House of Orléans
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| House of Orléans France |
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.svg/150px-Blason_duche_fr_Orleans_(moderne).svg.png) |
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| Country: | Orléans, France | ||
| Parent house: | House of Bourbon descended from Capetian dynasty | ||
| Titles: | duc d'Orléans,
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| Founder: | Philippe de France, duc d'Orléans | ||
| Final ruler: | Louis-Philippe of France - King of the French from 1830 to 1848. | ||
| Current head: | Henri, comte de Paris, duc de France, Orléanist claimant to the French throne | ||
| Founding year: | 1661 | ||
| Dissolution: | 1848 | ||
| Ethnicity: | French | ||
| Cadet branches: | House of Orléans-Braganza | ||
.jpg/200px-Philippe_d'Orleans,_regent,_et_Marie_Madeleine_de_la_Vieuville,_Comtesse_de_Parabere_(Jean-Baptiste_Santerre).jpg)
Orléans is the name used by several branches of the Royal House of France, all descended in the legitimate male line from the dynasty's royal founder, Hugh Capet. It became a tradition during France's ancien régime for the dukedom of Orléans to be granted as an appanage to a younger (usually the second surviving) son of the king. While each of the Orléans branches thus descended from a junior prince, they were always among the king's nearest relations in the male line, sometimes asipiring and sometimes succeeding to the throne itself.
The last cadet branch to hold the ducal title descended from Henri de Bourbon, duc de Vendôme, who became king (nominally) in 1589, and is sometimes known as the "House of Bourbon-Orleans" (Maison de Bourbon-Orléans). From 1709 until the French Revolution the Orléans dukes were next in the order of succession to the French throne after members of the seniormost branch of the House of Bourbon. Louis XIII's younger brother and younger son were granted the dukedom successively in 1626 and 1661, and since they had contemporaneous living descendants, there were actually two Bourbon-Orléans branches at court during the reign of Louis XIV.
The elder of these branches consisted of Gaston, duc d'Orléans, younger son of Henri IV, and the four daughters of his two marriages. The junior and final House of Orléans descended from Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, Louis XIV's younger brother (who, as such, was known at court simply as Monsieur). Although Louis XIV's direct descendants retained the throne, his brother Philippe's descendants flourished until the end of the French monarchy, held the crown from 1830 to 1848, and are still extant as pretenders.
[edit] The Dukes of Orléans (sixth creation 1661)
As members of the king's dynasty, the Orléans family constantly interacted with the immediate royal family at the palace of Versailles. From 1723 the Orléans dukes each ranked as premier prince du sang, and were entitled to the style Monsieur le Prince. Although Monsieur and his son were considered part of the king's immediate family and, as such, enjoyed the style of "Royal Highness" (altesse royale), Monsieur's more remote agnatic descendants, ranking as Princes and Princesses of the Blood, were entitled to be addressed as "Most Serene Highness" (altesse sérénissime).
[edit] Philippe de France
The children of Monsieur's first marriage to Henrietta Anne Stuart were:
- Marie Louise d'Orléans (March 27 1662 – 12 February 1689), wife of Charles II of Spain.
- She died childless before her father in Madrid.
- Philippe Charles, duc de Valois (July 16 1664 – 8 December 1666)
- a daughter born July 9 1665, who died shortly thereafter.
- Anne Marie d'Orléans (August 27 1669 – 26 August 1728), first wife of Victor Amadeus II of Savoy, first King of Sardinia whom she wed in 1684.
Of his second marriage to Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine:
- Alexandre Louis, duc de Valois. (2 June 1673 – 16 March 1676)
- Philippe II d'Orléans (August 2 1674 – 2 December 1723)
- who would become Regent of France during Louis XV's minority.
- male-line ancestor of Philippe Egalité, Louis Philippe I, King of the French, and of the modern Orléanist pretenders to the crown of France.
