Leeds 2023 Hidden Stories: The extraordinary 1700s trans woman and spy whose sword is displayed at the Royal Armouries

Luna Morgana is an artist and researcher specialising in trans women’s history. She writes:

Kit Heyam and I have been working on a fascinating project together as part of Leeds 2023’s Hidden Stories. It’s all about a complex and multifaceted trans woman living in the 1700s who was known as la Chevalière D’Éon.

The Chevalière, which means knightess in French, was an extraordinary woman who managed to accomplish so much in her life that it almost isn’t believable.

Each chapter of her story is completely captivating, and Kit and I wanted to share it with the trans community in Leeds.

We began by researching her life. I already knew a little but didn’t realise just how interesting her story really was.

She was recruited into the French secret service as a spy for King Louis XV; for a short time was a lady-in-waiting to the Russian Empress; fought in the Seven Years War, and was an accomplished swordswoman and fencer.

When the French revolution happened, she lost the pension that had been given to her by Louis XVI.

Forced to sell many of her extravagant dresses given to her by Marie Antoinette, her aristocratic friends stepped in and had a whip-round to help her.

She embraced life as an intersex trans woman in 1777 at the age of 49. In that same year, she gave one of her swords to her good friend George Keate as a gift.

The sword is now on permanent display in the Royal Armouries in the centre of Leeds; I had no idea that this incredible artefact was right here in the city where I live.

Kit Heyam is a historian and trans awareness trainer. They continue:

Trans people deserve to see themselves reflected in history, and so we knew it was important to share D’Éon’s story with the wider trans community in Leeds.

Back in May, we invited members of the Non-Binary Leeds and Trans Leeds support groups to the Armouries for the day to learn about D’Éon.

We ran a workshop to share her story, enjoyed a tour and a combat demonstration from the Armouries team, and created a zine together about her life.

The Armouries collections team also brought out D’Éon’s sword for us all to look at more closely. The inscription on its blade reads: ‘Given by the knightess of Eon to her old friend’.

I love that she’d stamped her gender identity into the metal as a mark that she was here, and she was proud.

One brilliant thing about history is that it can provide the sense of community that many trans people lack in the present.

A lot of participants said that learning about D’Éon made them feel more like part of their community, and that their stories mattered. One person said that "it felt as though this sword was carried by us all”.

It’s been wonderful to read about D’Éon being loved and respected for who she was - she was a prestigious member of society with loads of friends, and she didn’t shy away from her transness.

We’re very lucky to have a huge archive of her letters and pieces of writing in the Brotherton Library in Leeds, as well as the sword in the Armouries.

One of the amazing things we found in the library was a collection of newspaper clippings she’d carefully cut out of the paper. Whenever the paper had referred to D’Éon as ‘she’ or ‘her’, she’d underlined it a few times in pen as if to say ‘Yes! That’s me!’.

As trans people ourselves, Luna and I have found the whole project really empowering.

Of course, we know that trans and gender non-conforming people have always existed throughout history - we’re not a new phenomenon or a fad.

And here, right here in our city, is proof that an openly trans woman was living a rich, full and exciting life over 200 years ago.

You can find out more about D’Éon and her life in our zine at www.royalarmouries.org/stories or go and see her sword for yourself at the Royal Armouries.

Kit and Luna have been working on the project at the Royal Armouries as part of Leeds 2023’s Hidden Stories programme, a series of projects and events uncovering lesser-known stories from our city and around the world.