Adrienne de La Fayette


Marie Adrienne Françoise de Noailles, Marquise de La Fayette, was a French marchioness. She was the daughter of Jean de Noailles and Henriette Anne Louise d'Aguesseau. On 11 April 1774, she married Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, who left France in 1776 to volunteer in the American Revolutionary War where he served under General George Washington, then later became a key figure in the French Revolution of 1789.

Early life and family

The Marquis and Marquise had four children, one of whom died in infancy, and nine grandchildren:
  1. Henriette du Motier, who died in infancy.
  2. Anastasie Louise Pauline du Motier, who married Juste Charles César de Fay and had one daughter: Adrienne Jenny Florimonde de la Tour Maubourg, who married Conte Ettore Perrone di San Martino
  3. Georges Washington Louis Gilbert du Motier,, who married Émilie Destutt de Tracy and had five children: Nathalie, Charlotte, Clémentine, Oscar and Edmond.
  4. Marie Antoinette Virginie du Motier, who married Louis de Lasteyrie du Saillant and had three children: Mélanie, Jules and Adrienne-Octavie.
She was a great-granddaughter of Françoise Charlotte d'Aubigné, niece of Madame de Maintenon.

Imprisonment and planned execution

In 1795, the Marquise de LaFayette was imprisoned and facing execution. Elizabeth Monroe, a future First Lady of the United States and wife to James Monroe, the United States envoy to France, intervened in an attempt to save her. The day prior to La Fayette's scheduled execution, Mrs. Monroe visited the imprisoned marquise and loudly announced that she would be returning the following day. Not wanting to endanger ties with the United States, France abruptly reversed its verdict and did not execute her.

Death

The Marquise de LaFayette died on 25 December 1807 and is buried in the Picpus Cemetery in the 12th arrondissement of Paris. This cemetery also contains a mass grave where several of the Marquise's relatives were buried after being guillotined.

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