1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:04,640 Speaker 1: Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grimm 2 00:00:04,680 --> 00:00:10,760 Speaker 1: and Mild from Aaron Manky. Listener discretion advised. Just a 3 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:14,360 Speaker 1: quick reminder for our listeners. This is part two of 4 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:17,360 Speaker 1: our two part series on the Chevalier de Saint George. 5 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:20,279 Speaker 1: So if you haven't heard part one yet, go back 6 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:22,799 Speaker 1: to last week and give it a listen before starting 7 00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:30,360 Speaker 1: today's episode. Okay, now onto the show. Somewhere in the 8 00:00:30,440 --> 00:00:35,240 Speaker 1: United Kingdom, perhaps in Windsor Castle or even deep within 9 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:40,400 Speaker 1: the recesses of Buckingham Palace, a portrait still sits in 10 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:46,000 Speaker 1: storage under the lock and key of the Royal Collection Trust. 11 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:51,440 Speaker 1: This twenty five by thirty inch canvas lays undisturbed in 12 00:00:51,479 --> 00:00:55,840 Speaker 1: a room, likely with several other priceless works of art, 13 00:00:56,440 --> 00:01:00,240 Speaker 1: waiting for a curator's eyes to decide that the these 14 00:01:00,280 --> 00:01:05,319 Speaker 1: portraits are worthy enough to be looked upon. The Royal 15 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:10,360 Speaker 1: Collection Trust has thousands of pieces in its collection, so 16 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:14,479 Speaker 1: it makes sense that when not in exhibition, each piece 17 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:18,319 Speaker 1: is carefully stowed away as to save it from sun 18 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:23,600 Speaker 1: damage or other potential museum mishaps. But in my opinion, 19 00:01:24,319 --> 00:01:27,839 Speaker 1: this portrait in question, the one we're talking about now, 20 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:33,319 Speaker 1: feels wasted in the confines of a glorified storage unit. 21 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:38,959 Speaker 1: Amidst the countless pieces in the Royal Collection trust featuring 22 00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:43,480 Speaker 1: single subjects, more often than not, single subjects sitting in 23 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:48,880 Speaker 1: their homes, draped in ornate displays a finery, this particular 24 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:53,720 Speaker 1: piece is different in more ways than one. This portrait 25 00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:58,960 Speaker 1: depicts not one subject, but two. The figures stand facing 26 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:01,600 Speaker 1: each other. The person on the right is in a 27 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:06,400 Speaker 1: deep lunge, their sword thrust dramatically toward their counterpart on 28 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:09,960 Speaker 1: the left, whose foil is in the act of parrying 29 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:14,160 Speaker 1: at their rival. This isn't a portrait so much as 30 00:02:14,360 --> 00:02:18,400 Speaker 1: an action piece. The inherent action in the scene is 31 00:02:18,560 --> 00:02:21,880 Speaker 1: enough to garner more than a cursory glance. But it 32 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:25,720 Speaker 1: isn't just the scene itself that makes this portrait worthy 33 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:26,959 Speaker 1: of note. 34 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:31,720 Speaker 2: Rather, it who exactly these people are that might cause 35 00:02:31,919 --> 00:02:37,120 Speaker 2: viewers to take a second glance. For one, the figure 36 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:40,920 Speaker 2: on the right, caught lunging toward the other, is wearing 37 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:47,320 Speaker 2: a dress. White lace frills delicately around the figure's neck. 38 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:51,600 Speaker 2: The rest of their black gown pillows out from their 39 00:02:51,639 --> 00:02:57,320 Speaker 2: waist in dramatic