  franÃ§ois alexandre frÃ©dÃ©ric de la rochefoucauld, duke of la rochefoucauld (11 january 1747 &ndash; 27 march 1827) was a french social reformer. ==early life== he was born at la roche guyon, the son of franÃ§ois armand de la rochefoucauld, duc d'estissac, grand master of the royal wardrobe. known as the duc de liancourt in infancy, he became an officer of carbineers, and married at seventeen. a visit to england seems to have suggested the establishment of a model farm at liancourt, where he reared cattle imported from england and switzerland. he also set up spinning machines on his estate, and founded a school, Ãcole nationale supÃ©rieure d'arts et mÃ©tiers, for the sons of soldiers, which became in 1788 the Ãcole des enfants de la patrie under royal protection. in 2008, this school was renamed arts et mÃ©tiers paristech. ==french revolution== he was elected to the estates-general of 1789, and sought in vain to support the cause of royalty, while furthering the social reforms he sought. on 12 july, two days before the storming of the bastille, he warned louis xvi of the state of affairs in paris, and met his exclamation that there was a revolt with the answer, "non, sire, c'est une rÃ©volution." ("no, majesty, it is a revolution.")  on 18 july, he became president of the national constituent assembly. established in command of a military division in normandy, he offered louis a refuge in rouen, and, failing in this effort, assisted him with a large sum of money. ==exile== after the events of 10 august 1792 (storming of the tuileries palace), he fled to england, where he was the guest of arthur young. there also he met young's nieces by marriage, frances and sarah burney. the former gives a long description of him in her journal.the journals and letters of fanny burney (madame d'arblay). volume 1, 1791-1792. edited by joyce hemlow, et al. london: oxford university press, 1972, pp. 231-48. after the assassination of his cousin, louis-alexandre, duc de la rochefoucauld d'enville, at gisors on 14 september 1792 he assumed the title of duc de la rochefoucauld. he left england in 1794, and travelled to the united states. in 1795, he and f
1747_births 1827_deaths Dukes_of_France French_sociologists Peers_of_France Recipients_of_the_Order_of_the_Holy_Spirit