Henri Eugène Philippe Louis d'Orléans, Duke of Aumale (16 January 1822 – 7 May 1897) was a leader of the
Orleanists, a political faction in 19th-century France associated with
constitutional monarchy
A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...
. He was born in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, the fifth son of King
Louis-Philippe I of the French and
Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily
Maria Amalia Teresa of Naples and Sicily (26 April 1782 – 24 March 1866) was List of French royal consorts, Queen of the French by marriage to Louis Philippe I, King of the French. She was the last queen of France.
Among her grandchildren ...
and used the title
Duke of Aumale
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...
.
Aumale became an infantry officer and saw active service in the
French conquest of Algeria
The French invasion of Algeria (; ) took place between 1830 and 1903. In 1827, an argument between Hussein Dey, the ruler of the Deylik of Algiers, and the French consul escalated into a blockade, following which the July Monarchy of France inva ...
and in 1847 was appointed as its
Governor-General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
. After the
French Revolution of 1848
The French Revolution of 1848 (french: Révolution française de 1848), also known as the February Revolution (), was a brief period of civil unrest in France, in February 1848, that led to the collapse of the July Monarchy and the foundation ...
, he went to live in England, where he pursued historical interests. The
Franco-Prussian War enabled him to return to France, where he was elected to parliament and the
Académie française
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...
. In 1872, he returned to the army as a Divisional General, and from 1879 to 1883 was inspector-general of the army.
An important art collector, Aumale left his
Château de Chantilly
The Château de Chantilly () is a historic French château located in the town of Chantilly, Oise, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of Paris. The site comprises two attached buildings: the Petit Château built around 1560 for Anne de Montmor ...
to the
Institute of France
The (; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the Académie Française. It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute m ...
, to display his collection.
Early life
Born at the
Palais Royal
The Palais-Royal () is a former royal palace located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. The screened entrance court faces the Place du Palais-Royal, opposite the Louvre. Originally called the Palais-Cardinal, it was built for Cardinal R ...
in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, the young Henri was brought up by his parents in relative simplicity. At the age of eight, he inherited a fortune of 66 million
livres
The (; ; abbreviation: ₶.) was one of numerous currencies used in medieval France, and a unit of account (i.e., a monetary unit used in accounting) used in Early Modern France.
The 1262 monetary reform established the as 20 , or 80.88 gr ...
(approximately
£200 million today), the lands and wealth of his godfather,
Louis Henri de Bourbon, Prince of Condé, the last
Prince of Condé
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
. This inheritance included the famous
Château de Chantilly
The Château de Chantilly () is a historic French château located in the town of Chantilly, Oise, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of Paris. The site comprises two attached buildings: the Petit Château built around 1560 for Anne de Montmor ...
, the
Château d'Écouen
The Château d'Écouen is an historic château in the commune of Écouen, some 20 km north of Paris, France, and a notable example of French Renaissance architecture. Since 1975, it has housed the collections of the Musée national de la Renaissan ...
, and the domaines of Saint-Leu, Taverny, Enghien, Montmorency, and Mortefontaine.
He was educated at the
Collège Henri IV, then at the age of seventeen entered the French army with the rank of a captain of infantry.
Marriage and children
On 25 November 1844, aged 22, Aumale married in
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
Princess Maria Carolina of the Two Sicilies, a daughter of
Leopold of the Two Sicilies, Prince of Salerno, and
Archduchess Maria Clementina of Austria
Maria Clementina of Austria (24 April 1777 – 15 November 1801) was an Austrian archduchess and the tenth child and third daughter of Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Luisa of Spain. In 1797 she married her first cousin Prince Fran ...
. The couple had several children, of whom two reached adulthood, but still predeceased him:
#
Louis Philippe Marie Léopold d'Orléans, Prince of Condé (15 November 1845 – 24 May 1866), died unmarried and childless.
#Henri Léopold Philippe Marie d'Orléans, Duke of Guise (11 September 1847 – 10 October 1847), died in infancy.
#Stillborn daughter (16 August 1850).
#François Paul d'Orléans, Duke of Guise (11 January 1852 – 15 April 1852), died in infancy.
