Gérard de Lally-Tollendal
Born in Paris into an old aristocratic family,[1] he was the legitimized son of Thomas Arthur de Lally, who served as viceroy in India under King Louis XIV,[1] and only discovered the secret of his birth on the day of his father's execution (9 May 1766), when he devoted himself to clearing his father's memory.
The case was retried by other courts, and Lally's innocence was never fully admitted by the French judges.
[2] In 1779 Lally-Tollendal bought the honorary title of Grand bailli of Étampes, and in 1789 was a deputy to the Estates-General for the noblesse of Paris.
He played some part in the early stages of the French Revolution, but, as a conservative, quickly rejected more profound changes.
Although he was the legitimate son of Thomas Arthur Lally, he was kept unaware of his Irish heritage through his bringing up under the name Trophime.
During this time he attended the College of Harcourt which allowed him to gain the skills needed to not only fight against his father's verdict but participate in French government.
Trophime's introduction into the French political world was through his constant fight to prove his father's innocence.
He first approached Voltaire in 1770 via a letter outlining every injustice and false accusation made against his father.
Unfortunately, at the time, Trophime Gérard de Lally-Tollendal was considered Thomas Arthur's illegitimate son.
[6] As a result, he became in full support of Le Ancien Régime and France's traditional institutions.
[7] Trophime Gérard de Lally-Tollendal was in favor of King Louis XVI even under the circumstances of the French Revolution.
[1] One of the first issues this club experienced was the Constituent Assembly's refusal to declare Catholicism as France's national religion.
These legislative bodies would be put in place in order to create a governmental balance to ensure equal distribution of power.
[7] He joined the opposition to the strict regime of the Marquis de Mirabeau, and condemned the decisive rejection of the Ancien Régime by the National Constituent Assembly, begun by the Tennis Court Oath and confirmed by the abolition of feudalism on 4 August 1789.
During the trial of Louis XVI by the National Convention (December 1792 - January 1793) he offered to defend the king, but was not allowed to return to France.
Louis XVIII honoured him with the title of Peer of France, and in 1816 he became a member of the Académie française.
He married a Scottish girl: Miss Halket of Pitfirran, a noted singer in Edinburgh.