ruffles that cascade toward the ground. The 40 00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:00,800 Speaker 2: idea of a woman engaging in a duel in the 41 00:03:00,919 --> 00:03:05,919 Speaker 2: late eighteenth century, let alone one being painted for posterity, 42 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:09,960 Speaker 2: for it was essentially unheard of, But when it came 43 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:14,360 Speaker 2: to the Chevalier Dion, unheard of seemed to have become 44 00:03:14,639 --> 00:03:20,320 Speaker 2: their mo For frequent listeners of our podcast, you may 45 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:26,240 Speaker 2: remember the revered French spy and swordsman, or rather swordswoman, 46 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:30,720 Speaker 2: the Chevalier Dion, but the matter of their gender was 47 00:03:30,760 --> 00:03:33,840 Speaker 2: the subject of much debate in Europe in the late 48 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:39,720 Speaker 2: eighteenth century. By April seventeen eighty seven, the date this 49 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:44,400 Speaker 2: particular duel took place, the Chevalier was presenting as a woman, 50 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:49,200 Speaker 2: but that didn't stop the public from voicing their opinions 51 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:53,360 Speaker 2: on the matter loudly, even going so far as to 52 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:58,480 Speaker 2: famously form a betting pool as to the quote unquote 53 00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:04,240 Speaker 2: true nature of her gender. Now in her late sixties, 54 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:07,520 Speaker 2: and because she was presenting as a woman, I will 55 00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:12,520 Speaker 2: use female pronouns here, Dion was no stranger to the 56 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:17,119 Speaker 2: not so subtle whispers that tended to follow in her wake, 57 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:21,920 Speaker 2: but neither was the man that she was dueling against, 58 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:27,360 Speaker 2: Joseph Boulogne, the Chevalier de Saint George had been fighting 59 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:31,320 Speaker 2: to prove himself long before he had ever been given 60 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:37,040 Speaker 2: a sword, let alone a violin. The accomplished fencer and 61 00:04:37,200 --> 00:04:42,360 Speaker 2: composer spent years in Parasalons, impressing the likes of the 62 00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:46,480 Speaker 2: Duke of Orleans and Marie Antoinette with his talent and 63 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:51,240 Speaker 2: his charm, but even then he was always considered an outsider. 64 00:04:51,960 --> 00:04:56,479 Speaker 2: Saint George's musical genius should have been reason alone to 65 00:04:56,600 --> 00:05:01,200 Speaker 2: make him a prime marriage candidate, not even mentioning his 66 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:06,560 Speaker 2: wealth and legendary good looks. But apart from secret trysts 67 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:12,320 Speaker 2: behind closed doors, Saint George was a perpetual bachelor. The 68 00:05:12,320 --> 00:05:15,960 Speaker 2: Parisian elite were happy to have him share the company 69 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:20,120 Speaker 2: of their beds, but only in the shadows. To them, 70 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:24,719 Speaker 2: the reason for their discretion became all too apparent in 71 00:05:24,760 --> 00:05:29,000 Speaker 2: the light of day. The son of a French plantation 72 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:33,160 Speaker 2: owner and an enslaved woman from the island of Guadaloupe, 73 00:05:33,760 --> 00:05:37,480 Speaker 2: Saint George was a black man. He may have been 74 00:05:37,560 --> 00:05:41,480 Speaker 2: granted entry into their salons and orchestras based on his 75 00:05:41,760 --> 00:05:47,360 Speaker 2: artistic merit, but Joseph likely felt the asterisk that seemed 76 00:05:47,400 --> 00:05:51,880 Speaker 2: to accompany his presence. He was unmatched in skill in 77 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:55,960 Speaker 2: both violin and sword, and yet he would never be 78 00:05:56,960 --> 00:06:01,200 Speaker 2: one of them. He would forever linger on the outskirts, 79 00:06:01,279 --> 00:06:05,200 Speaker 2: a novelty, to be paraded about, to be looked at, 80 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:09,120 Speaker 2: to be talked about, but never to be fully included. 