Benjamin Franklin & Madame Brillon’s Relationship: Did They Have An Affair?

In Apple TV+’s new historical drama Franklin, the Founding Father is accurately depicted as flirtatious and unconcerned with marital status, and his first and foremost love interest is the talented and charismatic Madame Brillon. Played by Ludivine Sangier in the cast of Franklin, Madame Brillon is portrayed as a close friend of Franklin’s who eventually becomes something more over the course of the miniseries. The show may not align with the true story of Franklin and Madame Brillon’s relationship, but it certainly leaves room to question whether the two actually consummated an affair.

Benjamin Franklin famously had a number of female admirers on both sides of the Atlantic, and his first son, William Franklin, was actually illegitimate. Per All Things Liberty, Franklin avoided serious commitments in most cases, preferring to drift between a stable of women with whom he had affairs. Perhaps the most important flirtatious relationship of his life was with Madame Brillon, as depicted in Franklin, due to her political value as an influential French aristocrat during the American Revolution. Thanks to a series of preserved correspondence between the two, the true nature of their relationship is well-known.

Who Was Madame Brillon?

The French aristocrat was a close friend of Benjamin Franklin.

Known more simply as Madame Brillon in Franklin, Anne-Louise Brillon de Jouy was a French composer who lived in the Passy area of Paris per Naxos. Born in 1744, Brillon was just 33 when Benjamin Franklin moved to France and became her near neighbor. Even at that young age, Brillon was already an accomplished musician, who played and composed music for the cello, violin, harpsichord, and piano. When Benjamin Franklin meets her in Franklin, she is seen playing her own music on the harpsichord. She established regular gatherings at her home to play music, and even hosted famous foreign musicians.

When Benjamin Franklin came to Paris in 1777, he lived near enough to Brillon that he became a regular guest at her house and attended many of her musical gatherings. The two struck up a fast friendship, and per Age of Revolutions Franklin spent multiple days at her house every week. Despite also forming relationships with her husband and children, letters that Franklin wrote to Brillon indicated that he had far more than friendship on his mind.

Did Benjamin Franklin Have An Affair With Madame Brillon?

Franklin made it clear that he was interested in her on a more intimate level.

Despite Franklin’s best efforts, all evidence points to Madame Brillon maintaining that the two remain friends as opposed to entering into an extramarital affair. In his letters found at FranklinPapers.org, the diplomat admitted to “coveting his neighbor’s wife” in reference to Brillon, and wrote that “The most effectual way to get rid of a certain temptation, is, as often as it returns, to comply with and satisfy it.” Brillon rebuffed his advances in her responses, reminding him of not only her status as a married woman, but also the standards to which she was held as a French noblewoman.

Benjamin Franklin Proposed A “Peace Treaty” To Madame Brillon

One witty letter in particular summed up their relationship.

Ever the clever writer and statesman, Benjamin Franklin proposed a “peace treaty” to Madame Brillon that outlined, similarly to a legislative proclamation like the Bill of Rights or Declaration of Independence, nine articles or conditions that their relationship would be based on. Many of the articles, which can be found at Founders.gov, outline conditions of platonic love or friendship in how the two would be committed to each other. However, the last two still hint at Franklin’s interest in Brillon on a more physical level.

What Happened To Madame Brillon

As personal as their relationship was, Madame Brillon also served a political purpose for Benjamin Franklin. As shown in Franklin, Brillon became Franklin’s primary social link in Paris, which was important to his mission to find support for the American cause. Thanks to Brillon’s connections and reputation, she was able to introduce him to many influential aristocrats in France. From there, Franklin used his charm and diplomacy to popularize his cause with some of the top citizens of Paris.

Brillon and Franklin maintained their correspondence even after he left France. During the French Revolution, Brillon was forced to abandon her musical gatherings as the country descended into chaos, and eventually she wound up splitting her time between Paris and her brother-in-law’s château in Normandy, where she died in 1824 at the age of 80. She acts as a love interest in Franklin, but the real Madame Brillon was much more to Benjamin Franklin.

Source: Naxos, Age of Revolutions, Founders.gov