The Chevalier D'Eon: 18th Century Spy Who Lived as Both Man and Woman

What Happened The Chevalier D’Eon de Beaumont lived one of history’s most remarkable double lives, serving the French crown as both a diplomatic spy and later as a woman in English society. Born in 1728, D’Eon initially worked as a lawyer before joining France’s secret diplomatic service, the Secret du Roi, under King Louis XV. D’Eon’s most famous espionage mission involved infiltrating the Russian court of Empress Elizabeth in 1756, reportedly by presenting as a woman named Lia de Beaumont.