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'''Philippe de France, duc d'Orléans''' ([[September 21]], [[1640]] – [[June 8]], [[1701]]) was the second son of [[Louis XIII of France]] and [[Anne of Austria]], and thus the younger brother of the future [[Louis XIV of France]]. |
'''Philippe de France, duc d'Orléans''' ([[September 21]], [[1640]] – [[June 8]], [[1701]]) was the second son of [[Louis XIII of France]] and [[Anne of Austria]], and thus the younger brother of the future [[Louis XIV of France]]. |
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As the son of a king of France, he was a [[Fils de France]] (Son of France) as well as a [[Prince of the Blood]]. He was directly |
As the son of a king of France, he was a [[Fils de France]] (Son of France) as well as a [[Prince of the Blood]]. He was directly descended from the Houses of [[House of Aviz|Aviz]], [[House of Habsburg|Habsburg]] and the mainline of the [[House of Bourbon]]. |
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*He is now known for being the founder of the modern [[House of Orléans]] with his second wife who was known as [[Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine|La Princesse Palatine]] or also known as [[Madame]]. It is today headed by [[Henri, comte de Paris, duc de France|Prince Henri Philippe Pierre Marie d'Orléans]]. He was also a descendant of [[Louis XV]], [[Louis XVI]], [[Marie Antoinette]] and the [[Brazilian Imperial Family]]. |
*He is now known for being the founder of the modern [[House of Orléans]] with his second wife who was known as [[Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine|La Princesse Palatine]] or also known as [[Madame]]. It is today headed by [[Henri, comte de Paris, duc de France|Prince Henri Philippe Pierre Marie d'Orléans]]. He was also a descendant of [[Louis XV]], [[Louis XVI]], [[Marie Antoinette]] and the [[Brazilian Imperial Family]]. |
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Revision as of 19:36, 28 April 2008
Philippe de France, duc d'Orléans | |
|---|---|
 Philippe de France, duc d'Orléans | |
| Born | September 7, 1640 invalid month |
| Died | Error: Need valid birth date (second date): year, month, day |
| Occupation(s) | No court jobs; Known as Monsieur; was the duc d'Orléans from 1660 - 1701 |
| Spouse(s) | Princess Henrietta Anne of England Elizabeth Charlotte, Countess Palatine of Simmern |
| Children | 1 Marie Louise d'Orléans 2 Philippe Charles d'Orléans, duc de Valois 3 Anne Marie d'Orléans 4 Alexandre Louis d'Orléans, duc de Valois 5 Philippe Charles, Philippe II duc d'Orléans 6 Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans 5 stillborn children. |
| Parent(s) | Louis XIII Anne of Austria |
Philippe de France, duc d'Orléans (September 21, 1640 – June 8, 1701) was the second son of Louis XIII of France and Anne of Austria, and thus the younger brother of the future Louis XIV of France.
As the son of a king of France, he was a Fils de France (Son of France) as well as a Prince of the Blood. He was directly descended from the Houses of Aviz, Habsburg and the mainline of the House of Bourbon.
- He is now known for being the founder of the modern House of Orléans with his second wife who was known as La Princesse Palatine or also known as Madame. It is today headed by Prince Henri Philippe Pierre Marie d'Orléans. He was also a descendant of Louis XV, Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and the Brazilian Imperial Family.
- He was known for his stunning victory at the Battle of Cassel which was fought against The Prince of Orange, Count of Nassau at the town of Cassel in northern France. He was never thanked for his victoy by his brother Louis XIV.
- He was also responsible for the construction of the Château de Saint-Cloud, extensions to the Palais Royal and was a leading architectural patron of his day. His gallery at his Château at Saint-Cloud was said to have inspired the present day Galerie des Glaces at the Palace of Versailles.
Early Life
Philippe was born at the Château de Saint-Cloud in the town of Saint-Germain-en-Laye outside Paris on September 21, 1640. From birth he was known as the duc d'Anjou or fully styled as Philippe de France, duc d'Anjou. As he was the a son of france, he was allowed to hold the surname of de France (of France).
