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House of Orléans

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House of Orléans
Parent houseHouse of Bourbon which in turn is from Capetian dynasty
CountryOrléans, France
Founded1661
FounderPhilippe I, Duke of Orléans - brother of King Louis XIV.
Current headHenri, comte de Paris, Orléanist claimant to the French throne
Final rulerLouis-Philippe of France - ruled as King of the Frech from 1830 to 1848.
TitlesDuke of Orléans,
Estate(s)France
Dissolution1848
Cadet branchesHouse of Orléans-Braganza
Philippe I, Duc d'Orléans, the founder of the House of Orléans
Philip II d'Orléans - the Regent of France for the young Louis XV.
Louis d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans, the 3d Duke
Louis Philippe I called le Gros or the Fat
File:M502004 87ee610 p.jpg
Philippe Égalité.
Louis Philippe of France, head of the House of Orléans when it ruled France
Prince Ferdinand-Philippe de France.

Also known as the House of Bourbon-Orléans or Maison de Bourbon-Orléans, for many centuries, the House of Orléans was a cadet branch of the main House of Bourbon. Both houses descended from King Louis XIII.

The senior line descended through the king's elder son, King Louis XIV, and the junior line through the king's younger son, Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, commonly known at court as Monsieur. As cousins of the king, the Orléans constantly interacted with the royal family at the court of Versailles.

The Dukes - Dukes of Orléans of the sixth creation (1661)

Members of the House of Orléans held the right to be addressed as 'Your Serene Highness' or Son Altesse Sérénissime in French. This kind of address is usually a title for families that have been Mediatized - which meant that they were able to marry into royalty. As members of the reigning House of Bourbon, the members of the family were considered Princes and Princesses of the Blood.

The Dukes of Orléans, after 1709, were also known as Monsieur le Prince as a result of their new status as Premier Prince du Sang. However, the first head of the family to use this style did not do so until 1723.

Philippe I, Duke of Orléans

As a "fils de France" (son of the king), Philippe I bore the appellation of de France (of France) after his personal name. Therefore, his official name was Philippe de France. However, he was better known at court by the traditional style of Monsieur. His older brother, King Louis XIV, gave him the title of Duke of Orléans in 1661 after the death of their uncle, Gaston, Duke of Orléans.

Children

  • Marie Louise (March 27 1662 – 12 February 1689), wife of Charles II of Spain.
    • She died childless before her father in Madrid.
  • Philippe Charles, Duke of Valois (July 16 1664 – 8 December 1666)
  • a daughter born July 9 1665, who died shortly thereafter.
  • Anne Marie (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:

Philippe II, Duke of Orléans

As only a "petit-fils de France" (grandson of the king), and not a son of the king, Philippe II was not called Philippe de France like his father but had to assume the name of the family appanage of Orléans after his personal name. As a result, he was officially called Philippe d'Orléans. This naming style for future generations of the House of Orléans was reaffirmed by law during the reign of his descendent, King Louis-Philippe of the French.

Also known to history as the Régent de France. He was ruled the kingdom of France from 1715 until his death in 1723. His wife, Françoise-Marie de Bourbon, was an illegitimate daughter of Louis XIV and his most famous 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 duc's wife despised the king's illegitimate children. 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 the Regent of France, Philippe II was therefore in charge of the government and was the de facto ruler of France from 1715 till 1723, the year of his death. The duc used his power to marry off his six daughters to the rich and powerful. Even his son was made to marry a German Princess from the state of Baden-Baden.

Louis I, Duke of Orléans

After his father died, the new duc was 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 of the king. His father could've used the title but chose not to. The new duc's wife, was therefore known at court as Madame la Princesse.

Children

Louis Philippe I, Duke of 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

Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans

He 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.

Children

Louis Philippe III, Duke of 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.

Children

Ferdinand Philippe d'Orléans

Children

Philippe d'Orléans

Note that 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

Under the Ancien Régime

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 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.

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. 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, Duke of 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.

La Régence

Philippe II d'Orléans with his Protégée, Louis XV.

On the death of Louis XIV in 1715, the new king, Louis XV, was but five years old. The country was ruled by Philippe II, Duke of Orléans as regent.

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 opposite from 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 I, Duke of Orléans succeeded to the family titles. Unlike his father, he chose to actively use the rank of Premier Prince du Sang.

Under Louis XV

Template:Governments of France Louis I, Duke of Orléans was a religious fanatic 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.

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, 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.

Revolution

Louis XVI's execution. His cousin, Philippe Égalité voted for his infamous state murder

At the time of the French Revolution, the current Duke of Orléans, Louis Philippe II, Duke of 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. Louise Marie Adélaïde managed to escape as well. Her other son, the Duc de Montpensier, died in England, and her daughter fled to Switzerland after being imprisoned for awhile. Her youngest son Louis-Charles, Count of Beaujolais, was thrown into a prison in the south of France (Fort-Saint-Jean in Marseille) in 1793 but later escaped to the USA.

July Monarchy

File:Louis-Philippe coa.png
The arms of Le Roi des Française

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 Louis Philippe, 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 1814, 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.

Contemporary House of Orléans

A family tree of the Bourbon main line and the Bourbon-Orléans. As can be seen the family started with the only 2 sons of Louis XIII.

