Improbable Patriot: The Secret History of Monsieur de Beaumarchais, the French Playwright Who Saved the American Revolution

by Harlow Giles Unger

Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais was an eighteenth-century French inventor, famed playwright, and upstart near-aristocrat in the court of King Louis XVI. In 1776, he conceived an audacious plan to send aid to the American rebels. What's more, he convinced the king to bankroll the project, and singlehandedly carried it out. By war's end, he had supplied Washington's army with most of its weapons and powder, though he was never paid or acknowledged by the United States.
To some, he was a dashing hero--a towering intellect who saved the American Revolution. To others, he was pure rogue--a double-dealing adventurer who stopped at nothing to advance his fame and fortune. In fact, he was both, and more: an advisor to kings, an arms dealer, and author of some of the most enduring works of the stage, including The Marriage of Figaro and The Barber of Seville.

Genres: History, Biography, American Revolution, Nonfiction, France, American History, Audiobook

252 pages, Hardcover

First published September 13, 2011

About the author

Harlow Giles Unger is an American author, historian, journalist, broadcaster, and educator known for his extensive work on American history and education. Educated at the Taft School, Yale College, and California State University, Unger began his career as a journalist for the New York Herald Tribune Overseas News Service in Paris. He later wrote for newspapers and magazines across Britain, Canada, and other countries, while also working in radio broadcasting and teaching English and journalism at New York-area colleges.
Unger has written over twenty-seven books, including ten biographies of America's Founding Fathers and a notable biography of Henry Clay. His historical works include Noah Webster: The Life and Times of an American Patriot, The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation’s Call to Greatness, and First Founding Father: Richard Henry Lee and the Call to Independence. He is also the author of the Encyclopedia of American Education, a three-volume reference work.
A former Distinguished Visiting Fellow in American History at Mount Vernon, Unger has lived in Paris and currently resides in New York City. An avid skier and horseman, he has spent time in Chamonix, France, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He has one son, Richard C. Unger.

Reviews

[Micah Cummins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I entered this book fairly blind to the history of the subject. What I know about the French government's involvement in the American Revolutionary War has all come from general histories of the Revolutionary period, and never a devoted book on the subject. Harlow Giles Unger has written not only an accessible, easily readable recounting of France's involvement in the American Revolution but also a gripping story of the man who set it in motion. Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais held many titles over the course of his life. Watchmaker, inventor, playwright, spy, horticulturist, diplomat, revolutionary, and many others among them. I found his life story to be one of the most fascinating that I have read about. His influence spanned oceans, and his life contained multitudes.

[Joy D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Biography of Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, the son of a clockmaker and a gifted inventor, playwright, spy, and supporter of the American Revolution. He led an interesting life and suffered more than his share of calamities, including death of his first wife, imprisonment, others taking credit for his creations, seizure of his assets, censorship, and exile. This book covers his full life – invention of the wristwatch, writing of The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro, and involvement in both the American and French Revolutions. The bulk of this narrative non-fiction covers his life in France. Toward the end it covers his role as a champion of revolution. It is a sensitive and compassionate view of his life. Many viewed him as a target, much of which was due to the classism of the time. Even though he played such a key role in the American Revolution, at his own expense, the American Congress never reimbursed him or offered any significant recognition. It is too bad his contributions are not better known in America. It seems fitting that he is finally getting the credit he deserves.

[Jason Furman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A month ago I knew nothing about Beaumarchais beyond the fact that he wrote the Figaro plays that were made into operas by Mozart and Rossini. Then I saw a movie about his life (Beaumarchais the Insolent) and found it so fascinating I wanted to find a biography of someone who was an innovative watchmaker, playright, faux jurist, spy, played a key role in the American Revolution, in and out of prison, in and out of favor with the King, friend of Voltaire, and more.

I was lucky enough to find this one which was free on Audible, just the right length, had a bit too much American Revolution (although if you bought it for the American Revolution parts you would probably be disappointed that they were only about one-sixth of the book), and had the most superlatives I've ever read in a book (e.g., referring to a receipt Beaumarchais signed as, "one of the most valuable receipts in world history"), but did a good job conveying an amazing and varied life--admittedly overtorquing it a bit and straining some of the analogies to his plays (e.g., "After reluctantly approving the broad principles of the scheme, the king asked his foreign minister for a more detailed plan. Vergennes then turned to Beaumarchais, who drafted a plot worthy of any he ever devised for Figaro onstage. He proposed that the royal treasury provide him..."

