. And the flamboyant and mysterious Chevalier d'Éon—officer, diplomat, and sometime spy—was the talk of London and Paris. Is the Chevalier a man or a woman? When Deane is sent to France to convince the French government to support the revolutionary cause, he enlists the help of Beaumarchais. Together, they successfully smuggle weapons, ammunition, and supplies to New England just in time for the crucial Battle of Saratoga, which turned the tide of the American Revolution. And the catalyst for Louis XVI's support of the Americans against England was the Chevalier d'Éon, whose decision to declare herself a woman helped to lead to the Franco-American alliance. These three people spin a fascinating web of political intrigue and international politics that stretches across oceans as they ricochet from Versailles to Georgian London to the Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall) in Philadelphia. Each man has his own reasons for wanting to see America triumph over the British, and each contends daily with the certainty that no one is what they seem. The line between friends and enemies is blurred, spies lurk in every corner, and the only way to survive is to trust no one. An edge-of-your-seat story full of fascinating characters and lavish with period detail and sense of place, Unlikely Allies is Revolutionary history in all of its juicy, lurid glory.
Few men of 18th-century letters led a more varied or controversial life than Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais. Incorporating letters and firsthand accounts, this is an irresistibly lively and engaging account of an extraordinary life.
