Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution

Best-selling author (The Storm Before the Storm) and podcast host (The History of Rome) Duncan reintroduces a celebrated hero whose name may be common knowledge but whose life story is not. Using French and American archives, Duncan narrates the long career of the Marquis de Lafayette (1757–1834) as he fell victim to changing times and political perceptions. This biography is especially powerful because it looks at the last third of Lafayette's career and moves beyond more well-publicized stories of the American and French Revolutions, to discuss activities in Napoleonic and post-Napoleonic European politics. Also of interest is Duncan's careful dissection of Lafayette's growing abolitionist sentiment, his role in debates over manumission after the American Revolution, and his fascination with "wild schemes" to set up French and American plantations to be staffed by newly freed Black tenants. His deep friendship with George Washington, love affairs, family ties, and late-in-life liaison with early feminist Fanny Wright are among the fascinating details that make this such an outstanding read.