Bourbon-Vendôme refers to two branches of the

House of Bourbon The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a European dynasty of French origin, a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Spanis ...

, the first of which became the senior legitimate line of the House of Bourbon in 1527, and succeeded to the throne of France in 1589 with Henry IV. He created the second house by granting the dukedom of Vendôme to one his legitimized sons.

First house

The first House of Bourbon-Vendôme was descended from Louis de Bourbon, Count of Vendôme (1376–1446), a cadet of the House of Bourbon-La Marche. Though a younger son, Louis received the title of Count of Vendôme through his mother. In 1514, the earldom of Vendôme was raised to a duchy-peerage in favour of Charles de Bourbon. By 1527, Charles had outlived the dukes of Alençon and of Bourbon, and he became first prince of the blood, the head of the most senior line of the dynasty after the royal family. Charles' son

Antoine Antoine is a French given name (from the Latin ''Antonius'' meaning 'highly praise-worthy') that is a variant of Danton, Titouan, D'Anton and Antonin. The name is used in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, West Greenland, Haiti, French Guia ...

became

King of Navarre This is a list of the kings and queens of Pamplona, later Navarre. Pamplona was the primary name of the kingdom until its union with Aragon (1076–1134). However, the territorial designation Navarre came into use as an alternative name in the l ...

in 1555, by marriage. Upon the extinction of all male lines of the

House of Valois The Capetian house of Valois ( , also , ) was a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty. They succeeded the House of Capet (or "Direct Capetians") to the List of French monarchs, French throne, and were the royal house of France from 1328 to 1589 ...

in 1589, Antoine's son Henry (Henry I of Navarre) became

King of France France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the Kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I () as the fir ...

as Henry IV, the first in the House of Bourbon. At that point, his other titles

merged in the Crown The hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. As of September 2022, there are 807 hereditary peers: 29 dukes (including five royal dukes), 34 marquesses, 190 earls, 111 viscounts, and 443 barons (disregarding subsidi ...

Second house

The second House of Bourbon-Vendôme descended directly from the first house. It was founded by César de Bourbon (1594–1665), the legitimized son of Henry IV and his mistress,

Gabrielle d'Estrées Gabrielle d'Estrées, Duchess of Beaufort and Verneuil, Marchioness of Monceaux (; 157310 April 1599) was a mistress, confidante and adviser of Henry IV of France. She persuaded Henry to renounce Protestantism in favour of Catholicism in 1593. La ...

. Born in 1594, César de Bourbon was created Duke of Vendôme by his father, the former holder, in 1598. After the creation of 1598, the title continued to be used by César de Bourbon's family for over a century. In 1599, César de Bourbon also inherited the titles of

Duke of Beaufort Duke of Beaufort (), a title in the Peerage of England, was created by Charles II in 1682 for Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Worcester, a descendant of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester, legitimised son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of So ...

and Duke of Étampes upon the death of his mother. After César de Bourbon's death in 1665, he was succeeded as Duke of Vendôme by his first son Louis (1612–1669), while the title of Duke of Beaufort passed to his second son

François François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * Francis I of France, King of France (), known as "the Father and Restorer of Letters" * Francis II of France, King ...

(1616–1669). After the death of the 4th Duke of Vendôme in 1727, the title reverted to the Crown. It was later used as a

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but rather is used through custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some con ...

by the Louis-Stanislas, Count of Provence (the future Louis XVIII), the younger brother of

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was e ...

Genealogy

# César de Bourbon, 1st Duke of Vendome, 2nd Duke of Beaufort (1594–1665). In 1608, he married Françoise de Lorraine, Duchess of Mercœur and of Penthièvre (1592–1669), daughter and heiress of

Philippe Emmanuel, Duke of Mercœur Philippe is a masculine sometimes feminin given name, cognate to Philip. It may refer to: * Philippe of Belgium (born 1960), King of the Belgians (2013–present) * Philippe (footballer) (born 2000), Brazilian footballer * Prince Philippe, Count ...

, a rival of his father Henry IV's. They had three children. ## Louis II de Bourbon-Vendôme, 2nd Duke of Vendôme (1612–1669). He married

Laura Mancini Laura Mancini (6 May 1636 – 8 February 1657) was a niece of Cardinal Mazarin. She was the eldest of the five famous Mancini sisters, who along with two of their female Martinozzi cousins, were known at the court of Louis XIV of France as the ''M ...

, niece of

Cardinal Mazarin Cardinal Jules Mazarin (, also , , ; 14 July 1602 – 9 March 1661), born Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino () or Mazarini, was an Italian cardinal, diplomat and politician who served as the chief minister to the Kings of France Louis XIII and Louis XI ...

, and had three children. ### Louis Joseph de Bourbon-Vendôme, 3rd Duke of Vendôme (1654–1712). He was appointed

Marshal of France Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1 ...

. He married Marie Anne de Condé (1678–1718), a daughter of Henri III Jules de Bourbon, Prince of Condé and granddaughter of

Louis II de Bourbon, Prince of Condé Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis ...

(the Grand Condé). They had no children. After his death, the titles passed to his younger brother, Philippe. ### Philippe de Bourbon-Vendôme, 4th Duke of Vendôme (1655–1727), called ''le prieur de Vendôme''. A grand prior for France in the

Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...

, he was also a French army commander. He held the title until his death in 1727. ###Jules César (1657–1660) ##

Élisabeth de Bourbon Élisabeth de Bourbon (August 1614 – 19 May 1664) was a granddaughter of King Henry IV of France. Biography Élisabeth was born in Paris. Her father was César de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme, legitimised son of King Henry IV of France and his of ...

(1614–1664), styled ''mademoiselle de Vendôme'' before her marriage to Charles Amadeus of Savoy, 6th Duke of Nemours. ## François de Bourbon-Vendôme, 1st Duke of Beaufort (1616–1669), who never married and had no children.

Gallery

Image:Engraved portrait of César de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme (1594-1665).jpg, César de Bourbon, the founder Image:Duc de Vendome 1706.PNG, Louis Joseph de Bourbon, the Duke of Vendôme on campaign, 1706

Ancestry

Other illegitimate houses

Bourbon-Busset The Bourbon-Busset family is a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, being thus agnatic descendants of the Capetian dynasty. Historically, they have been regarded as non-dynastic since decisions rendered by Louis XI of France. Possibly, howeve ...

* Bourbon-Maine (extinct) *

Bourbon-Penthièvre The House of Bourbon-Penthièvre was an illegitimate branch of the House of Bourbon, thus descending from the Capetian dynasty. It was founded by the duc de Penthièvre (1725–1793), the only child and heir of the comte de Toulouse, the youn ...

(extinct)