After the death of his distant father, Louis XIII his elder brother succeded as Louis XIV and Philippe was then known as Le Petit Monsieur as his uncle Le Grand Monsieur was still alive and was able to continue using that style. It was on the death of his unlce, in 1660 that he became fully known as Monsieur.
Upbringing
In order to discourage the tempestuous relationship that his father Louis XIII had had with his younger brother Gaston de France, it was decided from a very young age that Philippe would not be expected, even discouraged from, taking part in any political office, having no military control and not having financial freedom from the crown. It was from the Appanage of the Orléans lands and titles that he recieved most of the money he spent.
Traditionally, in the French court, a king's younger son was not given significant responsibility, and Philippe was no exception. Born at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, outside Paris, he was known as the duc d'Anjou till he succeeded to the Orléans titles on the death of his uncle Gaston, duc d'Orléans in 1660.
As an adult, Monsieur continued to enjoy wearing feminine clothing and fragrances, but also proved to be an exceptionally brave and competent commander in the field. He fought with distinction in the 1667 promenade militaire against Flanders during the War of Devolution, though he hastened back to his life at court immediately after victory was assured. Monsieur resumed military command in 1672, and in 1677 won a great victory at the Battle of Cassel and took St Omer.
Louis XIV, it was said, was jealous of his brother's success, therefore Monsieur never commanded an army again.
Youth
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During his youth, his behavior was closly monitored by his mother and her advisor (an possibily lover) as regent of France Cardinal Mazarin. Between the two of them, they discouraged him from traditionally male pursuits such as arms and politics, and encouraged him to wear dresses, makeup, and to enjoy traditionally feminine pursuits.
From the accesion of his brother in 1643, he was the heir presumptive to his brother, Louis XIV, for almost twenty years until the birth of his nephew, the dauphin, Louis de France, in 1661.
As a result of the Fronde in France in the time of his youth, he was often dragged around palaces of the capital and the various châteaux on the outskirts of Paris in order to take shelter from the unsafe city. It was from that time that his brother is said to have began his dislike and distrust of the city and thus, later in his life moved to Versailles.
duc d'Orléans
It was a year after the death of his uncle that he took the title which he is son famous for; in 1661 he was given the Orléans lands which had previously belonged to his uncle. He was then able to take on the style of Philippe de France, duc d'Orléans.
Gaston de France was the duc d'Orléans from the year 1626. Before Gaston, the title had been held by Nicholas Henri de France, duc d'Orléans, the second son of Henry IV of France and Marie de' Medici.
Character
Monsieur was an art collector and perhaps also a shrewd investor (as Nancy Nichols Barker suggests in her book Brother to the Sun King). Monsieur enjoyed court life, gambling, chasing young men, and ceremony. Despite the fact that his debts and dalliances often cost the King, the brothers spent much time together.
Orléans' loyalty was never in question; he raised the standard of fraternal fidelity in a dynasty in which the Frondes had established princely rebellion as a tradition.
His unabashed effeminacy probably deprived him of the credit he deserved among his countrymen and in history. Louis XIV, however, seems to have fully appreciated their relationship, as he treated Monsieur, publicly and privately, with respect and leniency.
He died at Saint-Cloud in 1701 of an apoplectic fit brought on by his heated argument with the King. The King's ex-mistress, Madame de Montespan, was said to have wept bitterly at the loss of the one remaining friend from the bygone golden age of le Roi Soleil.
Adult relationships
Monsieur was labelled by contemporaries as a débauché. Only brothers to the reigning king were seen as dangerous to the throne (because of the sibling rivalry that had afflicted the dynasty during the Renaissance). So ensuring they would pursue their natural inclinations unhindered was part of monarchical strategy to avoid any challenge to the legitimate ruler. Cardinal Mazarin, who understood this, is credited with having therefore arranged the de-flowering of Philippe at the hands of Philippe Mancini (Mazarin's own nephew, duc de Nevers). [1].