- Élisabeth Charlotte (September 13 1676 – 23 December 1744), wife of Leopold, Duke of Lorraine
- their son Francis Stephan (1708 – 1765) — became Holy Roman Emperor, father to Marie Antoinette (1755 – 1793), and progenitor of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty, Emperors of Austria until 1918.
[edit] Philippe II d'Orléans
As only a petit-fils de France (i.e., not a son of the king or dauphin), Monsieur's son, Philippe II, was named "Philippe d'Orléans" rather than "Philippe de France". The use of d'Orléans for future generations of the house was reaffirmed by law during the reign of his descendent, King Louis-Philippe of the French.[verification needed]
Also known to history as the Regent of France, he ruled the kingdom from 1715 until his death in 1723. His wife, Françoise-Marie de Bourbon, was a legitimised daughter of Louis XIV by his mistress, Madame de Montespan, and was therefore his first cousin.
As a wedding gift, Louis XIV gave the Orléans family full ownership of the Palais Royal in Paris. This generous offering was meant as an incentive for Philippe I, the father of the groom, to accept the marriage because it was well-known that the duke's wife despised the king's illegitimate children.[2][verification needed] The Orléans were already lodgers in the palace and had been since the beginning of Louis' reign. With the wedding, the Orléans could claim official ownership.
Children
As regent, Philippe II was the de facto ruler of France from 1715 till 1723, the year of his death. The duke used his power to marry off his six daughters to the rich and powerful. [3][verification needed] Even his son was later made to marry a German princess from the state of Baden-Baden.
- Mademoiselle de Valois (17 December 1693 – 17 October 1694)
- Marie Louise Élisabeth (20 August 1695 – 21 July 1719).
- Married Charles, duc de Berry
- Louise Adélaïde (13 August 1698 – 10 February 1743).
- Charlotte Aglaé (20 October 1700 – 19 January 1761).
- Married Francis III, Duke of Modena
- Louis d'Orléans (4 August 1703 – 4 February 1752).
- Louise Élisabeth (11 December 1709 – 16 June 1742).
- Married Louis, King of Spain
- Philippine Elisabeth (18 December 1714 – 21 May 1734). Was engaged to Don Carlos of Spain
- Louise Diane (27 June 1716 – 26 September 1736).
[edit] Louis d'Orléans
After his father died, Louis d'Orléans (1703–1752) was entitled to be known as Monsieur le Prince, the style associated with the title of First Prince of the Blood. The First Prince was always the eldest living male relative who was neither his sibling, nephew, or a descendent of the king.[4] His father could have used the title but chose not to because he held the higher rank of fils de France#petit-fils de France. The new duke's wife, was therefore known at court as Madame la Princesse.[verification needed]
- Was the grandson of Louis XIV and his brother younger Philip I, Duke of Orléans. He was recognised as the Premier Prince du Sang after the death of his father.
Children
[edit] Louis Philippe I d'Orléans
Louis Philippe I d'Orléans, 4th Duke of Orléans (1725–1785). He succeeded his father and became a very famous soldier. He fought in the War of Austrian Succession, the campaigns of 1742, 1743 and 1744, and at the Battle of Fontenoy.
Children
- A girl (1745 - 1745)
- Louis Philippe II d'Orléans (1747–1793), who succeeded his father as duc d'Orléans in 1785. During the French Revolution, he became better known as Philippe-Égalité;
- Bathilde d'Orléans (1750–1822), who married Louis Henry II, Prince of Condé.
[edit] Louis Philippe II d'Orléans
Louis Philippe II Joseph d'Orléans, duc d'Orléans (1747–1793) was the head of the Orléans house from 1785 until his execution in 1793. As mentioned before, he voted for the execution of his cousin Louis XVI.
- Also known as Philippe Égalité.
Children
- Louis-Philippe (1773-1850), King of the French from 1830 to 1848
- Antoine Philippe d'Orléans (1775-1807), duc de Montpensier - died in exile.
- Louise Marie Adélaïde (1777-1847)
- daughter (1777-1782), a twin of the above.
- Louis Charles Alphonse, Comte de Beaujolais (1779-1808), died during exile.
