Real Historical ‘Manspiration’ – Criminal Escapologist Henri Latude.
One of the major plotlines for the first book in my Secrets & Spies series—To Steal A Heart—is a daring escape from one of Paris’s most heavily fortified prisons, the Chateau de Vincennes. And inspiration for the specifics of the prison break came from a real historical ‘manspiration’, an extremely dubious character called Henri Latude.
Jean Henri Latude (23 March 1725 – 1 January 1805), often called Danry or Masers de Latude, was a French writer famous for his lengthy confinement in the Bastille, at Vincennes, and for his repeated escapes from those prisons.
Latude tried to curry favor with the marquise de Pompadour by secretly sending her a box of poison and then informing her of the supposed plot against her life, hoping that he could earn a reward of cash for warning her. The ruse was discovered, and Mme de Pompadour, not appreciating the humor of the situation, had Latude put in the Bastille on 1 May 1749.
He was later transferred to Vincennes, from which he escaped in 1750. Captured and re-imprisoned in the Bastille, he made a second brief escape in 1756. He was again transferred to Vincennes in 1764, and the next year made a third escape and was a third time recaptured. He was put in a madhouse by Malesherbes in 1775, and discharged in 1777 on condition that he should retire to his native town.
He remained in Paris, however, and he was again imprisoned. A certain Madame Legros became interested in him through a chance reading of one of his memoirs, and, through vigorous agitation in his behalf, secured his release in 1784. His considerable ability for mimicry and intrigue were evidenced throughout his long captivity; he posed as a brave military officer, a son of the non-existent marquis de La Tude, and as a victim of Pompadour’s nefarious intrigues. He was lauded and pensioned during the Revolution, and, in 1793, the Convention compelled the heirs of Madame de Pompadour to pay him 60,000 francs in damages. He died famous and wealthy in Paris in 1805.
Of course, while I find the sneaky deviousness of the real-life Latude incredibly sexy, physically he was not a handsome man. But the great thing about writing romance is that I get to make my heroes clever AND drop-dead gorgeous.
Under the guise of ‘research’ I have a whole Pinterest page of HISTORICAL HOTTIES that I use as ‘Manspiration.’ Most of them have characteristics I want in my heroes. I love the sartorial elegance and burning desire for revenge of The Count of Monte Cristo. I love Indiana Jones’s swashbuckling sense of adventure. I love Han Solo’s confidence that borders on arrogance. I love the sleepy eyes and half-smile of Dunstan, Prince of Persia. I love the cocky teasing of Sawyer from Lost. I love Benedict’s quick, snarky wit from Much Ado About Nothing. I love pretty much any man in Regency costume. It’s the breeches! The coats! The brooding!
Admittedly, some of the pictures on there are just gratuitous and unapologetically hot. Sorry, not sorry. So check them out and see if you agree with me. Here’s the Pinterest link: bit.ly/2fYNIK4. And feel free to contact me with your own suggestions!
Love Kate
P.S: I feature a new ‘Historical Hottie’ each month in my Newsletter. Sign up for giveaways, news and fun.
GIVEAWAY RULES: *** Three other Historical Authors are taking part in this blog hop giveaway. I will be giving away one e-copy of ‘A Counterfeit Heart’ to a random commenter on this blog – so tell me YOUR favorite ‘manspiration’. For a chance to win ALL FOUR of these books, follow the four-blog stop and check out each author’s Manspiration Blogs. Leave a comment on each post for extra chances to win! (Each blog you comment on will get you an extra entry into the giveaway draw, so go for it!) Easy peesy. No purchase necessary.
Here’s the BLOG HOP link to Cecelia Mecca’s blog post: http://ceceliamecca.com/inspiration-for-alpha-male-heroes/
My giveaway prize will be an e-copy of my latest Secrets & Spies series release, A Counterfeit Heart. Good luck!
