Godfather of the Revolution:
The Life of Phillipe Egalité, Duc D'Orléans

Tom Ambrose

This is the first English-language biography of arch-anglophile Phillipe Egalité to be
published for many years. While there are hundreds of books on Louis XVI, Marie Antionette et al, the crucial role of the Duc Orléans - the man who actually funded the French Revolution - has been inexplicably overlooked. Egalité was a notorious radical and libertine who lived life to the full: his marriage to the 'Richest Woman In The World', a hair-raising balloon crash, a farcical sea-battle and his long-running feud with Antoinette are almost incidental in a magnificent story that has never has really been told in full. But as well as portraying the well-known heroes and villains of 1789, author Tom Ambrose introduces readers to a host of colourful and truly unforgettable characters, including his mistress, femme fatale Madame de Genlis and his friend Chevalier de Saint-George ('The Black Mozart and 'best swordsman in France') - and many more.