#François Louis Philippe Marie d'Orléans, Duke of Guise (5 January 1854 – 25 July 1872), died unmarried.
#Stillborn son (May 1857).
#Stillborn son (15 June 1861).
#Stillborn son (June 1864).
Career
Aumale distinguished himself during the
French invasion of Algeria
The French invasion of Algeria (; ) took place between 1830 and 1903. In 1827, an argument between Hussein Dey, the ruler of the Deylik of Algiers, and the French consul escalated into a blockade, following which the July Monarchy of France invad ...
and, in 1847, he became lieutenant-general and was appointed
Governor-General of Algeria, a position he held from 27 September 1847 to 24 February 1848.
In this capacity, he received the submission of the emir
Abdel Kadir, in December 1847. After the
Revolution of 1848
The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europea ...
, he retired to
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
and busied himself with historical and military studies, responding in 1861 to
Napoleon III
Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...
's violent attacks upon the
House of Orléans
The 4th House of Orléans (french: Maison d'Orléans), sometimes called the House of Bourbon-Orléans (french: link=no, Maison de Bourbon-Orléans) to distinguish it, is the fourth holder of a surname previously used by several branches of the Ro ...
with a ''Letter upon History of France''.
After the Bavarian-born
King Otto of Greece
Otto (, ; 1 June 181526 July 1867) was a Bavarian prince who ruled as King of Greece from the establishment of the monarchy on 27 May 1832, under the Convention of London, until he was deposed on 23 October 1862.
The second son of King Lud ...
was overthrown in October 1862, the Greeks still favoured a monarchy and wanted
Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh
Alfred (Alfred Ernest Albert; 6 August 184430 July 1900) was the sovereign duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 1893 to 1900. He was the second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. He was known as the Duke of Edinburgh from 1 ...
, as their new king, but he declined. In the search for a king, the French put forward the name of Aumale, while other contenders included
Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Ernest II (german: Ernst August Karl Johann Leopold Alexander Eduard, link=no; 21 June 181822 August 1893) was Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 29 January 1844 to his death in 1893. He was born in Coburg to Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld ...
, the
Prince of Leiningen
The title of Prince of Leiningen (german: Fürst zu Leiningen) was created by the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II, who elevated Carl Friedrich Wilhelm, Count of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Hardenburg (a younger branch of the House of Leiningen) to the rank ...
, and
Archduke Maximilian of Austria. Eventually, the choice fell on
Prince William of Denmark, aged only seventeen, and the Greek National Assembly elected him as the new King of the Hellenes in March 1863.
At the outbreak of the
Franco-Prussian War, Aumale volunteered for service in the French army, but his offer was declined. Elected to parliament as deputy for the
Oise
Oise ( ; ; pcd, Oése) is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise. Inhabitants of the department are called ''Oisiens'' () or ''Isariens'', after the Latin name for the river, Isara. It had a population of 829,419 ...
, he returned to France. He also succeeded to the seat of the
Count Montalembert in the
Académie française
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...
.
In March 1872, he returned to the army as a
Divisional General
Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French (Revolutionary) System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corps ...
and in 1873 presided over the court-martial which condemned
Marshal Bazaine to death.
At this time, having been appointed commander of the VII Army Corps at
Besançon
Besançon (, , , ; archaic german: Bisanz; la, Vesontio) is the prefecture of the department of Doubs in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The city is located in Eastern France, close to the Jura Mountains and the border with Switzerl ...
, Aumale retired from political life. In 1879, he became inspector-general of the army. The act of exception, passed in 1883, deprived all members of families who had reigned in France of their military commissions. Consequently, Aumale was placed on the unemployed supernumerary list.
In 1886, another law was promulgated which expelled from French territory the heads of former reigning families and provided that, henceforward, all members of those families should be disqualified from holding any public position or function and from election to any public body. Aumale protested energetically but was nonetheless expelled from France.
