Join Us in France · Sunday, September 6, 2026
While stationed in Mauritius, Lapérouse fell in love with Eleanor, a woman from a less affluent background. Despite his family's objections due to her lack of nobility, and a five-year delay, they eventually married when he was 42 and she was 28.
“And while on the island of Mauritius, he met and fell in love with this young woman named Eleanor, who was the sister, the young sister of one of his naval officers.”
“But unfortunately, to them, and that is to people like the family he came from, this became a problem. Sure. And he apparently, I was trying to figure out, if you travel around the world in the 1770s, how long does a letter take to get home?”
“But this was the one woman, this was the love of his life. And it's interesting that it took up that much space in his existence while he was still becoming famous as an explorer and as a naval officer.”