Beaumarchais and the American Revolution by Miguel A. Faria, MD

Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (1732–1799) was a man of many talents, whose life provides an interesting pivotal transitional point from the American Revolution on one side of the Atlantic Ocean to the French Revolution on the other.

Born to a Parisian watchmaker, the young Caron initially followed in his father’s trade. At age 21, he invented a new type of escapement mechanism for watches, enabling him to make “excellent watches as flat and as small as may be thought fit.” Samples of his invention won favor with the French king, Louis XV (1710–1774); and Pierre was asked to make an escapement for Madame de Pompadour (1721–1764) “that fitted into her ring.”

In 1755, Pierre-Augustin purchased from an aging Monsieur Franquet a position among the “controllers of the royal pantry”—that is, “men who waited upon the King at his meals.” Although not a very exalted post, it nonetheless provided an entry into the court. Soon after, he married M. Franquet’s widow, a woman six years older, and added the name of a small piece of property she owned to his name, becoming Beaumarchais. One year later, in 1757, his new wife died and he inherited her property. Historian Will Durant stated that although Beaumarchais “never received any secondary education, everyone—even the aristocrats who resented his agile climb—recognized the alertness of his mind and the quickness of his wit.”

The consummate inventor next turned his attention to music and the pedal arrangement of the harp. His improvements were noticed by King Louis’s four daughters, and in 1759, Beaumarchais began giving the Royal princesses lessons on the harp.

An association with wealthy financier Joseph Pâris-Duverney proved to be fruitful for both men. Under Pâris-Duverney’s guidance, Beaumarchais was “initiated into the secrets of finance,” and commenced making his fortune. In 1761, he also purchased a “titular secretaryship to the King, which brought a title of nobility.” Conversely, with Beaumarchais’ assistance, Pâris-Duverney was able to secure royal patronage for a new building at the École Militaire.

According to Will Durant, Beaumarchais traveled to Madrid a few years later, not only as a representative for Pâris-Duverney in financial pursuits but also on family matters—specifically to try to coax the wayward suitor of one sister to the altar of matrimony. The French polymath was ultimately defeated in both endeavors by the Spanish tendency to procrastinate and put decisions off until mañana; and the trip was unproductive. Nevertheless, his sojourn in Madrid had taught him a great deal about Spanish manners, and he had used some of his time to write several plays, particularly about a barber in Seville.  

When Pâris-Duverney died in 1770, the following years were quite unsettling for Beaumarchais. He became involved in a nasty lawsuit regarding his friend’s contested will. At the end, the court finding went against him, and he received a sentence of “au blame”—that is, loss of certain civil rights.”

Not to be deterred, Beaumarchais commenced work on restoring his full rights by becoming an agent for the Crown. Thus, the inventor, courtier, and financial speculator now added secret agent to his repertoire of skills.

His first mission was to travel to London “to prevent the circulation of a scandalous pamphlet against Madame du Barry,” who had been a mistress of King Louis XV. Beaumarchais successfully accomplished the assignment. Subsequent missions took him back to London as well as to Amsterdam and Vienna in the service of the new French king, Louis XVI (r. 1774–1792).

While in London in 1775, Beaumarchais collected vital information on the escalating crisis between the British colonies in America and the English government. When fighting finally broke out, signaling the beginning of hostilities between British troops and the American patriots, Beaumarchais became a crucial source of intelligence for the French government. For example, he regularly reported on the situation surrounding the Siege of Boston—that is, “the eleven-month period from April 1775 to March 1776 when American militiamen effectively contained British troops within Boston.” Moreover, he sent a memorandum addressed to Foreign Minister Charles Gravier, the comte de Vergennes, and King Louis XVI at Versailles not only predicting the success of America’s struggle for independence but also recommending French aid to the colonies.

But Louis XVI was not yet ready to risk war with England, and Vergennes recognized that “direct subsidy in support of the colonial currency came too close to overt violation of France’s neutrality.” Moreover, France needed to overhaul its army and modernize the artillery, which had received little attention since the culmination of the Seven Years’ War. Vergennes came up with an idea, and Beaumarchais was given the go ahead to form a company as a front to cover the clandestine activities. The Roderigue Hortalez and Company was “set up as a ‘black’operation” to buy munitions from the French government on credit, sell them to the Americans, and then reimburse the government, thereby disposing of its surplus equipment at a tidy profit.

The secret operation worked like one of Beaumarchais’ well-oiled watches. Armaments and supplies arrived for the Continental Army, which was largely clothed, provisioned, and armed from the supplies Beaumarchais was able to procure. Historian Simon Schama referred to Beaumarchais as the “startlingly aggressive and enterprising propagandist for the Americans,” who “fitted out an entire private navy and armaments for the rebels and whose own pocket made up the difference between the escalating cost of French assistance and secret royal disbursements.”

The success of the policy became obvious in 1777 at the Battle of Saratoga, when British General John Burgoyne’s army surrendered to American Generals Horatio Gates and Benedict Arnold. According to author Stacy Schiff, Beaumarchais was slightly injured in a carriage accident as he raced back to Paris with news of the American victory at Saratoga.

In 1778, France signed the Treaty of Alliance and officially entered the American War of Independence. Spain and the Dutch Republic joined the alliance in 1779 and 1780, respectively. Americans were now on the path to win the war.

However, wars are enormously expensive. French assistance to the American colonies resulted in “oceans of debt.” Two-thirds of the  of the French national debt had been in support of the American Revolution. But this debt was not the only cause of the savage French Revolution for as Louis XV had been said to have predicted years earlier, Après moi, le déluge  (“after me the deluge”).

Written by Dr. Miguel A. Faria

Miguel A. Faria, Jr., M.D. is Associate Editor in Chief world affairs of Surgical Neurology International (SNI) and the author of numerous books. This article is excerpted and updated from Dr. Faria’s 2024 book Contrasting Ideals and Ends in the American and French Revolutions.

This article may be cited as: Faria MA. Beaumarchais and the American Revolution. HaciendaPublishing, May 13, 2025. Available from: https://haciendapublishing.com/beaumarchais-and-the-american-revolution-by-miguel-a-faria-md/.

Copyright ©2025 Miguel A. Faria, Jr., MD