Louis Charles de Bourbon, Count of Eu (October 15, 1701 – July 13, 1775) was a grandson of Louis XIV of France and his '' maîtresse-en-titre'' Madame de Montespan. He was the last member of the legitimised house of ''Maine branch of the House of Bourbon, a

legitimised Legitimation or legitimisation is the act of providing legitimacy. Legitimation in the social sciences refers to the process whereby an act, process, or ideology becomes legitimate by its attachment to norms and values within a given society. It ...

, cadet branch of the

Capetian dynasty The Capetian dynasty (; french: Capétiens), also known as the House of France, is a dynasty of Frankish origin, and a branch of the Robertians. It is among the largest and oldest royal houses in Europe and the world, and consists of Hugh Cape ...

Life

Born at his parents' château de Sceaux near Versailles on October 15, 1701, he was the youngest son of Louis Auguste de Bourbon, Duke of Maine, and his wife,

Anne Louise Bénédicte de Bourbon Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

. He grew up with his elder brother, Louis Auguste de Bourbon, Prince of Dombes and his younger sister

Louise Françoise de Bourbon Louise or Luise may refer to: * Louise (given name) Arts Songs * "Louise" (Bonnie Tyler song), 2005 * "Louise" (The Human League song), 1984 * "Louise" (Jett Rebel song), 2013 * "Louise" (Maurice Chevalier song), 1929 *"Louise", by Clan of ...

(1707–1743), known as ''Mademoiselle du Maine''. Like his siblings he remained unmarried and childless all his life. On his father's death in 1736 he gained the title of ''

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 ranked ...

''. He was also made Grand Master of the Artillery. a post that his father had also held. His elder brother was their father's main heir, but when he was killed in a duel in 1755 Louis Charles inherited his brother's estate. He was given his brother's governorship of Languedoc and inherited his brother's many châteaux. Like his elder brother he was little seen at court and preferred to hunt on his estate of the Château d'Anet. In March 1762 he exchanged with Louis XV the principality of the Dombes for the dukedoms of Gisors and the estates of Gretz-Armainvilliers and Pontcarré. Like his cousin, Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon, Duke of Penthièvre, Louis Charles was popular as a result of his charitable donations. In 1773 he offered to sell the dukedom of Aumale, countship of Eu and the estate of Anet to Louis XV for 12 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 ...

''.This payment was never made as a result of the death of Louis XV in 1774; the lands were given back to Louis Charles and the deal was disregarded by Louis XVI. They were later inherited by the Duke of Penthièvre Louis Charles died at Sceaux at the age of 73 in October 1775. As he was childless, he made his younger cousin the

Duke of Penthièvre 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 ranked ...

, son of Louis Alexandre de Bourbon, Count of Toulouse, his heir.

Ancestry

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Louis Charles Of Eu, Count 1700 births 1775 deaths Princes of the Dombes Counts of Dreux House of Bourbon-Maine