Noble Blood - The Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Fighting To Be Seen

Episode Date: June 13, 2023

Our two part series on the Chevalier de Saint-Georges continues, with our hero rubbing elbows with Whig politicians and fighting for freedom during the French Revolution—perhaps setting a record for meeting the greatest number of previously-covered 'Noble Blood' subjects along the way. Support Noble Blood:  — Bonus episodes, stickers, and scripts on Patreon — Merch! — Order Dana's Book 'Anatomy: A Love Story' and its sequel 'Immortality: A Love Story' See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. What's up, everyone? I'm Ago Vodam. My next guest, it's Will Ferrell. Woo, woo, woo, woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever. He goes, just give it a shot.

But if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, The cat, just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of IHeart Radio and grim and mild from Aaron Manky. Listener discretion advised. Just a quick reminder for our listeners, this is part two of our two-part series on the Chevalier de Saint-Gorge. So if you haven't heard part

one yet, go back to last week and give it a listen before starting today's episode. Okay, now on to the show. Somewhere in the United Kingdom, perhaps in Windsor Castle, or even deep within the recesses of Buckingham Palace, a portrait still sits in storage. Under the lock and key of the Royal Collection Trust, this 25 by 30 inch canvas lays undisturbed, in a room, likely with several other priceless works of art, waiting for a curator's eyes to decide that these portraits are worthy enough to be looked upon. The Royal Collection Trust has thousands of pieces in its collection, so it makes sense that when not in exhibition,

each piece is carefully stowed away as to save it from sun damage or other potential museums. mishaps. But in my opinion, this portrait in question, the one we're talking about now, feels wasted in the confines of a glorified storage unit. Amidst the countless pieces in the Royal Collection Trust featuring single subjects, more often than not single subjects sitting in their homes draped in ornate displays of finery, this particular piece is different in more ways than one. This portrait depicts not one subject but two. The figures stand facing each other. The person on the right is in a deep lunge. Their sword thrust dramatically toward their counterpart on the left, whose foil is in the act of parrying at their rival. This isn't a portrait so much as

an action piece. The inherent action in the scene is enough to garner more than a cursory glance. But it isn't just the scene itself that makes this portrait worthy of note. Rather, it's who exactly these people are that might cause viewers to take a second glance. For one, the figure on the right caught lunging toward the other, is wearing a dress. White lace frills delicately around the figure's neck. The rest of their black gown pillows out. from their waist in dramatic ruffles that cascade toward the ground. The idea of a woman engaging in a duel in the late 18th century, let alone one being painted

for posterity for it, was essentially unheard of, but when it came to the Chevalier-Dion unheard of seemed to have become their M.O. For frequent listeners of our podcast, you may remember the revered French spy and swordsmen, or rather swordswoman, the Chevalier Dion. But the matter of their gender was the subject of much debate in Europe in the late 18th century. By April 1787, the date this particular duel took place, the Chevalier was presenting as a woman. But that didn't stop the public from voicing their opinions on the matter loudly, even going so far as to famously form a betting pool as to the quote, unquote, true nature of her gender. Now, in her late 60s, and because she was presenting as a woman, I will use female pronouns here,

Dion was no stranger to the not-so-subtle whispers that tended to follow in her wake, but neither was the man that she was dueling against. Joseph Bolognier, the Chevalier de Saint-George, had been fighting to prove himself long before he had ever been given a sword, let alone a violin. The accomplished fencer and composer spent years in Paris'clock. Salon's impressing the likes of the Duke of Orleans and Marie Antoinette with his talent and his charm. But even then, he was always considered an outsider. Saint George's musical genius should have been reason alone to make him a prime marriage candidate,

not even mentioning his wealth and legendary good looks. But apart from secret trists behind closed doors, San George was a performance. perpetual bachelor. The Parisian elite were happy to have him share the company of their beds, but only in the shadows. To them, the reason for their discretion became all too apparent in the light of day. The son of a French plantation owner and an enslaved woman from the island of Guadalupe, Saint-George was a black man. He may have been granted entry into their salons and or orchestras based on his artistic merit, but Joseph likely felt the asterisk that seemed to accompany his presence. He was unmatched in skill in both violin and sword, and yet he would never be