[edit] Louis Philippe III d'Orléans
He was the eldest son of Philippe Égalité and his wife, the heiress Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon-Penthièvre. She was the last remaining member of the vastly wealthy House of Bourbon-Penthièvre, who were cousins of the House of Orléans through a shared ancestry with Madame de Montespan. He took the title of duc d'Orléans after the execution of his father, in 1793.
- Louis Philippe III, 6th Duke of Orléans (1773-1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848.
Children
- Ferdinand-Philippe, Duke of Orléans (b. September 3, 1810–d. 1842) married Helena of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.
- Louise-Marie of Orléans (b. April 3, 1812–d. 1850) married Leopold I of Belgium. Children included Leopold II and Carlota of Mexico.
- Marie of Orléans (b. April 12, 1813–d. 1839) married Duke Alexander of Württemberg (b. 1804–d. 1881).
- Louis Charles Philippe Raphael, Duke of Nemours (b. October 25, 1814–d. 1896) married Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Kohary (b. 1822–d. 1857).
- Francisca of Orléans (b. March 28, 1816–d. 1818)
- Clémentine of Orléans (b. June 3, 1817–d. 1907) married August of Saxe-Coburg-Kohary (b. 1818–d. 1881).
- François, Prince of Joinville (b. August 14, 1818–d. 1900) married Francisca of Brazil (b. 1824–d. 1898), daughter of Pedro I of Brazil.
- Charles, Duke of Penthièvre (b. January 1, 1820–d. 1828)
- Henri, Duke of Aumale (b. June 16, 1822–d. 1897) married Maria Carolina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (b. 1822–d. 1869).
- Antoine, Duke of Montpensier (b. July 31, 1824–d. 1890), married Luisa Fernanda of Spain (b. 1832–d. 1897) daughter of Ferdinand VII of Spain and became a prince of Spain.
[edit] Ferdinand Philippe d'Orléans
- Ferdinand Philippe d'Orléans, Duc d'Orléans (1810–1842) eldest son of King Louis Philippe.
Children
- Philippe, Count of Paris (1838-1894), Prince Royal, who married Marie Isabelle of Orléans, Princess of Spain (1848—1919).
- Robert, duc de Chartres (1840-1910), married Françoise of Orléans (b.1844-d.1925).
[edit] Philippe d'Orléans
- Philippe d'Orléans, Duc d'Orléans (1869– 1926) eldest son of Louis-Philippe, Comte de Paris
Note: in some sense, all heads of the House of Orléans since 1830 have been entitled to the use of the title Duke of Orléans, whether or not they have done so. This is regardless of whether they were First prince of the Blood or not
[edit] Under the Ancien Régime
[edit] Under Louis XIV
The modern house of Orléans was founded by the younger brother of King Louis XIV, Philippe I, Duke of Orléans. He was a Prince du Sang as he was a legitimate member of the senior House of Bourbon and a Fils de France as he was a son of Louis XIII of France. At court, he was known as Le Petit Monsieur while his uncle, Gaston, Duke of Orléans was still alive. Gaston was known as Le Grand Monsieur.
Gaston, Duke of Orléans became the Duke of Orléans in 1626. He held that title till his death in 1660. After his death, the king gave his appanages to his younger brother.
Before then, Philippe had been known as the duc d'Anjou. Besides receiving the appanage of Orléans, he also received the duchies of Valois and Chartres. Until the birth of his nephew, the Dauphin Louis, the Duke of Orléans was one of the most important members of the royal family at court after his brother Louis XIV. He was to maintain a very high position at court till his death in 1701.
[edit] Prince du Sang
In 1709, the 5th Prince de Condé died. He was the Premier Prince du Sang and head of the House of Bourbon-Condé, a . As a result of this death, it was decided that the title of Premier Prince du Sang should pass to the House of Orléans as they were closer in blood to the throne of France.
