CHANGING IDENTITIES
BBC History Revealed|August 2023
What happens when a spy becomes the subject of other people's investigations? Nige Tassell delves into the life of the Chevalier d'Éon - the French master of disguise who defied conventional notions of gender
CHANGING IDENTITIES

After decades of speculation, gossip and even gambling on the matter, in 1810 it was an elderly Londoner called Mrs Cole who finally discovered the truth. For the previous 14 years, this widow had shared an apartment with a French spinster, the Chevalière d'Éon. During the last few of those years, the chevalière - the female equivalent of a chevalier, or knight - was largely bedbound. Both women were in their early eighties; both also lived in poverty and suffered poor health. Now, on 21 May 1810, at the age of 81, the Frenchwoman was dead.

Unsurprisingly, it was Mrs Cole who found the body. Mourning the passing of her friend and flatmate, she solemnly began to prepare the corpse to receive visitors, aiming to provide some dignity in death. As she changed the deceased's clothes, Mrs Cole made a startling revelation: the chevalière was very much in possession of male genitalia.

The French flatmate had told a convincing tale: that they had been born female but due to social restrictions of the time had been raised as a boy. As an adult, they had fought as a soldier, and had been free to revert to 'her' biological sex only after retiring from public life. Now it appeared that the opposite had been true. This was the final twist in an action-packed life.

Mrs Cole sought a second opinion a dozen opinions, actually, including those of surgeons and professors of anatomy who visited the property. Yes, her friend had narrow, feminine hips and an unobtrusive Adam's apple, but all of these experts came to the same conclusion: that the chevalière had actually been a chevalier all along.

THE KING'S SECRET

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 2023 من BBC History Revealed.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 2023 من BBC History Revealed.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من BBC HISTORY REVEALED مشاهدة الكل
'Dickens's evocation of the fears, excitement and confusion of childhood is peerless'
BBC History Revealed

'Dickens's evocation of the fears, excitement and confusion of childhood is peerless'

DR LEE JACKSON ON WHY CHARLES DICKENS REMAINS RELEVANT TODAY

time-read
2 mins  |
Christmas 2023
THE AUTHOR GOES ABROAD
BBC History Revealed

THE AUTHOR GOES ABROAD

Dickens expanded his horizons and boosted his fan-base by venturing overseas - but global fame came with a cost

time-read
4 mins  |
Christmas 2023
REVIVING THE FESTIVE SPIRIT
BBC History Revealed

REVIVING THE FESTIVE SPIRIT

A Christmas Carol wasn't just a bestseller - it changed the way that Britons chose to mark the festive season

time-read
3 mins  |
Christmas 2023
GIVING THE POOR A VOICE
BBC History Revealed

GIVING THE POOR A VOICE

From Hard Times to Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens used his pen to help illuminate the lives of the less fortunate

time-read
3 mins  |
Christmas 2023
A JOURNEY THROUGH DICKENS'S LONDON
BBC History Revealed

A JOURNEY THROUGH DICKENS'S LONDON

The works of Charles Dickens are synonymous with visions of Victorian London. We talk to Dr Lee Jackson about the author's love of the capital, and the locations that most inspired him

time-read
10+ mins  |
Christmas 2023
EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS
BBC History Revealed

EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS

Dr Lee Jackson chronicles Charles Dickens's journey from down-at-luck teenager to titan of Victorian literature

time-read
6 mins  |
Christmas 2023
GIFTS, TREES & FEASTING
BBC History Revealed

GIFTS, TREES & FEASTING

We take a journey through the photo archives to reveal how Christmas and its many traditions have been celebrated over the years - and around the world

time-read
3 mins  |
Christmas 2023
WHAT GREAT PAINTINGS SAY
BBC History Revealed

WHAT GREAT PAINTINGS SAY

We explore the story behind an allegorical painting that celebrates the triumph of love over hate, peace over war

time-read
3 mins  |
Christmas 2023
HELLISH NELL
BBC History Revealed

HELLISH NELL

Malcolm Gaskill delves into the life of Helen Duncan - the fraudulent Scottish medium whose ectoplasm-filled seances saw her ending up on the wrong side of the law

time-read
6 mins  |
Christmas 2023
7 THINGS YOU (PROBABLY) DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE WHITE HOUSE
BBC History Revealed

7 THINGS YOU (PROBABLY) DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE WHITE HOUSE

Presidential historian Dr Lindsay M Chervinsky reveals some of the most surprising facts about the world-famous US residence

time-read
5 mins  |
Christmas 2023