one of them. He would forever linger on the outskirts, a novelty to be paraded about, to be looked at, to be talked about, but never to be fully included. In the back room of some royal storeroom somewhere, this portrait sits waiting. Two figures from French history, each fighting each other for their chance to be seen in a world that viewed them as amusing sideshow attractions. Depending on the historical account you might read, it's unclear exactly who won the duel that day. Some say Dion won handily, while others say Saint-George pulled back his aggression to let Deon take the prize money that she desperately needed at this point in her life. Ultimately, I don't think the outcome of the duel itself is that important to dwell on. Rather, the very fact that this duel between a black swordsman slash violinist slash composer and a diplomat slash spy,

slash soldier, who had she lived today, would likely have identified as a transgender woman, even happened at all, was just going to show how fast the world was changing at the end of the 18th century. The portrait itself may be hidden away for now, temporarily, but the visibility that came from this moment in history would only go on to foreshadow the major upheaval France was about to endure over the course of the next decade. The duel of the two Chevaliers may not have had a clear winner,

but coming out of Carleton House where the duel was held that day, one thing was for certain. Change was coming. The outskirts of society were knocking at the door, and it was only a matter of time before they would go ahead and let themselves in.

I'm Dana Schwartz, and this is Noble Blood. The duel between the Chevalier Dianne and the Chevalier de Saint-George was one of many duels that Saint-George participated in during his time in London in 1787. As we learned last week, San Georges was left somewhat adrift in terms of both his financial and living situations, following the death of his employer, the Duke of Orlean, in 1785. By this point, he had composed several concertos and even a few operas, but without the Concert de Amateur, Saint-George was left without an orchestra, and therefore without a way to make a living. Fortunately for him, while his employment under the Duke of Orleans may have ended,

the Duke's son, Philippe, the new Duke, had become a dear friend to the Chevalier over the years, and the newly minted Duke decided to invite Saint-George, along with him to London, to meet the Prince of Wales, who had heard rumors of Saint-George's legendary skill with a sword. Saint-George happily accompanied his friend the Duke across the channel, but little did he know what else the Duke had in store for him. Later in his life, Philippe, the Duke, would change his name to Philippe Egalite, which in English would translate to Philippe equality, to reflect his opposition to the absolute monarchy in France

and his support of the French Revolution. So it should come as no surprise that the Duke inviting Saint-Georgas to London in the midst of the growing political tensions in France was more than a little politically motivated. Saint-George would compete in multiple duels during his initial trip to London, but it was during this day that he would befriend the Prince of Wales

and a handful of other well-known Whig politicians at the time. If you're keeping track on your noble blood bingo card, the Chevalier de Saint-George's stint in London likely covers about half of the board. Considering the political circles, Philippe the Duke, was likely associated with, it's not impossible to think San Georges likely rubbed shoulders with not only the Chevalier deion

and the Prince of Wales, the future George IV, but also Georgiana Cavendish, the Duchess of Devonshire. Richard Sheridan, the infamous playwright who wrote that play loosely based on her life, and Charles Gray, the young man who would one day become Georgiana's lover. Suffice to say this was peak noble blood era, and Saint-George happened to stumble right into the middle of it. But in addition to the Whig party members he had become acquainted with,

Philippe made sure to introduce San George to several British abolitionists as well. Through his connections, San George would work to turn. translate their literature for the French abolitionist group Society de Amid de Noir, which loosely translates to the Society of Friends of Black People, which would first officially gather in 1788 with the goal to abolish the slave trade in the French colonies. Philippe and San George's time in London was spent strengthening liberal ties and creating allies to help in the inevitable French Revolution. But no amount of political chess could have prepared the two men

for the wrath that they would face when they returned to French soil. After the fall of the Bastille in July 1789, Saint-George decided to take a definitive side in the revolution. His fondness for Marie Antoinette and for his aristocratic colleagues probably lingered in the back of his mind, but when making his choice the cultural asterisk people had often regarded him with when attending the exclusive Parisian salons, made his choice easy in the end. He was the son of an enslaved woman from a French colony, where countless of his relatives remained in stancholyne, where countless of his relatives remained in his own.

