France's First Transgender Heroine...Or A Total Con-Artist? | Chevalier d'Éon

Chevalier d'Éon was a soldier, a spy and a diplomat...but he was also someone who spent the first 49 years of his life as a man, before spending his remaining years as a woman. This video looks at his life, his secrets, and his possible motives behind his transformation from 'bad boy spy' to 'good girl feminist'...
For my images and footage, thanks to:
Pexels
Pixabay
Wikimedia Commons, especially:
Myrabella
Zairon
Jorge Láscar
Many of my images in this video were made with Midjourney, see if you can spot which ones!
I strive to always credit everyone whose images I use, and try as much as possible to use images freely in the public domain (purchased where not possible) - please let me know if I have missed you so I can give you due credit.

[@--enyo--]

I watched an anime series loosely based on this a long time ago. I was surprised when I looked it up after watching and finding they were a real historical figure.

[@RV-fr2wf]

Rose of Versailles / Lady Oscar? 😅 I read this comic as kid

[@barbranyberg2694]

I saw it too!

[@barbranyberg2694]

​it was called Chevalier D'Eon. Or very close. Worth the watch. I think it was Funimation.

[@helpinyerdasellavon]

A fascinating story of an intriguing and interesting figure. Beautiful high quality work. Thank you 💖

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it! ☺

[@crocodiledundee8685]

“Its harder to equip a woman, than a company of dragoons” 🤣 (Although I should correct you. A transvestite is a man who likes to dress up as a woman whereas a transgender is a man who believes themselves to be female.)

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

That quote was so funny and correct! 😂 (And yup, it's actually the National Portrait Gallery who termed D'Eon a 'transvestite', I would absolutely agree she was transgender, in whatever form she chose to present that).

[@Philip-bk2dm]

C'est incroyable ! I'll have to return to this many times to take it all in. Many thanks.

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

Honestly, it amazes me no one has made a film about D'Eon yet, there's so much there! 😂

[@JangianTV]

Something a little different, and an interesting figure at that!

[@lfgifu296]

For the question, I bring a juicy historical mystery to the chat👹👹 What do you think happened to Amy Robsart, Dudley’s first wife? I gotta say I’m unsure myself, but it reeks of foul play😭 I do lean towards m*rder, an accidental fall down eight stairs hardly breaks someone’s neck… It’s true that she was ill and depressed, but I find it odd that she managed to break her own neck with a tumble down a flight of stairs😭 As for the culprit, I don’t think it was Elizabeth, mainly because it was politically idiotic. I suppose Dudley is the most likely suspect, but as I don’t know much about her (Amy’s) life, I can’t be sure👀 Also, your answer to my other question in the Battle of Hastings was great!! It must’ve taken you ages to put together😭 and you make points I hadn’t even thought of when choosing what you chose :))

[@Elora445]

Depends on how tall she was. I'm tiny, and I would bet I could break my neck falling down the stairs one day. Have already fallen several times, but luckily only a few steps (at most 3 or 4). If one falls wrongly, then anything can happen. But really, my small body gets thrown away as hell. I've been lucky only getting some serious bruises thus far. Falling down eight steps makes me wince just at the thought.

[@lfgifu296]

@@Elora445 I suppose👀👀 I’m very tiny as well, but I don’t think I’ve ever fallen more than 3 steps either… It also depends on the height of the steps, but I generally get a fishy feel about the whole thing

[@Elora445]

@@lfgifu296 Yeah, but fishy feelings should never be taken as more valid than pure logic. If you fall down eight steps, depending on the sizes, of course, something is probably going to break - and it might as well be your neck.

