1757-1834
French Statesman

Noble Birth. Marie-Joseph-Paul- Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, was born on 6 September 1757 into a prestigious noble family: he was the son of Michel Roche Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, colonel of the grenadiers, and Marie Louise, daughter of Joseph Yves Hyacinthe, marquis de la Riviere. In 1768 he attended the College of Louis-le-Grand, and in 1770 he inherited an immense fortune when both his mother and grandfather died. He became a page to the queen, Marie Leczinska, in 1771. Through her influence he received a lieutenant's commission to the Royal Musketeers. On 11 April 1774 he married Anastasie Adrienne de Noailles, second daughter of the duke d'Ayen. He joined the circle of courtiers around King Louis XVI but soon became consumed with the desire to win military glory. An enthusiastic devotion to liberty and the rights of man...