81 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:14,520 Speaker 2: In the back room of some royal storeroom somewhere, this 82 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:20,479 Speaker 2: portrait sits waiting, two figures from French history, each fighting 83 00:06:20,520 --> 00:06:23,760 Speaker 2: each other for their chance to be seen in a 84 00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:29,599 Speaker 2: world that viewed them as amusing sideshow attractions. Depending on 85 00:06:29,839 --> 00:06:34,279 Speaker 2: the historical account you might read, it's unclear exactly who 86 00:06:34,400 --> 00:06:38,839 Speaker 2: won the duel that day. Some say Dion won handily, 87 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:42,719 Speaker 2: while others say Saint George pulled back his aggression to 88 00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:46,400 Speaker 2: let Dion take the prize money that she desperately needed 89 00:06:46,480 --> 00:06:50,200 Speaker 2: at this point in her life. Ultimately, I don't think 90 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:53,599 Speaker 2: the outcome of the duel itself is that important to 91 00:06:53,680 --> 00:06:58,640 Speaker 2: dwell on. Rather, the very fact that this duel between 92 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:04,839 Speaker 2: a black swordsman slash violinist slash composer and a diplomat 93 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:09,080 Speaker 2: slash spy slash soldier, who, had she lived today, would 94 00:07:09,160 --> 00:07:13,560 Speaker 2: likely have identified as a transgender woman, even happened at all, 95 00:07:14,440 --> 00:07:18,120 Speaker 2: was just going to show how fast the world was 96 00:07:18,280 --> 00:07:22,920 Speaker 2: changing at the end of the eighteenth century. The portrait 97 00:07:23,040 --> 00:07:27,040 Speaker 2: itself may be hidden away for now temporarily, but the 98 00:07:27,200 --> 00:07:31,360 Speaker 2: visibility that came from this moment in history would only 99 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:36,120 Speaker 2: go on to foreshadow the major upheaval France was about 100 00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:40,600 Speaker 2: to endure over the course of the next decade. The 101 00:07:40,720 --> 00:07:44,040 Speaker 2: duel of the two chevaliers may not have had a 102 00:07:44,200 --> 00:07:48,480 Speaker 2: clear winner, but coming out of Carlton House, where the 103 00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:52,320 Speaker 2: duel was held that day, one thing was for certain. 104 00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:58,960 Speaker 2: Change was coming. The outskirts of society were knocking at 105 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:01,800 Speaker 2: the door, and it was only a matter of time 106 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:07,680 Speaker 2: before they would go ahead and let themselves in. I'm 107 00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:18,320 Speaker 2: Dana Schwartz, and this is noble blood. The duel between 108 00:08:18,360 --> 00:08:22,200 Speaker 2: the Chevalier Dion and the Chevalier de Saint George was 109 00:08:22,360 --> 00:08:25,960 Speaker 2: one of many duels that Saint George participated in during 110 00:08:26,040 --> 00:08:30,960 Speaker 2: his time in London in seventeen eighty seven. As we 111 00:08:31,080 --> 00:08:35,880 Speaker 2: learned last week, Saint George was left somewhat adrift in 112 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:41,080 Speaker 2: terms of both his financial and living situations following the 113 00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:44,599 Speaker 2: death of his employer, the Duke of Orleans, in seventeen 114 00:08:44,720 --> 00:08:49,719 Speaker 2: eighty five. By this point, he had composed several concertos 115 00:08:49,800 --> 00:08:54,160 Speaker 2: and even a few operas, but without the concert d'armatur, 116 00:08:54,679 --> 00:08:58,680 Speaker 2: Saint George was left without an orchestra and therefore without 117 00:08:58,720 --> 00:09:02,520 Speaker 2: a way to make a living. Fortunately for him, while 118 00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:05,760 Speaker 2: his employment under the Duke of Orleans may have ended, 119 00:09:06,160 --> 00:09:09,720 Speaker 2: the Duke's son, Philippe the new Duke, had become a 120 00:09:09,880 --> 00:09:13,439 Speaker 2: dear friend to the Chevalier over the years, and the 121 00:09:13,480 --> 00:09:17,760 Speaker 2: newly minted Duke decided to invite Saint George along with 122 00:09:17,840 --> 00:09:21,360 Speaker 2: him to London to meet the Prince of Wales, who 123 00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:25,720 Speaker 2: had heard rumors of Saint George's legendary skill with a sword. 