This explains how and why both Gaston d'Orléans and Philippe d'Orléans could freely indulge in homosexual practices. Being given liberty and endless spending money by his brother, Monsieur gathered a libertine court around himself at his country estate, the Château de Saint-Cloud.
There, he pursued an adolescent love affair with his contemporary Philippe, Chevalier then Prince of Lorraine. When married, he preyed on bright-eyed German princelings for all to see, including his two wives [2]
Minette
On March 31 1661 in the chapel of the Paris Palais Royal, he was to married his first cousin, Princess Henrietta of England, sister of King Charles II. Her nickname in the family was 'Minette'. Both were grandchildren of Henry IV of France and Marie de' Medici.
She was affectionatly known as Minette by her family and was the last child of her unlucky parents Henriette Marie de France, the exiled Queen of England and Charles I of England the only king of England to be executed. She was known at court as Madame or Henritte d'Angleterre (Henriette of England).
The marriage was well known for not being happy as a result of Philippe and Henriettes indifference to eachother. Both knew of eachothers infidelities; Philippe paraded his men in front of her and court. Amoung them were the comte de Guiche known for his arrogance and good looks; the marquis de Châtillon and his 'first' Philippe Mancini later the ducs de Nevers.
First Children
Henriette was known as a sweet, pretty and well natured girl but it did not stop rumours of her having an affair with the king, Louis XIV himself. She was also said to have taken the comte de Guiche as her lover too. Desipte the regular arguements at the Palais Royal, where the couple lived, the marriage did provide some children:
- Marie Louise d'Orléans (March 27 1662 – 12 February 1689)
- She was the first wife of hideous Charles II of Spain.
- Philippe Charles, duc de Valois (July 16 1664 – 8 December 1666)
- A daughter born July 9 1665 ; died after.
- 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.
- maternal grandmother of Louis XV of France
- ancestress of the Kings of Sardinia and Kings of Italy
- through her derives the post-Stuart legitimist claim of the Jacobites to the English and Scottish thrones.
Sadly, as was common at the time, Henriette had four miscarriages 1663, 1666, 1667, 1668.[3]
By the birth of Anne Marie in 1669, the couple were well known throughout Paris for their regular dramas at the royal court as well as in the pivacy of their Paris home the Palais Royal. Philippe now had a new lover and many were well aware how much influence he had over Philippe.
The Chevalier de Lorraine
By the year 1670, Philippe had a new lover; The Chevalier de Lorraine. He was probably the best known of his lovers and was the longest. The two remained together till his death in 1701.
Philip of Lorraine-Armagnac was three years younger than Philip of Orléans. Handsome, brutal and devoid of scruples, he was the great love of "Monsieur's" life. He was also the worst enemy of Monsieur's two wives... As greedy as a vulture, this cadet of the French branch of the house of Lorraine had, by the end of the 1650s, hooked Monsieur as though harpooning a whale. The young prince loved him with a passion that worried Madame Henrietta and the court bishop, Cosnac, but the King understood that, thanks to the attractive face and sharp mind of the good-looking cavalier, he would have his way with his brother.[4]
Under these circumstances it is no surprise that Monsieur's first marriage was unhappy. In January 1670 Henriette prevailed upon the King to imprison the chevalier, first near Lyon, then in the château d'If, and finally banish him to Rome. But by February Philippe's protests and pleas persuaded the King to restore him to his brother's entourage.
The death of the Duchess in the following June was popularly attributed to poison, although there was little evidence for Philippe to have perpetrated such a deed, whereas some of his mignons had earned her enmity and were suspected.
La Princesse Palatine
After the death and suspected posioning of Minette, he married Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine, through whom he became the founder of the House of Orléans. She was a pricess of a small german principality of the Palatinate with its capital then being Heidelberg where she was born. She was the daughter of Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine and his first wife Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel. It was from her Paternal Grandmother Elizabeth of Bohemia that she was an ancestor of the royal House of Guise.
