The Chevalier d'Eon: Transgender Diplomat at the Court of George III, 1763-1777

In 1763 peace broke out between France and Britain, ending the
Seven Years War. The defeated superpower France was left nursing
its wounds, as well as thoughts of revenge. While King Louis XV's
foreign minister sought to maintain the peace, the King's spy
network, 'the King's Secret' (Secret du Roi) developed plans to
invade England. These conflicting agendas were embodied in the
Chevalier d'Eon, France's minister in London. A Georgian Edward
Snowden. Shortly after his arrival the Chevalier began publishing
confidential diplomatic despatches and blackmailing his King. The
Chevalier escaped assassination and imprisonment by becoming a
woman in 1777.


Dr Jonathan Conlin teaches modern British history at the
University of Southampton. Currently he is researching a
biography of the Anglo-Armenian oil magnate Calouste Gulbenkian.
His books include Tales of Two Cities: Paris, London and the
Making of the Modern City.