124 00:09:26,320 --> 00:09:30,160 Speaker 2: Saint George happily accompanied his friend the Duke across the Channel, 125 00:09:30,720 --> 00:09:34,080 Speaker 2: but little did he know what else the Duke had 126 00:09:34,160 --> 00:09:38,319 Speaker 2: in store for him. Later in his life, Philippe the 127 00:09:38,400 --> 00:09:43,520 Speaker 2: Duke would change his name to Philippe Egalite, which in 128 00:09:43,640 --> 00:09:49,479 Speaker 2: English would translate to Philippe Equality, to reflect his opposition 129 00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:53,560 Speaker 2: to the absolute monarchy in France and his support of 130 00:09:53,600 --> 00:09:57,880 Speaker 2: the French Revolution. So it should come as no surprise 131 00:09:58,520 --> 00:10:01,959 Speaker 2: that the Duke inviting Saint George's to London in the 132 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:07,480 Speaker 2: midst of the growing political tensions in France, was more 133 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:12,160 Speaker 2: than a little politically motivated. Saint George would compete in 134 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:16,000 Speaker 2: multiple duels during his initial trip to London, but it 135 00:10:16,040 --> 00:10:19,120 Speaker 2: was during this stay that he would befriend the Prince 136 00:10:19,160 --> 00:10:22,840 Speaker 2: of Wales and a handful of other well known Whig 137 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:27,400 Speaker 2: politicians at the time. If you're keeping track on your 138 00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:31,880 Speaker 2: Noble Blood bingo card, the Chevalier de Saint George's stint 139 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:36,840 Speaker 2: in London likely covers about half of the board. Considering 140 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:41,160 Speaker 2: the political circles Philippe the Duke was likely associated with, 141 00:10:41,720 --> 00:10:45,960 Speaker 2: it's not impossible to think Saint George's likely rubbed shoulders 142 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:49,720 Speaker 2: with not only the Chevalier Deon and the Prince of 143 00:10:49,760 --> 00:10:54,559 Speaker 2: Wales the future George the Fourth, but also Georgiana Cavendish, 144 00:10:54,760 --> 00:10:59,200 Speaker 2: the Duchess of Devonshire, Richard Sheridan, the infamous playwright who 145 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:04,240 Speaker 2: wrote that play loosely based on her life, and Charles Gray, 146 00:11:04,720 --> 00:11:07,920 Speaker 2: the young man who would one day become Georgiana's lover. 147 00:11:08,760 --> 00:11:13,319 Speaker 2: Suffice to say, this was peak noble blood era, and 148 00:11:13,400 --> 00:11:17,080 Speaker 2: Saint George happened to stumble right into the middle of it. 149 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:20,920 Speaker 2: But in addition to the Whig Party members he had 150 00:11:20,960 --> 00:11:25,520 Speaker 2: become acquainted with, Philippe made sure to introduce Saint George 151 00:11:25,520 --> 00:11:31,480 Speaker 2: to several British abolitionists as well. Through his connections, Saint 152 00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:35,760 Speaker 2: George would work to translate their literature for the French 153 00:11:35,920 --> 00:11:41,400 Speaker 2: abolitionist group Society di Ami de Noir, which loosely translates 154 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:45,800 Speaker 2: to the Society of Friends of Black People, which would 155 00:11:45,800 --> 00:11:50,160 Speaker 2: first officially gather in seventeen eighty eight with the goal 156 00:11:50,280 --> 00:11:54,920 Speaker 2: to abolish the slave trade in the French colonies. Philippe 157 00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:59,520 Speaker 2: and Saint George's time in London was spent strengthening liberal 158 00:11:59,640 --> 00:12:05,040 Speaker 2: tide and creating allies to help in the inevitable French Revolution, 159 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:10,360 Speaker 2: but no amount of political chess could have prepared