while he was lucky enough to live his privileged life on the continent. He fought unequivocally for the revolution and the change in power structures it promised to bring. On September 7, 1792, a mixed-race black man named Julian Raymond appeared in Paris in front of the National Assembly and read aloud before the crowd, quote, Your beneficent law of the 24th of March reminded us of our rights, we have taken an oath to spill our blood for the defense of the motherland. We shall fulfill this sacred oath, like all Frenchmen, we are burning with the desire to fly to our frontiers." End quote. By the next day, the assembly had agreed to the formation of a battalion composed entirely of men of color.

and their leader would be none other than the newly appointed Captain San George. It seemed change had finally arrived, and San George was no longer the man sticking out of the crowd, but a man surrounded by his peers fighting for their future together. San George's clout, as a swordsman and a former member of the Parisian elite, made him the perfect choice to lead the new brigade, which ended up with 800 foot soldiers and 200 mounted troops. Together, his new army of men fought against Austrian forces in Lille

just a week after their initial formation. In the end, they collected their first victory in the name of the French Revolution. And while the regiment's success in Lille boated well, for the revolution, their progress wasn't without its own set of trials. Many of St. George's men were trained officers, but in a group of a thousand men, more than a few were green in the way of combat and military strategy. At the same time, funds that were promised to the troops were being consistently delayed by the National Assembly, so much so that when they did, they did demanded the group's presence on the front in February 1793,

Saint-George wrote back, quote, he could not lead his men to be slaughtered without at least a chance to teach them to tell their left from their right, end quote. Ultimately, San George's refusal led his thousand-man battalion to be disbanded

until he was left with just a unit of 73 soldiers in his command. But come that September, San George would have far more to worry about than just diminished troops. The decree known as the Law of Suspects made by the French National Assembly in September 1793 is what most historians agree to be what started, what's referred to today, as the reign of terror. The vague language of that decree ordered the arrest of any enemy of the revolution, specifically former nobility and those with connections to the French monarchy. Unfortunately for San Georges, his career as a military captain didn't do much to diminish his former ties to Marie Antoinette, not to mention there was his former position as a member of the King's Guard. in his early 20s, which was how on September 25th, 1793,

he and 10 of his officers found themselves behind bars on suspicion of defying the revolution. After weeks of imprisonment, every other officer in San George's infantry had been discharged from prison, and yet Joseph himself remained behind bars. In the weeks that followed, he likely heard just scraps of information from the outside world. First came news of the death of Marie Antoinette. Then word that his beloved friend, Philippe Igalleté, the Duke of Orleans, who wanted nothing more than the revolution to succeed, similarly met his end under the sharp blade of the guillotine. As the months pass, Saint-George waited in purgatory, his efforts to aid the revolution

being halted by the very people that he was trying to work for. Unsure if you would meet a similar fate as his friends, he could do nothing but wait as the war was fought and the reign of terror continued to relish in the noble blood that flowed in an ever-constant stream into Paris's gutters. The only reprieve in his constant worry came in February, 1794, when word surely reached him that slavery had officially been abolished in France. After years of political maneuvering and fighting for his right to belong in a world that was built to actively diminish him,

San George celebrated the freedom of his brothers and sisters back on the island of Guadalupe from inside the walls of a military prison in France. Freedom, it seemed, came at a price. It wouldn't be until October of 74 that San George would finally learn what was to become of him. After over a year in holding and 11 months in military prison, he was acquitted of his charges and released. But with his closest friends beheaded and with no way to make a livelihood, San George found that he had nowhere to go.

