15. Charles D�Eon, Diplomat (1728 � 1810)
A French soldier, spy and diplomat, D�Eon was sent to Russia in 1756 to reestablish diplomatic
relations between the countries: he achieved this by dressing as a woman and becoming a maid of honor to the Russian Empress. Later,
he worked as an ambassador in London, where at one point there was so much speculation on whether he was male or female that people
actually placed bets on the London Stock Exchange. On his return to France, D�Eon demanded that he be recognized as a woman,
claiming that he had in fact been born female and raised as a boy because of an inheritance dispute. The French King agreed, providing
that he wear �appropriate� women�s clothing. Posthumously, medical examinations revealed D�Eon to be anatomically male.
