Louise Henriette de Bourbon-Conti
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| Louise Henriette de Bourbon-Conti Duchess of Orléans |
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| Born | June 20, 1726 Paris, France |
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| Died | February 9, 1759 (aged 32) Paris |
| Nationality |  French |
| Occupation | Duchesse de Chartres (1743-1752) and Duchesse d'Orléans (1752-1759) |
| Spouse | Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans |
| Children | 1 Daughter; 2 Philippe-Égalité, Duke of Orléans; 3 Bathilde d'Orléans. |
| Parents | Louis Armand II, Prince of Conti, Louise-Élisabeth of Bourbon-Condé |
Louise Henriette de Bourbon-Conti, duchesse d'Orléans (June 20, 1726 – February 9, 1759) was a French princess, who by marriage was first the duchesse de Chartres (1743-1752) and later the duchesse d'Orléans (1752-1759).
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[edit] Life
She was the only daughter of Louis Armand II de Bourbon, Prince of Conti and Louise-Élisabeth de Bourbon-Condé. Her father's mother and her mother's father were siblings, therefore her parents were first cousins. Her mother was the oldest and favorite daughter of Louise-Françoise de Bourbon, herself the oldest surviving illegitimate daughter of Louis XIV and his most famous mistress, Madame de Montespan. As a member of the reigning House of Bourbon, Louise Henriette was a princesse du sang, "princess of the blood." In her youth she was known at court as Mademoiselle de Conti.
[edit] Marriage
Louise Henriette married a second cousin, Louis Philippe, the Duke of Chartres and heir to the House of Orléans, on December 17, 1743 at age 17 at the Chapelle du Château de Versailles.
Her mother, Louise-Élisabeth, hoped that the marriage would put an end to a family rivalry between the House of Bourbon-Condé and the House of Orléans. The source of conflict was animosity between Louise-Élisabeth's mother, the Princess of Condé, and her aunt, the Duchess of Orléans, both illegitimate daughters of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan. Louise Henriette's brother was married off to Louise Diane d'Orléans for the same purpose, that is, to diminish hostility within the family.
Louis of Bourbon, Duke of Orléans was the pious father of the groom. He had searched diligently for a suitable wife for his son and chose Louise Henriette because he wrongly believed that the princess's upbringing in a convent indicated that she was a model of Christian virtues. Rather, Louise Henriette caused much scandal during her marriage and she and Louis Philippe were unhappy together; consequently, her mother's attempt to smooth over the family rift was basically unsuccessful.
[edit] Children
The unhappy marriage produced three children:
- A daughter (born 12 or 13 July 1745 – December 14, 1745);
- Louis Philippe, Duc de Chartres (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), the last princesse de Condé, who married Louis Henry II, Prince of Condé.
During the Revolution her son, Philippe-Égalité, publicly claimed that his real father was not his mother's husband at all but instead a coachman at the Palais Royal. This is not very probable, considering the striking resemblance between father and son.
[edit] Death
Louise Henriette died young in 1759 at the Orléans residence in Paris, the Palais Royal. Her premature death was a consequence, it was said, of her debaucheries. Her son and daughter were 11 and eight years old, respectively.
Following her death, her husband went through a series of mistresses, ultimately finding the love of his life, the witty but married Madame de Montesson. With Montesson he had another three children.
[edit] Ancestry
| Louise Henriette de Bourbon-Conti, Duchess of Orléans | Father: Louis Armand II, Prince of Conti |
Paternal Grandfather: François Louis, Prince of Conti |
Paternal Great-grandfather: Armand, Prince of Conti |
| Paternal Great-grandmother: Anne Marie Martinozzi |
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| Paternal Grandmother: Marie-Thérèse de Bourbon-Condé |
Paternal Great-grandfather: Henry III Jules, Prince of Condé |
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| Paternal Great-grandmother: Anne-Henriette, Princess Palatine |
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| Mother: Louise-Élisabeth de Bourbon-Condé |
Maternal Grandfather: Louis III, Prince of Condé |
Maternal Great-grandfather: Henry III Jules, Prince of Condé |
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| Maternal Great-grandmother: Anne-Henriette, Princess Palatine |
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| Maternal Grandmother: Louise-Françoise de Bourbon |
Maternal Great-grandfather: Louis XIV of France |
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| Maternal Great-grandmother: Françoise-Athénaïs, Marquess of Montespan |
[edit] Titles
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Louise Henriette de Bourbon-Conti
Born: June 20 1726 Died: February 9 1759 |
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| French royalty | ||
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| Preceded by Louise-Élisabeth de Bourbon-Condé |
duchesse d'Étampes 1752–1759 |
Succeeded by Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon-Penthièvre |
| Preceded by Auguste Marie Johanna of Baden-Baden |
duchesse d'Orléans 1752–1759 |
Succeeded by Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon-Penthièvre |
| Royal titles | ||
| Preceded by Auguste Marie Johanna of Baden-Baden |
Madame la Princesse 1752–1759 |
Succeeded by Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon-Penthièvre |