Subsequently, Monsieur's confidante, the Princess Palatine Anna Gonzaga, arranged his second marriage to her husband's niece, Elisabeth Charlotte, daughter of Charles Louis, Elector Palatine of the Rhine. "Liselotte" converted to Roman Catholicism before entering France in November 1671.
Whereas Monsieur's first wife had been known for beauty, charm and wit, no one accused Liselotte of those graces, and some said that this lack explained why she fared better with Monsieur (who personally took charge of her toilette for public occasions) than did his first wife. She gave him his only surviving son.
She also became known for her brusque candor, upright character, lack of vanity, and prolific foreign correspondence about the daily routine and frequent scandals of Versailles. Her letters record how willingly she gave up sharing Monsieur's bed at his request after their children's births, and how unwillingly she endured the presence of his mignons in their household, which caused the couple to quarrel.
But she frequently acknowledged that Monsieur's treatment of her was less offensive than the importunities his entourage made at her expense, and the lack of protection he afforded her and their children against the hostile intrigues she believed were directed at her by spiteful courtiers, especially Madame de Maintenon.
Second Marraige
The couple were married by proxy him in his native France and her at the city of Metz. It was at the road betwen the towns of Châlons and Bellay that the couple first met. She was nineteen and he was thrity-one. The marriage started off and the court was enchanted with the ugly german girl who had come to the glittering court. Overall the couple had the following children:
- Alexandre Louis d'Orléans, duc de Valois. (2 June 1673 – 16 March 1676)
- Philippe II d'Orléans (August 2 1674 – 2 December 1723).
- He married Françoise-Marie de Bourbon. The illegitimate daughter of Louis XIV and Françoise-Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan
- He 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 d'Orléans (September 13 1676 – 23 December 1744),
- Wife of Leopold, Duke of Lorraine
- The couples son Francis Stephan of Lorraine (1708 – 1765) — became Holy Roman Emperor, father to Marie Antoinette (1755 – 1793), and progenitor of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty, Emperors of Austria until 1918.
Gallery of Children
Later life
Monsieur failed to stand up to Louis XIV's insistence on marrying his daughter Françoise-Marie de Bourbon (Mademoiselle de Blois) to Monsieur's son and heir, Philippe d'Orléans in February 1692. In 1701, the brothers had a terrible argument about theduc de Chartres and his behaviour in and around the court.
Philippe, terribily proud of his son and heir, defended him with such vehemence that a footman felt obliged to enter the King's chamber to warn the royal brothers that their argument was being overheard by the entire court - and that dinner was ready. After the pair sat down, Philippe went home to St Cloud. Monsieur is the only man known to have raised his voice to the adult Louis XIV. That night , June 8, he went into a coma.
He died at his famous Château de Saint-Cloud on June 9, 1701. He had, with his second wife, founded the modern House of Orléans which today is headed by Henri, comte de Paris, duc de France, who is a direct descendant of Philippe and his older bother Louis XIV.
His Family
Wealth
Appanages
Born the son of a King of France, he was a Fils de France (Son of France) and received the surname de France. His original title was that of duc d'Anjou. In 1643, upon Louis XIV's accession to the throne, as the king's eldest surviving brother, he was styled as Monsieur.
However, he was known as le Petit Monsieur until the death of le Grand Monsieur, his uncle Gaston, Duke of Orléans, in 1660. Both his successive wives bore the title Madame.
It was 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.
Inheritances
In 1693 the death of his extremely wealthy cousin, the childless heiress Anne Marie Louise d'Orléans de Montpensier (better known as La Grande Mademoiselle), Philippe de France became her sole hier.
Liselotte was the hier of the Duchy of Montpnsier in her own right and it was Philippe who then inherited the rest of the outstanding fortune of the House of Bourbon-Montpensier. From that he gained the titles of:
- duc de Montpensier
- duc de Châtellerault
- duc de Saint-Fargeau
- duc de Beaupréau
- prince de Joinville
- baron de Beaujolais
- marquis de Mézières
Through apanage, Philippe received a court salary, which he cleverly invested to create a fortune.
