Malkin Lecture Series

Hero of Two Worlds

The Marquis  de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution

Malkin Lecture Series

Hero of Two Worlds

The Marquis  de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution

December 7, 2021

Few in history can match the breadth and depth of the revolutionary career of the Marquis de Lafayette. Over 50 incredible years at the heart of the Age of Revolution, he fought as one with righteous revolutionaries on both sides of the Atlantic. As an idealistic and courageous teenager serving in the American Revolution, he used his considerable wealth and savvy to help the Americans defeat the British. He then returned home and was a principal player in the French Revolution. And, in his final act, at 70 years old, he was instrumental in the dramatic overthrow of the Bourbon Dynasty during the Revolution of 1830. Lafayette was a particular admirer of the old Seventh Regiment, which served as his honor guard in 1824, forging a bond between our regiment and France that remained long into the 20th century. Join author and podcaster Mike Duncan as he describes how Lafayette remained unshakably committed through an era of upheaval to his principles of liberty and democracy, his resolve never wavering.

Mike Duncan is one of the most popular history podcasters in the world and author of The New York Times bestselling book, The Storm Before the Storm. His award-winning series, The History of Rome, remains a legendary landmark in the history of podcasting. Duncan’s ongoing series, Revolutions, explores the great political revolutions that have driven the course of modern history.

For more information about Mike Duncan’s new book, Hero of Two Worlds, visit publicaffairsbooks.com.

The Marquis de Lafayette (copy of the portrait by Joseph-Désiré Court in the Musee National, Versailles, France). Presented to the Seventh Regiment on April 12, 1934 by the Republic of France. Photo Credit: 7th Regiment Archives, NYSMM

Event Details

December 7, 2021

Video

Also in the Series

Malkin Lecture Series

The Barbizon

A look into the Barbizon Hotel and how it offered women a chance to remake themselves however they pleased in a time defined by gender separation and restrictions, led by award-winning writer and historian Paula Bren.

Learn More

Malkin Lecture Series

The Daughters of Yalta

Catherine Grace Katz reveals the history of three young women who were chosen by their fathers to travel to the Yalta Conference, each bound by fierce family loyalty, political savvy, and intertwined romances that colored these crucial days.

Learn More

Malkin Lecture Series

The Seventh at Sea

Historian and author Gareth Russell uses previously unpublished sources and artifacts to examine the personal lives and experiences of Titanic victims Archibald Gracie IV and Frank Millet, both of whom were connected to the Armory's Seventh Regiment.

Learn More