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

Hmm....I have actually thought about making a video on this very event! I think about it probably more than I should, haha. 😂 *puts on detective hat* Okay, so...I kind of lean towards it being murder, but not necessarily by Dudley, or an accident, but not suicide. I absolutely agree that no matter how depressed she may have been, Amy would have known (as did most of the court) that she was ill with a malignant tumour. No matter how painful this would be, no God-fearing person of the time - so pretty much all of them - would have decided to commit suicide and surrender their soul to Hell for all eternity, rather than waiting a few weeks for the inevitable. Throwing yourself down the stairs is also, well, an odd way to go out. Even back then, there were herbs that would send you into a permanent sleep, for example. Why not take a gentle way out? Going down the stairs is no guarantee of death, either. Having said this, there is a very good modern argument that if Amy did have breast cancer, it could have caused deposits on her spine which would have weakened it, turning a small fall down some stairs into something very dangerous. Therefore, it's also highly likely it could have been an accidental fall, with no intention of hurting herself. So if we decide it was murder, then who did it? A likely suspect is Dudley himself, but here's why I think it probably wasn't him. The main reason is - literally EVERYONE assumed it was him. I mean, it could be a double bluff, but this is real life, not a crime drama. No one in real life would take the risk of actually bumping someone off if everyone is going to point fingers at you. However, and this is a similar argument to Richard III, you can also ask someone else! Dudley's valet/manservant (I can't remember his name off the top of my head) was not with Dudley when the event occurred, and therefore could have gone back to the house to push Amy down the stairs. Another main reason is that Amy was already likely to die, anyway. Everyone knew she was ill, and Dudley could easily have just waited for the inevitable, before marrying Elizabeth. Why implicate yourself in a murder? And for that matter, even having his name stained with uncertainty around Amy's death meant he could _never_ marry Elizabeth. So then, knowing that Dudley had little to no reason to bump off Amy himself, wasn't present at the time, and it would have scuppered his chances with Elizabeth....who would _want_ Dudley implicated like this? It definitely wouldn't have been Elizabeth. It's very, very obvious from all the evidence that she was in love with Robert Dudley, and why couldn't she have thought about marrying one of her lower status subjects? Edward IV did it. She would never have agreed to anything that would have made that impossible. There is a possible, very shaky suggestion that it could have been orchestrated by William Cecil. Marrying Dudley would not have strengthened England's position, and the only way to possibly push Elizabeth into marrying a foreign prince would be to take away any chance at marrying her true love. However, Cecil was risking the Queen's reputation by doing this, if he did, although it's possible he would have thought he could extricate her from it regardless. Overall, I'm kind of undecided. The accidental fall, with her illness, does make a lot of sense, and in many ways is the most likely answer. But there are still lots of unanswered questions around Amy's death which also fit with the theory of it being murder. So I'm only really certain it probably wasn't suicide, and that if it was murder, Dudley didn't do it. (And thank you, I'm glad you liked my Battle of Hastings answer! I always get on my soap box abut it when it come to the North. You think I'd have calmed down about it now, what with it being nearly 1000 years ago! 😂)

[@lfgifu296]

@@HistorysForgottenPeople good answer!! And I agree, 1000 years is not nearly enough to stop being angry with past destruction to one’s area haha

[@MichelleBruce-lo4oc]

Hi , awesome live history video very interesting. I enjoyed it. How are you doing and Mallard your cat? I'm doing well. My cat Benjamin is doing well also. We have spring-like weather in Ontario, Canada. How's the weather where you are? Have a great weekend. See you next video . In the next video in the future, could you do Mary Boleyn and sister in law Jane Boleyn. 😊

[@RadiantSkin]

In either case she was not transgender which presumes changing from one sex surgically to the other. She was most likely intersex which is a completely natural occurence. But it must have been strange for her to transfer from a military society to a society of needleworkers.

[@ladyreverie7027]

Actually plenty of transgender people don't undergo surgery even today. And back then the surgery was likely impossible.

[@MagdaleneDivine]

Honestly I just feel like a 12 year old boy anyhow.