In his will, written on 3 June 1884, Aumale had bequeathed his
Chantilly
Chantilly may refer to:
Places
France
*Chantilly, Oise, a city located in the Oise department
**US Chantilly, a football club
*Château de Chantilly, a historic château located in the town of Chantilly
United States
* Chantilly, Missou ...
estate to the
Institute of France
The (; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the Académie Française. It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute m ...
, including the
Château de Chantilly
The Château de Chantilly () is a historic French château located in the town of Chantilly, Oise, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of Paris. The site comprises two attached buildings: the Petit Château built around 1560 for Anne de Montmor ...
, which was to be turned into a museum displaying his large art collection. After this act of generosity was revealed, the French government withdrew the decree of exile, and the duke returned to France in 1889.
Bibliophile
Aumale was a notable collector of antique books and manuscripts and owned the important medieval
Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry
The Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (; en, The Very Rich Hours of the Duke of Berry) or Très Riches Heures, is the most famous and possibly the best surviving example of manuscript illumination in the late phase of the International Goth ...
. Most of his collection is still at Chantilly.
Death
Henri d'Orléans, duc d'Aumale, died in
Lo Zucco,
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
. After the fire of the
Bazar de la Charité
The ''Bazar de la Charité'' was an annual charity event orchestrated by the French Catholic aristocracy in Paris beginning in 1885, when it was first organised by Englishman Henry Blount, the son of banker Sir Edward Blount, a financier of ra ...
on 4 May 1897, which killed 126 people, mostly aristocratic women, he wanted to send his condolences to the families of the victims. After writing twenty letters, he suffered a cardiac arrest and died. He was buried in
Dreux
Dreux () is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France.
Geography
Dreux lies on the small river Blaise, a tributary of the Eure, about 35 km north of Chartres. Dreux station has rail connections to Argentan, Paris and Granvi ...
, in the chapel of the Orléans.
Honours
* 1842: Grand Cross of the
Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...
* 22 March 1842: Grand Cordon of the
Order of Leopold
* 6 September 1845: Knight of the Golden Fleece
* 1864: Grand Cross of the
* 22 May 1886: Grand Cross of the
Order of the Tower and Sword
The Ancient and Most Noble Military Order of the Tower and of the Sword, of the Valour, Loyalty and Merit ( pt, Antiga e Muito Nobre Ordem Militar da Torre e Espada, do Valor, Lealdade e Mérito), before 1910 Royal Military Order of the Tower an ...
* 1887: Member of the
Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium
The Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium (french: Académie royale des sciences, des lettres et des beaux-arts de Belgique, sometimes referred to as ') is the independent learned society of science and arts of the French Comm ...
.
* 1890: Charles Oberthür described & named parnassian butterfly ''P. orleans'' from China, named after the Duke who discovered it.
* Grand Cross of the Order of St. Ferdinand and Merit
* Husainid Family Order
* Member of the Académie française.
* Member of the Académie des sciences morales et politiques
Arms
The duke of Aumale did not have a personal coat of arms, so used the traditional arms of the
House of Orléans
The 4th House of Orléans (french: Maison d'Orléans), sometimes called the House of Bourbon-Orléans (french: link=no, Maison de Bourbon-Orléans) to distinguish it, is the fourth holder of a surname previously used by several branches of the Ro ...
, consisting of:
* Blazon : Azure, three fleurs de lys or, a label argent
* Coronet : of a
fils de France
''Fils de France'' (, ''Son of France'') was the style and rank held by the sons of the kings and dauphins of France. A daughter was known as a fille de France (, ''Daughter of France'').
The children of the dauphin (a title reserved for the ki ...
* Supporters : two angels
* Personal motto (after 1871) : ''J'attendrai'' (I'll be waiting)
Ancestry
References
Sources
*
External links
Biography on 19ème Siècle site(in French)
''Académie française'' Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henri d'Orleans
1822 births
1897 deaths
Nobility from Paris
Princes of France (Orléans)
Dukes of Aumale
French art collectors
French book and manuscript collectors
Members of the Académie Française
Burials at the Chapelle royale de Dreux
Members of the Royal Academy of Belgium
Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur
Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain
Governors general of Algeria
Collectors from Paris
Military personnel from Paris
Children of Louis Philippe I
Sons of kings