the 160 00:12:10,400 --> 00:12:14,440 Speaker 2: two men for the wrath that they would face when 161 00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:23,080 Speaker 2: they returned to French soil. After the fall of the 162 00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:28,440 Speaker 2: Bastille in July seventeen eighty nine, Saint George decided to 163 00:12:28,559 --> 00:12:33,920 Speaker 2: take a definitive side in the revolution. His fondness for 164 00:12:34,040 --> 00:12:39,520 Speaker 2: Marie Antoinette and for his aristocratic colleagues probably lingered in 165 00:12:39,559 --> 00:12:42,720 Speaker 2: the back of his mind, but when making his choice, 166 00:12:42,880 --> 00:12:47,560 Speaker 2: the cultural asterisk people had often regarded him with when 167 00:12:47,640 --> 00:12:53,480 Speaker 2: attending the exclusive Parisian salons made his choice easy. In 168 00:12:53,559 --> 00:12:57,440 Speaker 2: the end, he was the son of an enslaved woman 169 00:12:57,559 --> 00:13:02,560 Speaker 2: from a French colony where count of his relatives remained enslaved. 170 00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:06,679 Speaker 2: While he was lucky enough to live his privileged life 171 00:13:06,800 --> 00:13:12,200 Speaker 2: on the continent. He fought unequivocally for the revolution and 172 00:13:12,360 --> 00:13:17,199 Speaker 2: the change in power structures it promised to bring. On 173 00:13:17,280 --> 00:13:22,360 Speaker 2: September seventh, seventeen ninety two, a mixed race black man 174 00:13:22,520 --> 00:13:26,520 Speaker 2: named Julian Raymond appeared in Paris in front of the 175 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:31,959 Speaker 2: National Assembly and read aloud before the crowd, quote, since 176 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:36,000 Speaker 2: your beneficent law of the twenty fourth of March reminded 177 00:13:36,120 --> 00:13:39,840 Speaker 2: us of our rights, we have taken an oath to 178 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:43,840 Speaker 2: spill our blood for the defense of the motherland. We 179 00:13:43,880 --> 00:13:48,040 Speaker 2: shall fulfill this sacred oath. Like all Frenchmen, we are 180 00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:54,120 Speaker 2: burning with the desire to fly to our frontiers. End quote. 181 00:13:54,240 --> 00:13:57,480 Speaker 2: By the next day, the Assembly had agreed to the 182 00:13:57,520 --> 00:14:02,160 Speaker 2: formation of a battalion composed entirely of men of color, 183 00:14:02,679 --> 00:14:06,160 Speaker 2: and their leader would be none other than the newly 184 00:14:06,240 --> 00:14:12,600 Speaker 2: appointed Captain Saint George. It seemed change had finally arrived, 185 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:16,720 Speaker 2: and Saint George was no longer the man sticking out 186 00:14:16,800 --> 00:14:21,000 Speaker 2: of the crowd. But a man surrounded by his peers 187 00:14:21,560 --> 00:14:26,000 Speaker 2: fighting for their future together. Saint George's clout as a 188 00:14:26,080 --> 00:14:30,200 Speaker 2: swordsman and a former member of the Parisian elite made 189 00:14:30,280 --> 00:14:34,120 Speaker 2: him the perfect choice to lead the new brigade, which 190 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:38,320 Speaker 2: ended up with eight hundred foot soldiers and two hundred 191 00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:45,560 Speaker 2: mounted troops. Together, his new army of men fought against 192 00:14:45,640 --> 00:14:50,800 Speaker 2: Austrian forces in Lelle just a week after their initial formation. 193 00:14:51,800 --> 00:14:55,160 Speaker 2: In the end, they collected their first victory in the 194 00:14:55,280 --> 00:14:59,880 Speaker 2: name of the French Revolution, and while the regiment's success 195 00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:05,040 Speaker 2: and leal voted well for the Revolution, their progress wasn't 196 00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:10,000 Speaker 2: without its own set of trials. Many of Saint George's 197 00:15:10,080 --> 00:15:13,560 Speaker 2: men were trained officers, but in a group of one 198 00:15:13,560 --> 00:15:17,320 Speaker 2: thousand men, more than a few were green in the 199 00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:21,720 Speaker 2: way of combat and military strategy. At the same time, 200 00:15:22,440 --> 00:15:26,640 Speaker 2: funds that were promised to the troops were being consistently 201 00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:30,840 Speaker 2: delayed by the National Assembly, so