laura/antoine, 18, intj, from italy (but half french). bigender (she/her/hers - he/him/his) and hellenic polytheist. history, art, social justice. also les misérables and star wars trash. ( )

Lafayette, Les Mis, and the July Revolution of 1830

pilferingapples:

I’m starting to see some people get excited about Lafayette possibly being a crossover figure between  the revolution in Hamilton and the attempted revolution in  Les Miserables. And it is hurting my heart, because he WAS around in 1832 and he WAS politically active but… not the way a fan of his revolutionary activities in the American revolution might hope. Lafayette’s  role in French history is complicated.

Even just regarding revolts and the 1830s, when the revolt in Les Mis happens. 

Especially regarding revolts and the 1830s.

The thing is that there had been a revolution in Paris in July of 1830–just two years before the June revolt featured in Les Mis. The July Revolution was a largely republican (no relation at all to the current US republican party) / pro-representative/antimonarchy effort. And it won! In the sense that it ousted the  king at the time, Charles X. 

And then a coalition of people who were already powerful players in in the national government put another King on the throne.

And Lafayette helped.

I mean, he helped the King.  By publicly accepting Louis-Philippe, he helped convince more moderate republicans  to accept a new monarch who came with vague promises about being more liberal, responsive to the people, etc. Spoilers: that didn’t really work out.  Louis- Philippe, who took office with claims of intention to be a liberal, constitutionalist monarch, soon started instituting more regressive laws– limits on freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, unpopular tax policies, etc– and that’s what brings everything back to the barricades by 1832.

This isn’t to say Lafayette was a villain or anything– the political situation at the time was complicated to say the least  and there’s a lot of debate about motive. But it’s something to know about if you’re going to try to do any sort of crossover/ historical fic.  Unless you’re writing an AU where Lafayette makes some very different political decisions (which I would love to read!), he’s not going to be in good with the fighters at the barricades; he kinda screwed up his position with most aggressively republican voices (and it doesn’t get much more aggressive than armed insurrection). 

Under the cut:  A slightly more detailed description of how all this happened. Lest people think I’m totally making this up with a pro-revolution/pro-republic bias (which I freely admit I have) the excerpts are from the rather pro-monarchy, pro -Louis Philippe bio Louis Philippe, by John S.C Abbot. 1871, Harper and Brothers publishing, which I think can be read in entirety at the link. 

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  6. chaoticyetwriting a dit : I just … Sort of want to write an AU where Lafayette (which is actually more part of his title than his name, but whatever) missed the French Revolution and his imprisonment (ignoring 1830 for now, because I’d need to figure out a new time line anyway) and ended up sort-of leading the revolutionaries in 1832, and, through his experience and influence, actually making them at least semisuccesful. Just, y'know? Everyone is happy n stuff? Now if only I had watched Les Mis
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