Chevaliere d’Éon, the Trans French Spy of the 1700s

There are fabulous stories, and then there are fabulous stories, and the story of the Chevalière d'Eon is decidedly the latter. If you've never heard of them, Chevaliere d'Eon was one of the most accomplished people of the 1700s and is also one of the most famous trans people ever. All at once, they were a both male and female, and a diplomat, soldier, spy, and member of Empress Elizabeth of Russia's court. Born Charles-Geneviève-Louis-Auguste-André-Timothée d'Éon de Beaumont on October 5th, 1728 would later be known as Charlotte-Geneviève-Louise-Augusta-Andréa-Timothéa d'Éon de Beaumont. More simply, you can just refer to them as either the Chevalier d'Éon or the Chevalière d'Éon.

Born to a poor noble family in France, d'Eon put all their attention into studies, becoming an exceptional student. Moving from Tonnerre to Paris in 1743, d'Eon graduated in civil law and canon law from the Collège Mazarin in 1749 at age 21. When d'Eon was 28 years old, they joined an elite network of spies known as the Secret du Roi (King's Secret). The spies were employed by King Louis XV without the knowledge of the government, often promoting policies that contradicted official stances and treaties.

Now a convincing spy and excellent student, d'Eon was tasked with infiltrating the court of Empress Elizabeth of Russia and work with the pro-French faction working against the Habsburg monarchy. To do so, d'Leon got to lean into their feminine side, and as the stories go she convincingly passes as "Lia de Beaumont", eventually becoming so close to the Empress of Russia, that she served as her maid of honor. Side note: Lia de Beaumont needs to be revived as a badass drag persona.

When D'Éon returned to France in October of 1760, they were awarded the Order of Saint-Louis, a military Order of Chivalry, thus giving them the title of Chevalier. D'Eon was granted a pension of 2,000 livres as reward for their service in Russia. In May of 1761, d'Éon became a Captain of the Dragoons and became a decorated officer in the Seven Years' War. But despite the fact that d'Éon wore the men's uniform, the British social circles began to rumour that d'Éon was really a woman. It became such a hot topic in London that a pool was started on the London Stock Exchange about d'Éon's gender, even going so far as to invite d'Éon to join the bet. It's worth noting that d'Eon declined, saying that no matter what the result was, they would be dishonored by indulging an examination.

When King Louis XV died in 1774, King Louis XVI disbanded the Secret du Roi, and D'Éon was charged with turning over any documents or intelligence they had gathered. Here's where the major plot twist comes in... d'Éon would go on to claim to have been assigned female at birth, and even demanded formal governmental recognition as such. They said they were raised as a boy because d'Eon's father could only inherit from his in-laws if he had a son. The King agreed but required that d'Éon dress in women's clothing. Not only did she agree, but she was outfitted by Rose Bertin, the dressmaker to Marie Antoinette.

D'Eon's later years were sadly more tragic. D'Eon was seriously injured in a fencing accident in 1979, and then was sent to debtors prison for five months in 1804. But it was two years later in 1806 that would be the ultimate clincher. D'eon had a fall that resulted in being paralyzed, and for the last four years, they fell into poverty and finally death. When the surgeon who worked on their body submitted their report, they noted that d'Eon's breasts were "remarkably full."

A wild life for someone with a fascinating journey, and above all another great story of trans greatness. Years later in the 1950s, Susanna Valenti and her wife Maria would open an Upstate New York getaway retreat for trans women and cis-men who were cross-dressers. They named the resort Chevalier d'Eon Resort.

Fleshbot: Plug In Get Off.
Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected]
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.