From then on, the House of Orléans were the highest ranking Princes of the Blood, outranking all other cadet branches of the House of Bourbon. [5] From the time of Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, the Dukes of Orléans were allowed to use the title Premier Prince du Sang. This title allowed the First Prince to be addressed as Monsieur le Prince and to have a personal household.
The Orléans household was already large as it held the staff of Philippe II d'Orléans and his wife, the duchesse d'Orléans, but also the staff of his widowed mother, the Princesse Palatine. This new household, though not fully functional until 1723, contained almost 250 members ranging from footmen, gardeners, officers and even barbers.
[edit] La Régence
On the death of Louis XIV in September 1715, the new king, Louis XV, was but five years old and therefore not fit to rule. The country was then governed by the new kings older relative Philippe II d'Orléans as the regent of France.
This period in France, was known as La Régence, or the Regency, and gave the House of Orléans the chance to shine center stage in France. The Régent ruled France from his family residence in Paris, the Palais Royal. He installed the young Louis XV in the Palais du Louvre which was opposite the Palais Royal.
In January 1723 Louis XV gained his majority and, therefore, was allowed to govern the country on his own. At the end of the year in December, Le Régent died and his son, Louis d'Orléans succeeded to the family titles. Unlike his father, he chose to actively use the rank of Premier Prince du Sang.
[edit] Under Louis XV
Louis d'Orléans was a some what of a religious fanatic and died in the Monastery of StGenevieve in Paris[6] and his son and heir, Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, after having a distinguished military career, decided to live quietly with his mistress, the marquise de Montesson, at the Château de Sainte-Assise.
[edit] Louis XVI
The 4th Duke, Louis Philippe I d'Orléans and his wife Louise Henriette de Bourbon-Conti had two children: Louis Philippe II d'Orléans, better known as Philippe Egalité, and Louise Marie Thérèse Bathilde d'Orléans.
As the duc de Chartres, Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans married one of his cousins, Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon-Penthièvre. She was the sole heiress of the hugely wealthy House of Bourbon-Penthièvre.
She brought to the Orléans huge wealth as well as lands and titles. The duchesse de Chartres had a dowry of 6 million livres, the modern equivalent of almost £20 million, and an annual allowance of over 500,000 livres, the modern equivalent of almost £1.7 million per year. Later, she received upon the death of her father, the famous Bourbon-Penthièvre lands and various châteaux.
Philippe Egalité was executed during the French Revolution in 1793. His wife outlived him by almost thirty years.
Louise Marie Thérèse Bathilde d'Orléans married Louis Henry II, Prince of Condé the last Prince de Condé and was the mother of the murdered duc d'Enghien. She died in 1822, the same year as her sister-in-law the duchesse d'Orléans. They were both buried in the Chapelle royale de Dreux.
[edit] Revolution
At the time of the French Revolution, the current Duke of Orléans, Louis Philippe II d'Orléans, known as Philippe Egalité, earned special notoriety for being the only person of royal blood to actively support the Revolution.
He went so far as to vote for the execution of his cousin, King Louis XVI, an act which earned him the undying hostility of a large number of French monarchists. He remained in prison until October, the beginning of the Reign of Terror. He was shortlisted for a trial on October 3, and effectively tried and guillotined in the space of one day on the orders of Maximilien Robespierre.
Most of the Orléans family were forced to flee. The new duc d'Orléans had fled to Austria several months before the execution of his father. His brother, the duc de Montpensier, died in England, and his sister fled to Switzerland after being imprisoned for awhile. The youngest brother, Louis Charles, was thrown into a prison in the south of France (Fort-Saint-Jean in Marseille) in 1793 but later escaped to the USA. He too died in exile. Only the widow of Philippe Egalité was able to remain in France untouched for any amount of time. In 1797, she was banished to Spain with the few remaining Bourbons who still lived in France.
In 1814 during the Bourbon Restoration, the three remaining members of the family, the duc d'Orléans, his mother and sister, returned to Paris.