much so that when 202 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:34,880 Speaker 2: they demanded the group's presence on the front in February 203 00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:39,600 Speaker 2: seventeen ninety three, Saint George wrote back quote, he could 204 00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:43,600 Speaker 2: not lead his men to be slaughtered without at least 205 00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:46,840 Speaker 2: a chance to teach them to tell their left from 206 00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:52,760 Speaker 2: their right end quote. Ultimately, Saint George's refusal led his 207 00:15:53,160 --> 00:15:57,600 Speaker 2: thousand man battalion to be disbanded until he was left 208 00:15:57,680 --> 00:16:01,360 Speaker 2: with just a unit of seventy three so in his command. 209 00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:06,440 Speaker 2: But come that September, Saint George would have far more 210 00:16:06,480 --> 00:16:12,520 Speaker 2: to worry about than just diminished troops. The decree known 211 00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:17,200 Speaker 2: as the Law of Suspects, made by the French National 212 00:16:17,240 --> 00:16:22,640 Speaker 2: Assembly in September seventeen ninety three is what most historians 213 00:16:22,680 --> 00:16:26,280 Speaker 2: agree to be what started what's referred to today as 214 00:16:26,360 --> 00:16:31,640 Speaker 2: the Reign of Terror. The vague language of that decree 215 00:16:32,160 --> 00:16:37,120 Speaker 2: ordered the arrest of any enemy of the revolution, specifically 216 00:16:37,640 --> 00:16:43,800 Speaker 2: former nobility and those with connections to the French monarchy. Unfortunately, 217 00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:48,640 Speaker 2: for Saint George, his career as a military captain didn't 218 00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:52,560 Speaker 2: do much to diminish his former ties to Marie Antoinette. 219 00:16:53,200 --> 00:16:56,520 Speaker 2: Not to mention, there was his former position as a 220 00:16:56,600 --> 00:17:00,840 Speaker 2: member of the King's Guard in his early twenties, which 221 00:17:00,920 --> 00:17:06,320 Speaker 2: was how on September twenty fifth, seventeen ninety three, he 222 00:17:06,520 --> 00:17:12,359 Speaker 2: and ten of his officers found themselves behind bars on 223 00:17:12,560 --> 00:17:27,840 Speaker 2: suspicion of defying the revolution. After weeks of imprisonment, every 224 00:17:27,920 --> 00:17:32,720 Speaker 2: other officer in Saint George's infantry had been discharged from prison, 225 00:17:33,320 --> 00:17:38,600 Speaker 2: and yet Joseph himself remained behind bars. In the weeks 226 00:17:38,640 --> 00:17:43,360 Speaker 2: that followed, he likely heard just scraps of information from 227 00:17:43,359 --> 00:17:47,520 Speaker 2: the outside world. First came news of the death of 228 00:17:47,640 --> 00:17:54,120 Speaker 2: Marie Antoinette, then word that his beloved friend Philippe Egalite, 229 00:17:54,720 --> 00:17:57,399 Speaker 2: the Duke of Orleans, who wanted nothing more than the 230 00:17:57,440 --> 00:18:02,679 Speaker 2: revolution to succeed, similar met his end under the sharp 231 00:18:02,800 --> 00:18:07,880 Speaker 2: blade of the guillotine. As the months pass Saint George 232 00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:12,840 Speaker 2: waited in purgatory, his efforts to aid the revolution being 233 00:18:12,920 --> 00:18:16,479 Speaker 2: halted by the very people that he was trying to 234 00:18:16,600 --> 00:18:20,800 Speaker 2: work for. Unsure if he would meet a similar fate 235 00:18:21,040 --> 00:18:25,200 Speaker 2: as his friends, he could do nothing but wait. As 236 00:18:25,280 --> 00:18:29,240 Speaker 2: the war was fought and the reign of terror continued 237 00:18:29,640 --> 00:18:33,720 Speaker 2: to relish in the noble blood that flowed in an 238 00:18:34,119 --> 00:18:40,639 Speaker 2: ever constant stream into Paris's gutters. The only reprieve in 239 00:18:40,720 --> 00:18:46,120 Speaker 2: his constant worry came in February seventeen ninety four, when 240 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:51,840 Speaker 2: word surely reached him that slavery had officially been abolished 241 00:18:51,920 --> 00:18:56,879 Speaker 2: in France. After years of political maneuvering and fighting for 242 00:18:56,960 --> 00:18:59,919 Speaker 2: his right to belong in a world that was built 243 00:19:00,160 --> 00:19:05,280 Speaker 2: to actively diminish him. Saint George celebrated the freedom of 244 00:19:05,320 --> 00:19:09,119 Speaker 2: his brothers and sisters back on the island of Guadalupe 245 00:19:09,359 --> 00:19:15,400 Speaker 2: from inside the walls of a military prison in France. Freedom, 246 00:19:15,640 --> 00:19:20,399 Speaker 2: it seemed, came at a price. It wouldn't be until 247 00:19:20,560 --> 00:19:25,120 Speaker 2: October of seventeen ninety four that Saint George would finally 248 00:19:25,240 --> 00:19:29,280 Speaker 2: learn what was to become of him. After over a 249 00:19:29,480 --> 00:19:34,240 Speaker 2: year in holding and eleven months in military prison, he 250 00:19:34,400 --> 00:19:39,159 Speaker 2: was acquitted of his charges and released. But with his 251 00:19:39,480 --> 00:19:44,800 Speaker 2: closest friends beheaded and with no way to make a livelihood, 252 00:19:45,440 --> 00:19:50,080 Speaker 2: Saint George found that he had nowhere to go. The 253 00:19:50,160 --> 00:19:55,159 Speaker 2: final years of Saint George's life are oddly reflective of 254 00:19:55,280 --> 00:20:00,200 Speaker 2: the legacy he would eventually come to leave behind. Unable 255 00:20:00,240 --> 00:20:04,160 Speaker 2: to turn back to his life of fencing and orchestra 256 00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:08,520 Speaker 2: concertos for the noble elite, Saint George was left with 257 00:20:08,600 --> 00:20:11,640 Speaker 2: no choice but to attempt to climb his way back 258 00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:16,040 Speaker 2: into military life. In the years of his imprisonment, the 259 00:20:16,119 --> 00:20:19,840 Speaker 2: revolution had continued on without him, which meant he had 260 00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:23,600 Speaker 2: to try to claw his way back into a system 261 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:30,520 Speaker 2: that had essentially forgotten he existed after Saint George's death 262 00:20:30,720 --> 00:20:36,720 Speaker 2: in seventeen ninety nine. Napoleon reinstated slavery in eighteen o 263 00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:42,320 Speaker 2: two in French colonies. Some historians argue that in order 264 00:20:42,400 --> 00:20:48,080 Speaker 2: to quell abolitionist sentiments, Napoleon chose to bury San George's 265 00:20:48,119 --> 00:20:54,120 Speaker 2: history to prevent making him into a martyr. Fortunately, Napoleon's 266 00:20:54,119 --> 00:20:58,800 Speaker 2: reach didn't negate the citizens of Guadaloupe from sharing San 267 00:20:58,880 --> 00:21:03,400 Speaker 2: George's story, as well as sharing his music in them. 268 00:21:03,760 --> 00:21:09,080 Speaker 2: His history lived on the world Joseph Bologna had worked 269 00:21:09,280 --> 00:21:12,520 Speaker 2: so hard to become a part of may have died 270 00:21:12,560 --> 00:21:16,480 Speaker 2: with the French Revolution, but in the end his story 271 00:21:16,760 --> 00:21:20,800 Speaker 2: was carried on and he was seen by the people 272 00:21:20,920 --> 00:21:30,600 Speaker 2: to whom it mattered the most. That's the end of 273 00:21:30,640 --> 00:21:34,040 Speaker 2: our two part series on Joseph Belone the Chevalier de 274 00:21:34,119 --> 00:21:38,119 Speaker 2: Saint George. But stick around after a sponsor break to 275 00:21:38,240 --> 00:21:43,080 Speaker 2: hear about yet another famous figure he encountered during his 276 00:21:43,240 --> 00:21:53,159 Speaker 2: time as a captain in the French Revolution. As I 277 00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:57,320 Speaker 2: mentioned earlier in terms of noble blood lore, the Chevalier 278 00:21:57,359 --> 00:22:01,360 Speaker 2: de Saint George interconnects a fair few of our favorite 279 00:22:01,520 --> 00:22:06,239 Speaker 2: former subjects, but one subject I haven't covered. Who is 280 00:22:06,640 --> 00:22:11,520 Speaker 2: also unbelievably associated with San George was a man named 281 00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:17,159 Speaker 2: Thomas Alexandra Dumas. If the name sounds familiar somewhat, you 282 00:22:17,240 --> 00:22:20,120 Speaker 2: are likely more familiar with the works of his son, 283 00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:24,440 Speaker 2: the very similar named Alexander Dumas, who wrote The Count 284 00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:29,000 Speaker 2: of Monte Cristo and the Three Musketeers. Well as it happened, 285 00:22:29,359 --> 00:22:34,320 Speaker 2: Alexander's father, Thomas Alexander, was a member of Sant George's 286 00:22:34,359 --> 00:22:38,560 Speaker 2: all person of color military unit during the French Revolution. 