Antoine d'Orléans, duc de Montpensier

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Portrait of Franz Xaver Winterhalter : Antoine d'Orléans, duc de Montpensier, 1844
Marie Amélie de Bourbon, Pure des Français, et ses deux fils cadets, 1835

Antoine-Marie-Philippe-Louis d'Orléans, duc de Montpensier (born July 31, 1824 in Neuilly-sur-Seine , † February 4, 1890 in Sanlúcar de Barrameda ) was a French officer. During the question of the Spanish succession to the throne 1868-1870 , Montpensier was at times a promising candidate, but disqualified himself by killing his rival Don Enrique von Bourbon .

origin

The Duke of Montpensier was the sixth and youngest son of the Duke of Orléans and later Citizen King Louis-Philippe (1773-1850) and Maria Amalia of Naples-Sicily (1782-1866). He joined the 3rd Artillery Regiment in 1842, took part in several campaigns in Algeria from 1844-45 and was married to the Spanish Infanta Maria Luisa Ferdinanda (1832-1897) on October 10, 1846 , which caused the House of Orléans to be childless believed that the marriage of Queen Isabella II had secured the Spanish throne.

Next life

After the February Revolution of 1848 he went to England, then to Spain, where he resided in Seville and was appointed Captain General of the Spanish Army and Infante of Spain on October 10, 1859. At the beginning of July 1868, the Spanish government discovered a conspiracy that was widespread, especially among the senior officers of the army, which wanted to bring the Duke of Montpensier to the Spanish throne after the queen's dethronement and expelled the Duke from Spain resigned his Spanish titles and dignities, obeyed orders, but returned from Lisbon to Seville after the September Revolution of 1868 .

His hope of being raised to the throne was not fulfilled, however, as he was so unpopular with the people that he failed twice in the elections of Cortes in 1870. He also had the influence of Napoleon III. against himself who did not want an Orléans king in Spain. Because of his ambitious intrigues, he got into an argument with his cousin, the Infante Don Enrique von Bourbon , and shot him in a duel on March 12, 1870 . When the king was elected on November 16, 1870, he received only 25 votes. He left Spain and returned to France in 1871, where he was reconciled with Queen Isabella. Antoine d'Orléans, duc de Montpensier was buried in the Real Sitio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial ( Pantheon of the Infants , Chapel 1).

progeny

The marriage resulted in nine children, of whom only five reached adulthood:

medal

personal data
SURNAME Montpensier, Antoine d'Orléans, duc de
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Orléans de Montpensier, Antoine; Montpensier, Antoine-Marie-Philippe-Louis d'Orléans de
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French officer and Spanish pretender to the throne
DATE OF BIRTH July 31, 1824
PLACE OF BIRTH Neuilly-sur-Seine
DATE OF DEATH February 4, 1890
Place of death Sanlúcar de Barrameda