[edit] July Monarchy
In 1830, following the French July Revolution, the House of Orléans became the ruling house when the elder line restored Bourbon monarch Charles X was replaced by the then current duc, Louis Philippe III d'Orléans, son of Philippe Egalité.
Louis Philippe ruled as a constitutional monarch, and was called King of the French, not of France. His reign lasted until the Revolution of 1848, when he abdicated and fled to England.
Even after his ouster, an Orléanist faction remained active, supporting a return of the House of Orléans to power. Legitimist monarchists however continued to uphold the rights of the elder line of Bourbons who came close to regaining the throne after the fall of the Third Republic.
Louis-Philippe and his family lived in England until his death in Claremont, Surrey. Like his mother, he and his wife, Amelia (April 26, 1782–March 24, 1866), were buried at the Chapelle royale de Dreux.
In 1883, the comte de Chambord, the Legitimist heir of the old elder line of French Bourbons, died without children. As a result, some of his Legitimist followers decided to finally recognize the House of Orléans as the heirs to the throne of France.
However, a portion of the Legitimists, still resentful of the revolutionary credentials of the House of Orléans, transferred their loyalties to the Carlist heirs of the Bourbons of Spain, even though the Spanish Bourbons had renounced their claims to the French throne centuries earlier.
Thus to their supporters, not only are the House of Orléans the heirs to the constitutionalist title of King of the French, but also to the Legitimist title of King of France and Navarre.
[edit] Contemporary House of Orléans
The head of the house today is Henri, comte de Paris, duc de France. Born June 14, 1933) is a claimant to the French throne. If he were king, he would be Henry VII. For the Orléanists, he is the heir of King Louis Philippe of the French; for Unionists, the heir of Henri, comte de Chambord, and so of Charles X of France.
He is directly descended from:
- Henry IV of France
- Louis XIII of France
- Louis XIV of France
- Philippe I, Duke of Orléans (founder of the house)
- Henrietta Anne Stuart - his first wife and great-grand daughter of Mary I of Scotland
- Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine - his second wife also related to Mary I of Scotland
- Louis XV of France
- The Medici family
- Françoise-Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan
- Spanish, Portuguese and Italian royalty
- Pedro II of Brazil, the last Emperor of Brazil
- Maria Theresa of Austria
- Ferdinand VII of Spain
- The Royal house of the Prince de Condé
- The Royal house of the Prince de Conti
- The semi-royal house of the Bourbon-Penthièvre family
- The House of Lorraine
- The House of Habsburg
- The House of Braganza
- The House of Capet
[edit] Present Family
On July 5, 1957, he married Duchess Marie-Thérèse of Württemberg (born 1934). He received the title comte de Clermont. Five children were born from this union.
- Marie Isabelle Marguerite Anne Geneviève (born January 3, 1959, Boulogne sur Seine) married civilly in Dreux, July 22, 1989 and religiously in Friedrichshafen, July 29, 1989 to Prince Gundakar Albert Alfred Petrus of Liechtenstein (born April 1, 1949, Vienna), and has issue
- François Henri Louis Marie (born February 7, 1961, Boulogne sur Seine), Count of Clermont, severely disabled.
- Princess Blanche Elisabeth Rose Marie of Orléans (born September 10, 1962, Ravensburg), severely disabled.
- Jean Charles Pierre Marie (born May 19, 1965, Boulogne sur Seine), Duke of Vendôme and Dauphin de Viennois, unmarried.