But to get a sense of what a unique and varied figure Beaumarchais was I will leave you with one of the last things he wrote about himself, as quoted in this biography:

I have had enemies without number. . . . It was natural enough. I played every instrument, but was not a musician. I invented good machines, but was no engineer. I composed verses and songs, but was no poet. I wrote some pieces for the stage, but people said, “He is not an author. . . . He is the son of a watchmaker.”

I raised the art of printing in France by my superb editions of Voltaire, but I was not a printer. Unable to find lawyers to defend me, I wrote memorials, but people said, “These are not the work of a lawyer, and he cannot be allowed to prove he is in the right without a lawyer.”

I advised ministers on great issues of financial reform, but people said, “This man is not a financier.” I traded in the four quarters of the globe, but I was not a merchant. I had forty ships at sea but was not a shipowner.

Weary of seeing our uniform habitations and our gardens without poetry, I built a house which is spoken of, but I did not belong to architecture or the arts.

And of all Frenchmen, I am the one who did the most for the liberty of America, the begetter of our own liberty . . . for I was the only person who dared to form the plan and commence its execution, in spite of England, Spain, and even France. But I was not a minister.

What was I then?

I was nothing but myself, and myself I have remained, free in the midst of fetters . . . happy in my home, having never belonged to any coterie . . . having never paid court to any one, and yet repelled by all.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy biographical read of Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais. Beaumarchis came from a lower/middle class family and tried with all he had to pull himself into high French society. It seemed the more he tired, the more berated he was. This was a time when being of a certain class, you just did not rise.

I learned about Beaumarchais's activity in the American Revolution and was drawn to read more about him. Known most widely for his play writing, it was outstanding to learn all the other things he accomplished.

I loved Unger's forthright manner of explaining him in such a way that he became a man I would be anxious to know better. A sharp mind, and a sense of fun. His story is well worth reading about

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Without Beaumarchais and his provisioning of the Continental Army after it crossed the Delaware and retook New Jersey from the British, the American Revolution would have failed. It is astonishing that his role has been so overlooked in American History, unlike that of Lafayette and Rochambeau. Or maybe not, given those who worked hard to prevent Beaumarchais getting his due during his life.

Beaumarchais today is best known for his two plays featuring his alterego Figaro: The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro. Both are still read and performed in France and both were adapted into operas that enchant the world today. Both reflect the spirit of the man during the peak of his life. It's not a bad legacy, but it is incomplete. I have read both plays in French (in college as a French major) and adore the operas. Yet I knew nothing else about him until he was mentioned in Vol. 1 of the American Revolution trilogy by Rick Atkinson. This book was a revelation and welcome treat.

The son of a clockmaker, Beaumarchais was gifted, a genius, a renaissance man who not only wrote poetry and plays, but was a spy for France, policy maker and advisor, engineer, architect, publisher, and a few dozen other professions and roles. Beaumarchais embraced 'fraternite, egalite, and liberte' in their purist forms, inspiring revolution and being himself a revolutionary which led to the aid to the Americans and their ward of independence. In fact Beaumarchais saw the Americans through rose colored glasses, a utopian ideal coming to life. Sadly he was disappointed at the end of his life. Like so many geniuses, Beaumarchais had a fatal flaw or two which I sum up as being too idealistic and trusting of those in positions of class superiority (this is 18th Century France) or political power.

He was also victimized by the extreme classicism of the 18th Century, finding himself jailed more than once by an aristocrat charging him with 'crimes' out of resentment and jealousy. He made and lost many fortunes, suffered many reversals but until the Reign of Terror, he was able to remain optimistic, with song and laughter and wit filling his home. The disillusionment of the bloody chaos and horror of the French Revolution and its aftermath destroyed that idealism, though before his death he did recover some of that wit with more songs and poems and plays written.