The final years of San George's life are oddly reflective of the legacy he would eventually come to leave behind. Unable to turn back to his life of fencing and orchestra concertos for the noble elite, San George was left with no choice but to attempt to climb his way back into military life. In the years of his imprisonment, the revolution had continued on without him, which meant he had to try to claw his way back into a system that had essentially forgotten he existed. After San George's death in 1799, Napoleon reinstated slavery in 1802 in French colonies. Some historians argue that in order to quell abolitionist sentiments, Napoleon chose to bury San George's history to prevent making him into a martyr. Fortunately, Napoleon's reach didn't negate the citizens of Guadaluas.

from sharing San George's story, as well as sharing his music. In them, his history lived on. The world Joseph Bologna had worked so hard to become a part of, may have died with the French Revolution, but in the end, his story was carried on, and he was seen by the people to whom it mattered the most. That's the end of our two-part series on Joseph Bollon. alone the Chevalier de Saint-George, but stick around after a sponsor break to hear about yet another famous figure he encountered during his time as a captain in the French Revolution. What's up, everyone? I'm Ego Vodom. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, and the Big Money Players Network, it's Will Ferrell.

Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo. My dad gave me the best advice. ever. I went and had lunch with them one day and I was like, and dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through and I know it's a place that come look for up and coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah. He goes, but there's so much luck involved. And he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar

of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah. It would not be. Right. It wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Yeah. Listen to Thanks Dad on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, everyone? I'm Ago Vodam. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live and The Big Money Beardee. Players Network. It's Will Ferrell. Woo. Woo. Woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with him one day.

And I was like, and Dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place that come look for up and coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah. He goes, but there's so much luck involved. And he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit.

If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks Dad on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. As I mentioned earlier, in terms of noble blood lore, the Chevalier de Saint-George

interconnects a fair few of our favorite former subjects. But one subject I haven't covered, who is also unbelievably associated with San George, was a man named Thomas Alexander Dumas. If the name sounds familiar somewhat, you are likely more familiar with the works of his son, the very similar named Alexander Dumas, who wrote the Count of Monte Cristo and the Three Musketeers. Well, as it happened, Alexander's father, Thomas Alexander, was a member of San George's all-person-of-color military unit during the French Revolution. Dumas was similarly descended from a French nobleman and an enslaved woman and served alongside San George at the beginning of the revolution. Interestingly, though, when looking at the younger Dumas' memoir about his father,

he paints Saint-George in, let's say, a less than favorable light. Alexander Dumas' father died when the younger was only four years old, so any stories he may have heard about his father had to come from a secondary source. But that in itself adds an element of intrigue to Dumas' description of San George. In one story, he describes his father, not San George, leading his regiment into battle, stating San George, quote, lacking the stomach for a fight, end quote, and choosing to stay back in Leal when Dumas bravely prevailed into battle. It stands to question whether the two men had a rivalry of some kind if the tales told to his son were inflammatory as to make San George out of be a coward while his father got to play the role of hero.

Perhaps the most interesting detail in all of this, though, is the circumstances of Saint George's arrest during the reign of terror. When San George was put into custody, Thomas Alexander Dumas, had only just been promoted to Brigadier General that September 1793. Coincidence? Possibly. But if there was bad blood, between the two men, and one had recently come into a position of power over the other, it may answer the question as to why San George was the only member of his brigade,

who remained in military prison for 11 months under fear of execution when all the other men had been released. Like most historical speculation, we will likely never know. But Dumas' portrayal of Saint-George does leave us with an interesting parting thought. History, however objective it may seem, always has a point of view. Thanks for listening. Episode script available at patreon.com slash nobleblood tales. Noble Blood is a production of IHeart Radio and Grimm and Mild from Aaron Manky. Noble Blood is created and hosted by me, Dana Shport. with additional writing and researching by Hannah Johnston, Hannah Zwick, Mira Hayward, Courtney Sender, and Lori Goodman.

The show is edited and produced by Noamie Griffin and Rima Il Kali, with supervising producer Josh Thane and executive producers Aaron Manky, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. For more podcasts from IHeartRadio, visit the IHartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. What's up, everyone? I'm Ego Vodom.

My next guest, it's Will Ferrell. Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever. He goes, just give it a shot. But if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat.

Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.