- Eudes Thibaut Joseph Marie (born March 18, 1968, Paris), Duke of Angoulême, married civ in Dreux, June 19, 1999 and rel in Antrain, July 10, 1999 to Marie-Liesse Claude Anne Rolande de Rohan-Chabot (born June 29, 1969, Paris), with whom he has two children
[edit] Ancestors of Henri, Count of Paris
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16. Ferdinand Philippe, Duke of Orléans | |||||||||||||||
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8. Robert, Duke of Chartres |
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18. François, Prince of Joinville | |||||||||||||||
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9. Princess Françoise of Orléans |
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19. Princess Francisca of Brazil | |||||||||||||||
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2. Henri, Count of Paris |
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20. Ferdinand Philippe, Duke of Orléans =16 | |||||||||||||||
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10. Philippe, Count of Paris |
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21. Duchess Hélène of Mecklenburg-Schwerin =17 | |||||||||||||||
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5. Princess Isabelle of Orléans |
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22. Antoine, Duke of Montpensier | |||||||||||||||
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11. Princess Marie Isabelle of Orléans |
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23. Infanta Luisa Fernanda of Spain | |||||||||||||||
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1. Henri, Count of Paris & Duke of France |
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24. Louis, Duke of Nemours | |||||||||||||||
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12. Gaston, Count of Eu |
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25. Princess Victoria of Koháry | |||||||||||||||
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6. Prince Pedro de Alcantara of Orléans-Braganza |
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13. Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil |
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27. Teresa of the Two Sicilies | |||||||||||||||
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3. Princess Isabelle of Orléans-Braganza |
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28. Count John Nepomuk Dobrzensky | |||||||||||||||
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14. Count John Dobrzensky |
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29. Baroness Maria Friederike Wanczura | |||||||||||||||
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7. Countess Elisabeth Dobrzensky |
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30. Count Joseph Kottulinsky | |||||||||||||||
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15. Countess Elisabeth Kottulinsky |
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31. Countess Adelaide von Attems | |||||||||||||||
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[edit] Appanages
Throughout the years of the Ancien Régime, the Orléans household received vast riches in terms of wealth, land and property. Under Philippe de France and the rule of his older brother Louis XIV, the House of Bourbon-Orléans received:
- The ducal titles of Orléans, Valois, Chartres and the lordship of Montargis. This occurred in 1661, shortly after the death of Gaston, Duke of Orléans, who had no male descendants. The family could have also received the county of Blois and with it the Château de Blois, Château de Chambord and also the governorship of Languedoc but Philippe de France was refused these by his brother.
- In 1672 Louis XIV added the duchy of Nemours, the earldoms of Dourdan and Romorantin and the marquessates of Coucy and of Folembray.
- In 1692, Philippe's son and heir, Philippe II married Françoise-Marie de Bourbon,an illegitimate daughter of his brother Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan. In order to convince his brother to allow his son to marry one of his illegitimate daughters, the king gave him the Palais Royal, in Paris and promised him a huge dowry of 2 million Livres. This palace became the Paris residence of the Dukes of Orléans until 1792.
- The Orléans canal, built by Philippe de France, was also the family possession and the family used it to transport their timber from the Orléans forest to the capital where it was sold. The canal was nationalised during the revolution.
Under the Le Régent:
- Little known but he did increse his wifes annual allowance to to 400,000 Livres [7] while he was in power. He also bought many builings around Paris but many of them were sold by his grandson. It was also he who bought the Regent diamond, also known as Le Régent after him, to stay at the Louvre in Paris.
Under Louis d'Orléans:
- In 1740, Louis XV added the Hôtel de Grand-Ferrare at Fontainebleau
- The King also added earldom of Soissons in 1751 and the domains of Laon, Crépy and Noyon.
- Under him, the annual family alloance by 1734 was over the 1 million mark in livres. This was just from the rents from the duchies of Orléans, Valois, Chartres and the lodship of Montargis. The sale of timber, which was sourced from the family forests such as the huge Orléans forest, helped to add 500,000 Livres
Under Louis Philippe I d'Orléans:
- The Orléans received the towns of La Fère, Marle, Ham, Saint-Gobain, the Hôtel Duplessis-Châtillon and the rents from the Ourcq canal.
- The family also the county of Soissons and the domains of Laon, Crépy and Noyon were added to the apanage. The family also acquired the Hôtel Duplessis-Chatillon under his reign
Because the Dukes of Orléans were also the Premier Princes du Sang, they received a personal household of 265 officers. At the time of the French Revolution in 1789, the revenue from the apanage was 5,756 million livres, the modern equivalent to £20 billion today. Along with owning towns and buildings, the family owned forests located in the duchies: the forests of Orléans, Beaugency, Montargis, Romorantin, Dourdan, Bruadan, Villers-Cotterêts (at which they had a château), Laigne, Coucy, La Fère, Marle, Saint-Gobin: all of which the family received rents.