Residences
Philippe resided in two of the most famous palaces in France:
- In Paris, he lived in the Palais Royal. Originally owned by the Crown, Philippe and his wives lived there at the pleasure of his brother, the king. In 1692, the king deeded the palace to Philippe's only son when he married one of the king's illegitimate daughters by Madame de Montespan. The palace was used by the family till the revolution began. It was from here that Philippe Égalité, the great-great-grandson of Philippe, schemed the execution of his cousin Louis XVI who was also a descendan of Philippe himself
- In 1658, Philippe bought the Château de Saint-Cloud outside of the city. There, he and his wives lavishly entertained. This was the main residence in the country as it was then a suburb of Paris. It was here that Princess Henrietta-Anne of England died after the supposd posoining by Philippe.
The Château was sold by Philippe Égalité to Marie Antoinette, a great-grand daughter of Philippe, for 6 million livres in 1785. It was destroyed during the last Empire of France.
Despite all this, what he really desired were the comté of Blois, with its Château de Chambord, and the governorship of Languedoc, which were both refused to him by his brother.
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.
At Versailles
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 accomodate three of Louis XV's daughters, Madame Adélaïde, Madame Victoire and Madame Élisabeth. The family remained there till the French Revolution.
Ancestors
House of Orléans
It was Philippe de France and his second wife known as La Princesse Palatine that founded the modern day Royal House. It was via the couples second son Philippe II d'Orléans that the house was able to maintain thier high position at court and ensure the birth of an hier for the next generation.
After the death of the Régent de France in 1723, the family were known as Monsieur le Prince as they were classed as the Premier Prince du Sang (first prince of the blood and therefore next in line to the throne of France). It is today haded by the present head of the house which is Prince Henri Philippe Pierre Marie d'Orléans and direct descendant of Philippe de France and Liselotte.
Portrayals in fiction
He was portrayed by Murray Lachlan Young, in Roland Joffé's 2000 film Vatel. The film depicted him as an open homosexual with a court of male hangers-on. Early in the film, he displeased Vatel (played by Gerard Depardieu) as he wanted one of the kitchenhands, Colin, to become his pageboy, to which Vatel responded:
I do not get my kitchenhands from him, and I will not supply my kitchenhands to his brothel.
Later on, the Prince proves to be a friend, scuppering a plot by a courtier, the marquis de Lauzun, to maim Vatel. The film's portrayal acknowledges both his homosexuality and his military skill.
He is also depicted by Christophe Maé in the French Musical "Le Roi Soleil", also as an open homosexual and friend to his brother, Louis XIV.
The 1998 film The Man in the Iron Mask inaccurately depicts Philippe as the twin of Louis XIV, whom he replaces as king. Not only is the character very different from the historical Philippe, but the description of his generosity as monarch is very different from the historical Louis XIV.
References
- ^ E. Spanheim, Relation de la Cour de France en 1690, Paris, 1973
- ^ P. Salazar in Who's who in Gay and Lesbian History, London, 1990 (Ed Wotherspoon and Aldrich).
- ^ Royal Genealogy, Information on Stuart, Henrietta Anne
- ^ Van der Cruysse, Dirk (1988). Madame Palatine, Princesse Européenne (in French). Fayard. pp. page 165. ISBN 2213022003.
Philippe de Lorraine-Armagnac était de trois ans le cadet de Philippe d'Orléans. Séduisant, brutal et dénué de scrupules, il fut le grand amour de la vie de Monsieur. Il fut aussi le pire ennemi des deux épouses de celui-ci... Rapace comme un vautour, ce cadet de la branche française de la maison de Lorraine avait mis dès la fin des années 1650 le grappin sur Monsieur comme on harponne une baleine. Le jeune prince l'aimait avec une fougue qui inquiétait Madame Henriette et Cosnac, mais qui fit comprendre au Roi que, grâce à la figure charmante et la tête bien organisée du joli chevalier, il aurait barre sur son frère.
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Other
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
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