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:


Present Family

On July 5, 1957, he married Duchess Marie-Thérèse of Württemberg (born 1934). He received the title Count of Clermont. Five children were born from this union.

  1. 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
  2. François Henri Louis Marie (born February 7, 1961, Boulogne sur Seine), Count of Clermont, severely disabled.
  3. Princess Blanche Elisabeth Rose Marie of Orléans (born September 10, 1962, Ravensburg), severely disabled.
  4. Jean Charles Pierre Marie (born May 19, 1965, Boulogne sur Seine), Duke of Vendôme and Dauphin de Viennois, unmarried.
  5. 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

Ancestors of Henri, Count of Paris

16. Ferdinand Philippe, Duke of Orléans
8. Robert, Duke of Chartres
17. Duchess Hélène of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
4. Jean, Duke of Guise
18. François, Prince of Joinville
9. Princess Françoise of Orléans
19. Princess Francisca of Brazil
2. Henri, Count of Paris
20. Ferdinand Philippe, Duke of Orléans
10. Philippe, Count of Paris
21. Duchess Hélène of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
5. Princess Isabelle of Orléans
22. Antoine, Duke of Montpensier
11. Princess Marie Isabelle of Orléans
23. Infanta Luisa Fernanda of Spain
1. Henri,
Count of Paris & Duke of France
24. Louis, Duke of Nemours
12. Gaston, Count of Eu
25. Princess Victoria of Koháry
6. Prince Pedro de Alcantara of Orléans-Braganza
26. Pedro II of Brazil
13. Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil
27. Teresa of the Two Sicilies
3. Princess Isabelle of Orléans-Braganza
28. Count John Nepomuk Dobrzensky
14. Count John Dobrzensky
29. Baroness Maria Friederike Wanczura
7. Countess Elisabeth Dobrzensky
30. Count Joseph Kottulinsky
15. Countess Elisabeth Kottulinsky
31. Countess Adelaide von Attems

Apanages

Throughout the years of the Ancien Régime, the Orléans household received vast riches in terms of wealth, land and property. Under Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, the 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.
  • 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. This palace became the Paris residence of the Dukes of Orléans until 1792.

Under Louis I, Duke of 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 Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans:

  • The Orléans received the towns of La Fère, Marle, Ham, Saint-Gobain, the Hôtel Duplessis-Châtillon and the rents from the Ourcq canal.

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.

A posthumous mural commisioned around 1670 by Philippe I, Duke of Orléans.It shows the French Bourbon Family around that time. It includes: Henrietta Maria of France (d 1669), exiled Queen of England; Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, founder of the House of Orléans; his first wife Henrietta Anne Stuart (d 1670); the couples first daughter Maria Luisa of Orléans (later Queen of Spain);Anne of Austria (d 1666); the Orléans daughters of Gaston, Duke of Orléans; Louis XIV; the Dauphin of France with his mother Maria Theresa of Spain with her third daughter Marie-Thérèse de France, called Madame Royale (d 1672) and her second son Philippe-Charles de France, duc d'Anjou (d1671). The first daughter of Gaston stands on the far right:Anne, Duchess of Montpensier. The picture frame with the two children are the other 2 daughters of Louis and Maria Theresa who died in 1662 and 1664.

Finances and Inheritances

Château du Raincy.

Upon the death of the Duc d'Orléans's father-in-law in 1793, 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 as 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, 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.

Residences and Land

File:Maquette chateausaint-cloud.jpg
model of the Château de Saint Cloud as it was at the time of Monsieurs death in 1701.

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 I, Duke of Orléans 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, prefered to reside at the Palais Royal in Paris until his death in 1723.

The son of the Régent, Louis I, Duke of Orléans, preferred to stay at the Château du Raincy, another one of their homes.

Saint-Cloud was sold by Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans 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. The palace was destroyed by invading Germans at the end of the reign of Napoleon III of France during the Franco-Prussian War.

Other residences included:

Palais-Royal and its gardens, in a Paris map, 1739. The palace itself fronts on its small square.
  • 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.
  • The Château de Maison-Rouge à 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 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 à 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.

At Versailles

The Parterre du Midi of the South at the Palace of Versailles.

Also, along with these various residences around France, Philippe I, Duke of Orléans and his wife had apartments at the Palace of Versailles as did all other members of the House of Bourbon. Before the birth of his nephew, the king's son, theDauphin Louis, 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 north. 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, Duke of Orléans and daughter-in-law, Françoise-Marie de Bourbon.

Ruling House of France

— Royal house —House of OrléansCadet branch of the House of BourbonFounding year: 1661
Preceded byHouse of Bourbon Ruling House of France
9 August 1830 – 24 February 1848 		Monarchy Abolished
Second French Republic declared

Chronology of French monarchs

Monarchs of France
Merovingians (509–751)
Carolingians,
Robertians and Bosonids (751–987)
House of Capet (987–1328)
House of Valois (1328–1589)
House of Lancaster (1422–1453)
House of Bourbon (1589–1792)
House of Bonaparte (1804–1814; 1815)
House of Bourbon (1814–1815; 1815–1830)
House of Orléans (1830–1848)
House of Bonaparte (1852–1870)
Debatable or disputed rulers are in italics.
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