This is a very readable enjoyable biography, written by an author clearly enchanted by Beaumarchais and desirous of giving him his due. This sings in the writings of Beaumarchais and his antics - the plan Beaumarchais devised for arming Americans is breath-taking. But the writing in the more basic historical background sections, summarizing war and politics of the time, is flat, writing is dutiful. I found this made it mildly jarring to read, but not enough to disengage me. In fact, I shed a tear or two at the end where his final years are described.

[Victoria Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, there aren't enough stars for this book! One of the best biographies I have ever read about one of the most amazing people that ever lived, and particularly one no one ever hears about. That, despite the fact that without him it is entirely possible the United States of America would never have become, that 'The Barber of Seville' and 'The Marriage of Figaro' would never have been written, and hundreds of deeds which helped shape the destinies of nations would never have been done. Not to mention that he invented the wristwatch and ring watch as part of his first job. What a life he led! He went from the top to the bottom to the top like a yo-yo! Why this book isn't required reading in every high school U.S. History class, I don't know. One of the most inspiring and spirit capturing people I've ever read about....maybe top of the list! And I know I will read this one again! Someone should make a mini-series of it!

[Pat Rolston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Monsieur Beaumarchais is a man who may be more responsible than anyone out side of the Founding Father’s for the birth of our nation. This riveting history documents the life of this renaissance man who composed one of the most recognisable operas in history, Figaro, while contributing the equivalent in today’s dollars $250,000,000,000 to the Glorious Cause.

I discovered by accident this epic history brought to life by Mr Giles Unger. It is one of those books I can’t imagine not being referenced or used in full to teach us about the Revolutionary War and our nation’s great hero’s. Do pick this up if you find any thing I have mentioned of interest as this is a trifling of the wonders yet to be revealed about this astonishing Frenchman.

[Tre Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

He is the man who wrote The Marriage of Figaro (yup, that one -- Figaro, Figaro, Figaro!!), and the mastermind behind France's covert effort to supply the colonies with arms and ammunition during the Revolution. A son of a watchmaker, a political exile, a social pariah who slept with royal women and dueled with noble men -- he was hounded for his views and unjustly imprisoned for his deeds, he was scorned for being a "commoner," while amassing and mislaying several fortunes. He wrote operas, volumes of poetry, built a fleet of forty ships to smuggle embargoed goods. But the man who authored his own eulogy affirmed he didn't consider himself any of these. Not an author, a musician, or a poet. Not a merchant, an exile or a hedonist. This man rubbed shoulders with a king and corresponded with the great philosopher, Voltaire, he published books that spread ideas of the Enlightenment across Europe, yet his heart burned with an undying devotion for liberty and freedom, the principles that for him were embodied in the spirit of America. When he was impoverished and nearing death, our congress again refused to repay our substantial debt for the weapons he supplied during the war. But he still maintained that his greatest accomplishment was his contribution to the American Revolution.

He is one of the many unsung heroes who helped create our country. Although hostile and divisive today, our country was once a unified, dignified, and fortified leviathan. Perhaps a watchmaker's son will emerge to help us find our way. As our Founders liked to say, only Providence knows our fate.

[Jerome Otte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I’ve read of Beaumarchais and his role in the Revolution in other books, Unger’s book does a great job fleshing out this accomplished inventor, musician, businessman, and diplomat. Along with his critical role in furnishing supplies for the Americans ( a role he was never repaid for by Congress), he wrote such plays as The Barber of Seville and the The Marriage of Figaro, and he invented the wristwatch. Along the way he became involved in so much intrigue in the French court that he was at one point sentenced to die if he ever returned to his country.

Much of the book deals with Beaumarchais’s covert efforts to supply the Continental Army (more than 80% of the colonists gunpowder came from Beaumarchais’s operation). Interestingly, Beaumarchais’s ships were supposed to pick up goods in North America for transport back to france, but they never did--and Beaumarchais continued the operation anyway. There are also many different storylines, such as various French nobles and the infighting between American diplomats in Europe. Unger paints a fascinating picture of Beaumarchais, his innovative mind, and his passionate spirit. Beaumarchais’s life story sounds ridiculous and unbelievable at times, but it’s a great read since it all actually happened. Unger has an easy command of a complicated subject.

