Sep 2

Sep 2 Abducting A Monarch - Stephen Sayre's Questionable Plan

Stephen Sayre was an American in London when the Intolerable Acts were passed.

Sayre was an ardent defender of colonial liberties who may have attempted to organize the kidnapping of King George III.

Stephen Sayre

Stephen Sayre was a New York merchant who moved to London in an attempt to further his fortune.

While in Europe, he worked with William Lee and others to establish a bank. Additionally, despite his American birth, Stephen was elected as the Sheriff of London.

Through the years, he became one of the most outspoken critics of Parliament’s handling of the colonies. In 1774, he was a leader among the handful of Americans living in London and signed the petition criticizing the Boston Port Act.

Abducting the King

The following year, Sayre was embodied in a strange controversy.

Stephen was allegedly at the head of a plot to kidnap the King.

This was brought to light when a guard at the Tower of London (an American serving in the British Army) informed his superiors that Sayre approached him asking to stash the kidnapped monarch in the Tower.

Sayre was arrested and held in the Tower himself for several days before being released on bail.

Was it For Real?

Truthfully, there was little evidence to warrant Sayre’s arrest.

Although Stephen had been viewed by the King with suspicion for some time, the whole event made the government look bad.

It is impossible to determine if Sayre ever really meant to abduct His Majesty, or if it was all a successful attempt to demonstrate to Londoners the tyrannical nature of Great Britain's leadership.

Russia

About this time, Stephen’s business went bankrupt.

With the government breathing down his neck and nothing especially holding him in England, Sayre decided to try his hand as a diplomat.

Though he was never officially tasked with the job by the Continental Congress, and certainly seeking to profit off the endeavor, Stephen travelled to several nations in an attempt to win support for the American Cause.

Notably, he spent over a year in Russia recruiting Catherine the Great. Despite his best efforts, nothing came of these talks.

Making Enemies in America

After spending some time in France (supporting the French Revolution), Sayre returned to the United States.

He became an outspoken opponent of the Federalist Party, which didn’t help him during later application efforts for government positions.

Finally, he retired to his son-in-law’s house in Virginia where he spent the remainder of his days.

Here his ANOTHER Founder who tried to kidnap a king:

Saving Washington - Casimir Pouaski’s Legion

Stephen Sayre actually has several books written about him.

‘American Revolutionary Adventurer’ is by far the best known and is the most digestible to a modern audience.

If you’d like a copy you can get one through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same).