Le Barbier de Séville ou La Précaution Inutile by Pierre-Augustin Caron de Be...

One of his sisters, Marie-Josèphe Caron, later became an artist their cousin was the artist Suzanne Caron.įrom the age of ten, Beaumarchais had some schooling at a 'country school' where he learned some Latin.

Though born a Catholic, Beaumarchais retained a sympathy for Protestants and would campaign throughout his life for their civil rights. He took an interest in music and played several instruments. As the only son, he was spoiled by his parents and sisters. The family was comfortably middle-class and Beaumarchais had a peaceful and happy childhood. The family had previously been Huguenots, but had converted to Roman Catholicism in the wake of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes and the increased persecution of Protestants that followed. He was the only boy among the six surviving children of André-Charles Caron, a watchmaker from Meaux. Early lifeīeaumarchais was born Pierre-Augustin Caron in the Rue Saint-Denis, Paris, on 24 January 1732. He is probably best known, however, for his theatrical works, especially the three Figaro plays. Beaumarchais was also a participant in the early stages of the 1789 French Revolution. He later struggled to recover money he had personally invested in the scheme. Beaumarchais oversaw covert aid from the French and Spanish governments to supply arms and financial assistance to the rebels in the years before France's formal entry into the war in 1778. He made a number of important business and social contacts, played various roles as a diplomat and spy, and had earned a considerable fortune before a series of costly court battles jeopardized his reputation.Īn early French supporter of American independence, Beaumarchais lobbied the French government on behalf of the American rebels during the American War of Independence. At various times in his life, he was a watchmaker, inventor, playwright, musician, diplomat, spy, publisher, horticulturist, arms dealer, satirist, financier and revolutionary both French and American.īorn a Parisian watchmaker's son, Beaumarchais rose in French society and became influential in the court of Louis XV as an inventor and music teacher. Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais was a French polymath.

Le Barbier de Séville ou La Précaution Inutile by Pierre-Augustin Caron de Be...