Hamilton could not cover the entire life stories of all its characters in a theatrical narrative, but one of the most interesting historical cuts was the connection between Angelica Schuyler and Marquis de Lafayette. Lafayette disappears from Hamilton once the revolution is over, and Angelica weaves in and out of the musical as a love interest and defender of her sister, but there’s no time to explore their lives where Hamilton was not involved. However, the real Angelica Schuyler had a few adventures of her own, including planning the prison break of Marquis de Lafayette.
Angelica and Lafayette do not have much opportunity to interact during the musical. In fact, Alexander Hamilton even pushes Lafayette out of the way when he tries to approach Angelica during the choreography of “Helpless” and “Satisfied.” The story rarely touches what happens to the characters after exiting Hamilton’s circle, but the real Angelica and Lafayette were friends throughout their lives, even through one of Lafayette’s worst trials.
In 1792, Marquis de Lafayette fled into Austria as the French minister of justice issued a warrant for his arrest during the French Revolution. The king of Prussia, however, viewed Lafayette as a rebel who might overthrow his monarchy, scared by the thought of the revolution spreading. He imprisoned Lafayette, though the Marquis had only been intending to pass through Austria on his way to the United States.
When Angelica and her husband John Church learned of his imprisonment, they made arrangements to break Lafayette out. They hired a physician to act as their agent, helping Lafayette escape during an escorted carriage drive through the countryside. Unfortunately, Lafayette got lost and was recaptured, and he spent more than five years in captivity until a young Napoleon Bonaparte negotiated his release. Hamilton changes a lot about Lafayette’s life, including leaving out the tragedies of his later life and how those tragedies prompted Angelica Schuyler to plan a prison break.
The story of Angelica and Lafayette’s connection is far outside the narrow scope of the musical, but it’s part of the complicated real history behind its characters. The adventures and turmoil of most of Hamilton’s side characters are wild enough to make several more musicals. The Austrian jailbreak is only the beginning of the strange and interesting stories their lives have to offer. Hamilton may not be able to include much of its characters’ histories, but it is a perfect gateway to start exploring the complexities of its tumultuous time period.