The narrative is a bit breezy at times, and at one point Unger writes that French and Spanish aimed to “control almost of North America” by supporting the American rebels. Other than that, this is a fun and interesting read.

[Albert · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unexpected surprise! Most people (myself included) have never heard of Pierre-Auguste Caron de Beaumarchais. The reading on his colorful personality (much like the Figaro character he himself created) and his pivotal role in supplying the American Revolution was riveting. An easy and delightful read.

[Becky Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating view of the American Revolution.

This book is very readable. The author filled in many gaps in my knowledge of the critical role the French government played in the success of the American Revolution. More specifically, it reminded me that one person can make a huge difference in the course taken by the ship of state.

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most exciting, surprising and engrossing history books I’ve ever read, because Pierre Augustin Beaumarchais was a brilliant and accomplished multitalented Frenchman who was an inventor, playwright, spy, poet, architect, and a very important American patriot without whom George Washington might not have beaten the Brits. He created an organization that provided essential French supplies such as guns, powder, boots and clothes to the ragtag American farmers (aka the American army) just as they were on the brink of surrendering.

I also used the word “surprising” because I loved reading about American history in high school, but I have never heard of Pierre Beaumarchais. And because he was best known in France as the play write who wrote “The Marriage of Figaro” and collaborated with Mozart to turn it into one of the popular operas of all time. Beaumarchais was a brilliant and accomplished multitalented Frenchman who was an inventor, play write, spy, poet, architect, and a very important American patriot without whom George Washington might not have beaten the Brits. He created an organization that provided essential French supplies such as guns, powder, boots and clothes to the ragtag American farmers (the American army) just as they were on the brink of surrendering.

I also used the word “surprising” to describe monsieur Beaumarchais because I loved reading about American history in high school, but I had never heard of Pierre Beaumarchais. Have you? And because he was best known in France as the playwright who wrote “The Marriage of Figaro” and collaborated with Mozart to turn it into one of the popular operas of all time.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't remember exactly how I even found out about this book--probably thru another Goodreads search or something. Anyway I read some of the reviews which enticed me to borrow the book and read it. What a story! What a life! Thank you Mr. Unger for your exemplary historical-made-very-interesting writing skills--you kept me reading "just one more page, just one more page." If only our history textbooks in school could have been so engrossing rather than just bland, dry factual paragraphs. Mr. Unger brings history to life! (and made me ashamed of my country that they cheated this man out of his due! perhaps Lin-Manuel Miranda could make something of this in the future?)

[Roger Sherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little celebrated French hero

Thanks to a totally dysfunctional congress, a French hero had long been overlooked. Mr Unger has done a great job in elucidating his role in the American revolution. Shame on Arthur Lee. He should be remembered for his disgusting behavior.

[Rana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't stop reading. So many facts about American Independence battle with England and French aide to the revolutionaries that I didn't know. Also the first time there is a literature where Benjamin Franklin is not admired.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well-done biography on a man who lived an incredible life. The story of Beaumarchais told exceptionally well - so intriguing and fascinating that I found it impossible to put down! He was everywhere in the 18th century and had so much impact on the world.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating history I know nothing whatsoever about has got to be one of my favourite subjects for nonfiction books. Beaumarchais' story definitely belongs to the "truth stranger than fiction" category - also known as "you couldn't make this shot up". A truly remarkable, eventful life.

[Janica Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding!!-

[Charlie Clute · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beaumarchais is the most underrated French patriot involved in the American Revolution. What a great read and fascinating life he lived!

[D · Rating 5 out of 5]

5-

[Mary Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reveal of the French role in the American Revolution...very interesting some great material

[Susu · Rating 5 out of 5]

How the son of a clockmaker writes the original for Figaro and drives the essential French support for the American Revolution - a wild historical ride about an almost forgotten figure

[Betsy Schwarm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both interesting and thoroughly emjoyable

As an opera devotee, I've known Beaumarchais' plays for ages, but only had a basic sense of his life. This biography was a fabulous discovery! I highly recommend it. Thoroughly researched and gracefully written, it was all I could have wished.