- The original apanage was returned to the Orléans family in May, 1814 by Louis XVIII, and united with the domain of the State with Louis-Philippe's accession on August 9, 1830, at which time it was worth about 2.5 million Francs in annual income.
[edit] Finances and Inheritances
Upon the death of the Duc d'Orléans's father-in-law in 1793 (the hugly wealthy duc de Penthièvre), the House of Orléans became the richest in France. They received vast rents on lands all over France and owned various châteaux. Along with their government and because the family were known as the Premier Princes du Sang, they often received fortunes and titles from inheritances:
- In 1693 after the death of Philippe I's older cousin, La Grande Mademoiselle.
- From this the family received the ducal titles of Montpensier, Châtellerault, the marquessate of Mézières-en-Brenne, the earldoms of Mortain, of Bar-sur-Seine, the Viscountcies of Auge and of Domfront.
- In addition, he also received the barony of Beaujolais, which was later raised to the rank of earldom, and the principality of Joinville.
- In 1769, Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon-Penthièvre,the greatest heiress of her time as the sole surviving child of her father, the famously wealthy duc de Penthièvre, married her cousin, Louis Philippe II d'Orléans, then duc de Chatres and later called Philippe Égalité.
- After the wedding, the Duke of Orléans received his wife's dowry of six million livres, the equivalent of around £20,000,000 today.
- The Orléans couple then gained an annual income of 240,000 Livres. This later increased to 400,000 Livres. The couple also received furniture as part of the marriage settlement.
- The death of the duc de Penthièvre.
- In 1793 the wealthy Duc de Penthièvre died and left his whole fortune and lands to his daughter Louise Marie Adélaïde. His previous heir had been his son, the prince de Lamballe, who died young in 1768.
- Sale of the Château de Saint-Cloud.
- The sale of the Château de Saint-Cloud in 1785 bought the family another large sum of money. The buyer of the château was none other then the Queen of France herself Marie Antoinette. The price of the sale was another 6 million Livres. It was sold to her by her husband's cousin Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans.
[edit] Residences and Land
[edit] Château de Saint-Cloud
Over the years the House of Orléans collected various châteaux and palaces. Originally, their official residence was the beautiful Château de Saint-Cloud. This was bought by Philippe de France for 240,000 livres in 1658. The château was considered to be one of the more attractive of all of the royal residences and the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles is said to have been inspired by the Galerie d'Apollon at Saint-Cloud.
As the home of the king's brother, Saint-Cloud was the scene of many parties and various historical events. The duc's first wife, Princess Henrietta-Anne of England, died there in 1670. When the duc died, his son, the Régent, preferred to reside at the Palais Royal in Paris until his death in 1723. The son of the Régent, Louis d'Orléans, preferred to stay at the Château du Raincy, another one of their homes.
Saint-Cloud was sold by Louis Philippe I, duc d'Oréans to the queen, Marie Antoinette, as it was thought the country air would help to heal her young son, the constantly ill Dauphin Louis-Joseph. The sale price was six millions Livres [8]. The palace was destroyed by invading Germans at the end of the reign of Napoleon III of France during the Franco-Prussian War.
[edit] Palais Royal
This palace was the Paris residence of Monsieur. Originally the property of the Crown, the king's younger brother and his wives were allowed to live there by the consent of the king. Louis XIV later deeded ownership of it in 1692 to his brother's only son as a wedding gift in order to appease Monsieur into allowing his son to marry the king's illegitimate daughter in the first place. It was at the palace that Philippe Égalité orchestrated his attempt to displace King Louis XVI as the constitutional monarch of France. Unsuccessful, he was later executed in 1793.