[@amyjones8114]

6:53 😂

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

I was hoping someone would spot that image. It's so much fun! 😂

[@SSRT_JubyDuby8742]

A busy life, a great telling, 👏. Like deployed 👍

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

Thank you! ☺

[@ronhuhn7562]

It seems to me that cloths really don't make the man...or is it the other way around...it's easier to just be people i guess...ron

[@lfgifu296]

I’ve seen some things about her, but not a single video dedicated to her!! I use the pronouns “her” as that’s what she presented herself as in later life as far as I know, but, as I said, Idk much about her, and am about to watch the video, so have yet to learn :)) Have a nice week!!

[@DarthDread-oh2ne]

Hi friend ! There is A documentary, where, you can watch documentaries.

[@lfgifu296]

@@DarthDread-oh2ne Hello, hope you are well!

[@DarthDread-oh2ne]

@@lfgifu296 Don't you want to know the name of the channel ?

[@lfgifu296]

@@DarthDread-oh2ne Oh, I didn’t quite understand your comment, I’m sorry😭 but please, do tell!!

[@DarthDread-oh2ne]

I’m sorry for the late response, friend. The name of the channel is: The history room.

[@altinaykor364]

Really amazing story which I never heard before and now I'm really mad because of it🤦‍♀ Although considering her conditions as a transgender, her life had much less tension than I thought she had, especially when she chose to be a woman and even tried to join those who were fighting for the women's rights and as you know such a clubs weren't exactly in favor in French Revolution and she was treated much gentler than other females! although I can't say the same about the time of manhood. d'Edon's life had much more tension as a man than a woman and one of the reasons I believe he chose womanhood. and you pointed out very interesting detail as well, about how as a man, he could be called a bad boy, but as a woman, seemed to be such a good girl! that part made me giggle😁😁😁

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

It's amazing how D'Eon managed to get herself in so much trouble, and yet somehow sidestep it! 😂I have a feeling she might have been pretty charming. And the 'bad boy, good girl' comment was D'Eon's own! She definitely had a good grasp on her own character, haha.

[@danialeatherman8934]

Where are all the comments about young people these days who are confused about their gender? Do you mean to tell me that gender nonconforming people have always existed? YES

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

It's a shocker, right!? 😂 Honestly, it made me a little sad that in the 18th century D'Eon and the feminist women around her all grouped together for the greater good, but we can't seem to do that now.

[@hellemarc4767]

I'd say Joan of Orleans was the first known transgender, but unfortunately, they burnt her when she refused to wear women's clothes.

[@lfgifu296]

I’m pretty sure she wasn’t trans at all… As much as we can’t define people’s identity with 600 years of difference, she presented as a woman, despite the wearing of male clothing, and, during her trial, she maintained that she wore male garments so that her jailers wouldn’t have their way in her, and repeatedly said that she’d change to woman’s clothing if the guards would stop assaulting her. Furthermore, the wearing of male garments was hardly the reason she was burnt- it helped the judges get her, but her claims to have visions of Divine entities telling her to fight for France were what got her convicted of heresy: her wearing of male clothes just added to her “unholiness” and “heresy”, but it’s not the reason she was burnt

[@--enyo--]

Even if she was trans, she definitely wasn’t the first by any means. However she doesn’t seem to have identified as male or expressed a want to be such at any point.

[@dailythebigcheese826]

perhaps, but her use of men's clothing whilst imprisoned was more so for protection against assault than any want to do so

[@altinaykor364]

I'm completely sure Jeanne D'Arc was completely female. and she wasn't burned because of refusing women's clothes. but because she was wearing male clothes and that wasn't exactly the only reason by the way! besides, she started wearing male clothes after joining the army, not before

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

While Joan of Arc definitely wore women's clothes, I wouldn't say she wasn't transgender, based on the evidence we have. I also don't think we can say she was the first transgender person, there will have been transgender people reaching back beyond recorded history. Maybe a tomboy at a push, but that's making assumptions about her. Wearing men's clothing was firstly about projecting the image of a soldier, and it was also a way of protecting herself against unwanted male attention - much as many women often still do today, in different ways.