[Jeff Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredible book; incredible in that it’s incredibly good, incredible that it’s not already part of our general understanding of the American Revolution, and incredible because it starts off as a madcap comedy but it’s actually the true story of a genius.

This history of the preamble and beginning of the American Revolution is written with a distinctly different perspective than we’re used to from our textbooks, our popular historians, even from Ken Burns and his magnificent 6-part documentary: the “American Revolution.” The truth has ben missing… our Revolution would have failed (it was on the verge of collapsing) were it not for the massive supply of weapons, supplies, military experts, and money that this Frenchman delivered with the secret backing of the French government. A gift that was nearly derailed by some prominent American operatives who were greedy and jealous. A gift that was based on trusting the American government to honor a loan; a trust that our government subsequently betrayed.

And on top of all that, this Frenchman was none other than the playwright who gave us the classics, “The Barber of Seville” and the “Marriage of Figaro” which was the basis for Mozart’s opera, “Marriage of Figaro.”

This is a must-read.

It's incredible that this story has been buried in America. Even Ken Burns skipped it in his miniseries on The American Revolution...! How could he, the ingenious storyteller of "The Civil War" miniseries, ignore what was the equivalent of Cole Porter engineering the total logistical support for the French Resistance, and financing it himself.

[JoLynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book through the Goodreads First Reads program.

An unlikely hero, political intrigue both foreign and domestic, love affairs, fortunes won and lost and won again. Sound like a swashbuckler from Alexander Dumas or Rafael Sabbatini? Well, throw in one of the world's most recognizable opera characters, and you have Improbable Patriot: The Secret History of Monsieur de Beaumarchais, the French Playwright Who Saved the American Revolution by Harlow Giles Unger.

Best known to the world as the creator of The Barber of Seville (Figaro), Beaumarchais led what had to be one of the most exciting and influential lives of his time. A self-made Frenchman who clawed his way up through the court intrigue of Louis XVI's reign and masterminded an arms deal that saved the American patriots at their lowest moment. He then went on to oversee many more projects for the King , falling in and out of favor through the years, until finally having to maneuver his way through the perils of the French Revolution.

A rollicking history book for those who enjoy adventure. I was reminded time and again of the Three Musketeers or the Scarlet Pimpernel. Sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction. A wonderfully enjoyable read.

[Joshua Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was completely unaware of Beaumarchais prior to reading this book, and that's a shame. The story of his efforts to finance the American revolutionary cause make for a fascinating read. I would quibble only with the sense left in the book that Beaumarchais was acting primarily out of an identification with the American cause of liberty. Undoubtedly based on his history and his writings he identified with the Americans to an extent, it seems far more likely that his actions were those of a businessman who stood to make a great deal of money if his schemes to supply the Americans came off as he'd hoped. That seems much more likely to have been the primary motivation behind his efforts.

In any case, this is a highly entertaining read that provides entertaining insight into French society in the years leading up to, and during, the American and French Revolutions. Highly recommended.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not familiar with Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais or his works before reading "Improbable Patriot". What an amazing person he was! Beaumarchais' life reads like a fantastical novel. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction. Mr. Unger provides enough background information to make the events clear, but does not overwhelm us with detail. I learned much about the American and French Revolutions as well as the culture of Bourbon France. The 18th century world was more complex than I had imagined, or that our school history books portray. "Improbable Patriot" is a painless way to deepen understanding of a tumultuous time by focusing on an almost forgotten key character. I received this book from Goodreads as a First-read.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evaluation: Beaumarchais is a fascinating character, and Unger paints a sympathetic portrait of him as he gets victimized time after time by those who are jealous, greedy, corrupt, selfish, or who can’t resist taking advantage of the kindness of others. Beaumarchais’s contribution to the victory of the Continental Army should be required knowledge by American citizens.

Rating: 3.5/5

[Byron Tully · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book reads like a thriller, vividly detailing the roller coaster of a ride that was Beaumarchais' life. This was the man who, unknown to most Americans, provided the money, ships, and guns that made our independence from Britain possible. Not that we ever thanked him for it, or repaid him. Very entertaining.

[Yy]

I won this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. Hope to read it soon. Thanks.