Marquis de Lafayette Statue in Paris

The Marquis de Lafayette is a complex figure in French history. Very often, American visitors are surprised to hear he is not considered an important figure in French history and he may be known more in parts of the U.S. that he is in France.

I had to read three different biographies on him, ranging from positive to negative to mixed depiction, to get a balanced view and understand the disagreements among historians.

Many of the conflicting accounts and stories originate from the complexity of the French Revolution and its evolution over a period of ten years. If you would like to understand Lafayette, I can explain many things on my American Founding Fathers in Paris walk!