It was confiscated during the French Revolution but was later given back to the House of Orléans during the Bourbon Restoration in 1814. When Louis Philippe III, duc d'Orléans assumed the throne of France as the King of the French in 1830, the palace was abandoned when he and his family moved to the Tuileries Palace.
[edit] Other Châteaux
The family also later acquired many other châteaux around the country. Among these were the:
- Château de Bagnolet in Paris. This was bought in 1719 by the "Regent", Philippe II, Duke of Orléans but was sold in 1769 by his grandson.
- Château du Raincy - bought in 1769 by the father of Philippe Égalité.
- Château de Maison-Rouge at Gagny - bought in 1771 from the Marquis de Montfermeil, it was confiscated during the revolution.
- Château de Saint-Leu, in the Val-d'Oise area of France. This would later be bought by Louis Bonaparte and his wife.
- Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans also acquired the land in the north east of Paris that became the Parc Monceau.
During the July Monarchy, the family acquired the:
- Château de Neuilly - on the borders of 18th century Paris.
- Château de Maison-Rouge in Gagny - this was given back to the family whilst the Bourbon-Orléans were on the throne of France.
- Château de la Ferté Vidame - this had also been confiscated during the French Revolution and was the property of Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon-Penthièvre. She had inherited it from her father. On her death it passed to her son, the future King Louis-Philippe of the French.
[edit] At Versailles
Also, along with these various residences around France, Philippe de France and his wife had apartments at the Palace of Versailles as did all other members of the House of Bourbon.
Before the court was officially moved to Versailles, and before the birth of his nephew, the king's son, the Dauphin Louis de France, in 1661, the Duc d'Orléans' apartments were where the Dauphin's now are located. The apartments looked over the Parterres du Midi of the south and were directly under the Grand Appartement de la reine.
After the dauphin's birth, the Orléans had to move to the north wing and occupied large quarters there. These looked out onto the Parterres du Midi of the south. The family also had appartments where the modern day Galerie des batailles are. This area was used by the duc himself, his second wife, Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine, his son, Philippe II and daughter-in-law, Françoise-Marie de Bourbon.
The appartments of the family were later moved to the bottom floor of the north wing, opposite the Chapelle Royal de Versailles this time looking over the Parterres du Midi of the north. The family had been moved in order to accommodate three of Louis XV's daughters, Madame Adélaïde, Madame Victoire and Madame Élisabeth. The family remained there till the French Revolution.
[edit] Cadet Branches
[edit] House of Orléans-Braganza
The House of Orléans was a cadet branch in its own right but did not fail to create one of its own. On October 15, 1864, at Rio de Janeiro the eldest son of Louis Charles Philippe Raphael d'Orléans (son of Louis Philippe of France) married Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil, eldest daughter and heiress (Princess Imperial) of Emperor Dom Pedro II of Brazil.
The Royal house of Braganza was the ruling house of Portugal. It was from that marriage the royal house of Orléans-Braganza was formed. Today they are the present claimants to the extinct throne of the old Empire of Brazil.
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[edit] Ruling House of France
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— ROYAL HOUSE —
House of Orléans
Cadet branch of the House of Bourbon
Founding year: 1661
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| Preceded by House of Bourbon |
Ruling House of France 9 August 1830 – 24 February 1848 |
Monarchy Abolished |
[edit] Chronology of French monarchs
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[edit] Pretenders to the Throne
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[edit] References
- ^ From the Bourbon-Montpensier inheritance
- ^ See:
- [1]
- Athénaïs:The Real Queen of France by Lisa Hilton
- Love and Louis XIV by Lady Antonia Fraser
- ^ See The Man Who Would be King: The Life of Philippe d'Orleans, Regent of France by Christine Pevitt
- ^ [2] -Premier Prince du Sang
- ^ [3] -Premier Prince du Sang
- ^ [4] - French
- ^ See The Man Who Would be King: The Life of Philippe d'Orleans, Regent of France by Christine Pevitt
- ^ Marie Antoinette by Lady Antonia Fraser
