Very soon after his wedding with Adrienne, the Duke’ s D’ Ayen daughter, the marquis Gilbert de La Fayette, despite his rank and privileges, dropped out the Royal Army to go and fight against England, on the rebels’ s side.

Keen on the philosophical ideas of that time ( Voltaire, Rousseau ) and despite his family’ s opposition, the Court and minister Maurepas, a friend of the British, and with the help of his wife and minister Vergennes and supported by queen Marie-Antoinette, he succeeded in freighting a ship and leave France. Once in America, he became Washington’ s friend, whom he fought with.

In France, Franklin made successive interventions in favor of the “Rebels” and Louis XVI was finally convinced when La Fayette came back to plead his case.

The fleet and a French task-force crossed the Atlantic and this is the decisive battle of Yorktown.

Defeated, the English army, commanded by Cornwallis, had to surrender.