287 00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:43,760 Speaker 2: Dumas was similarly descended from a French nobleman and an 288 00:22:43,880 --> 00:22:48,240 Speaker 2: enslaved woman, and served alongside San George at the beginning 289 00:22:48,320 --> 00:22:53,479 Speaker 2: of the Revolution. Interestingly, though, when looking at the younger 290 00:22:53,560 --> 00:22:58,280 Speaker 2: Dumas's memoir about his father, he paints Saint George in 291 00:22:59,160 --> 00:23:04,240 Speaker 2: let's say, a less than favorable light. Alexandre Dumas's father 292 00:23:04,480 --> 00:23:07,679 Speaker 2: died when the younger was only four years old, so 293 00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:11,080 Speaker 2: any stories he may have heard about his father had 294 00:23:11,080 --> 00:23:14,879 Speaker 2: to come from a secondary source. But that in itself 295 00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:20,320 Speaker 2: adds an element of intrigue to Dumas's description of Saint George. 296 00:23:20,920 --> 00:23:25,040 Speaker 2: In one story, he describes his father, not Saint George 297 00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:30,240 Speaker 2: leading his regiment into battle, stating Saint George quote, lacking 298 00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:34,199 Speaker 2: the stomach for a fight end quote, and choosing to 299 00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:39,080 Speaker 2: stay back in Lille when Dumas bravely prevailed into battle. 300 00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:42,960 Speaker 2: It stands to question whether the two men had a 301 00:23:43,119 --> 00:23:46,320 Speaker 2: rivalry of some kind, if the tales told to his 302 00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:50,320 Speaker 2: son were inflammatory as to make Saint George out to 303 00:23:50,320 --> 00:23:52,960 Speaker 2: be a coward while his father got to play the 304 00:23:53,040 --> 00:23:57,080 Speaker 2: role of hero. Perhaps the most interesting detail in all 305 00:23:57,160 --> 00:24:01,359 Speaker 2: of this, though, is the circumstances of Saint George's arrest 306 00:24:01,600 --> 00:24:05,600 Speaker 2: during the Reign of Terror. When Saint George was put 307 00:24:05,680 --> 00:24:11,159 Speaker 2: into custody, Thomas Alexander Dumas had only just been promoted 308 00:24:11,359 --> 00:24:17,680 Speaker 2: to brigadier general that September seventeen ninety three. Coincidence possibly, 309 00:24:18,359 --> 00:24:21,720 Speaker 2: but if there was bad blood between the two men 310 00:24:22,320 --> 00:24:26,000 Speaker 2: and one had recently come into a position of power 311 00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:29,919 Speaker 2: over the other, it may answer the question as to 312 00:24:30,119 --> 00:24:33,840 Speaker 2: why Saint George was the only member of his brigade 313 00:24:34,200 --> 00:24:38,879 Speaker 2: who remained in military prison for eleven months under fear 314 00:24:38,920 --> 00:24:42,440 Speaker 2: of execution when all the other men had been released. 315 00:24:43,520 --> 00:24:48,280 Speaker 2: Like most historical speculation, we will likely never know, but 316 00:24:48,400 --> 00:24:52,720 Speaker 2: Dumas's portrayal of Saint George does leave us with an 317 00:24:52,760 --> 00:24:59,600 Speaker 2: interesting parting thought history. However objective it may seem, always 318 00:24:59,720 --> 00:25:04,479 Speaker 2: has a point of view. Thanks for listening. Episode script 319 00:25:04,560 --> 00:25:17,719 Speaker 2: available at patreon dot com. Slash Noble Blood Tales. Noble 320 00:25:17,760 --> 00:25:22,200 Speaker 2: Blood is a production of iHeartRadio and Grim and Mild 321 00:25:22,280 --> 00:25:26,400 Speaker 2: from Aaron Manky. Noble Blood is created and hosted by 322 00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:31,840 Speaker 2: me Dana Schwortz, with additional writing and researching by Hannah Johnston, 323 00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:37,040 Speaker 2: Hannah Zwick, Mira Hayward, Courtney Sender, and Lori Goodman. The 324 00:25:37,080 --> 00:25:41,320 Speaker 2: show is edited and produced by Noemi Griffin and rima 325 00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:47,360 Speaker 2: Il Kahali, with supervising producer Josh Thain and executive producers 326 00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:52,160 Speaker 2: Aaron Manke, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. For more podcasts 327 00:25:52,200 --> 00:25:57,840 Speaker 1: From iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 328 00:25:57,880 --> 00:26:33,040 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.