The Marquis de Lafayette, a French general who defied his government and came to America to offer his services in the American Revolution, is also known for his action in the French Revolution. A friend of George Washington, he served with Washington at the Battle of Brandywine and at Valley Forge. In 1779 he returned to France to expedite the dispatch of a French army, and returned in time to distinguish himself at the battle of Yorktown in 1781. Lafayette won popularity in America, and his fame helped make liberal ideal acceptable in Europe. A stormy period in his home land included imprisonment by Austria until he was freed in 1799 at the behest of Napoleon. In 1815 Lafayette was one who demanded Napoleon I's abdication. Lafayette made a triumphant tour of the United States in 1824.