Louis Henri, Duke of Bourbon (Louis Henri Joseph; 18 August 1692 – 27 January 1740), was a French nobleman and politician who served as
Prime Minister of France
The prime minister of France (french: link=no, Premier ministre français), officially the prime minister of the French Republic, is the head of government of the French Republic and the leader of the Council of Ministers.
The prime minister ...
from 1723 to 1726. As a member of the reigning
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 ...
, he was a '' prince du sang''.
Louis Henri was the second child and eldest son of
Louis III, 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 ( ...
, and
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 ...
, the eldest daughter of
King Louis XIV
Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...
and his mistress
Madame de Montespan Madame may refer to:
* Madam, civility title or form of address for women, derived from the French
* Madam (prostitution), a term for a woman who is engaged in the business of procuring prostitutes, usually the manager of a brothel
* ''Madame'' ( ...
. Following the death of his father in 1710, he became head of the Bourbon-Condé
cadet branch
In history and heraldry, a cadet branch consists of the male-line descendants of a monarch's or patriarch's younger sons ( cadets). In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets— realm, title ...
of the House of Bourbon. As such, he was entitled to be known as
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 ...
, but he used the title
Duke of Bourbon
Duke of Bourbon (french: Duc de Bourbon) is a title in the peerage of France. It was created in the first half of the 14th century for the eldest son of Robert of France, Count of Clermont and Beatrice of Burgundy, heiress of the lordship of B ...
instead and was known at court as ''Monsieur le Duc''. After his maternal grandfather died in 1715, Louis Henri became a member of the
regency council
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state ''pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy, ...
led by
Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (Philippe Charles; 2 August 1674 – 2 December 1723), was a French prince, soldier, and statesman who served as Regent of the Kingdom of France from 1715 to 1723. He is referred to in French as ''le Régent''. ...
Louis XV
Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reache ...
.
In 1723, Louis Henri succeeded the Duke of Orléans as chief minister to Louis XV. He negotiated the King's marriage to the Polish princess
Marie Leszczyńska
Maria Karolina Zofia Felicja Leszczyńska (; ; 23 June 1703 – 24 June 1768), also known as Marie Leczinska, was Queen of France as the wife of King Louis XV from their marriage on 4 September 1725 until her death in 1768. The daughter of Stanis ...
. In 1726, Louis XV dismissed Louis Henri as chief minister and replaced him with
Cardinal de Fleury
Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to:
Animals
* Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae
**''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...
. Louis Henri died at his manor, 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 ...
, in 1740. His titles were inherited by his 4-year-old son, Louis Joseph.
Early years
Louis Henri was born at
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...
, the eldest son of
Louis III, 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 ( ...
and
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 ...
, the eldest legitimised daughter of
Louis XIV
, house = Bourbon
, father = Louis XIII
, mother = Anne of Austria
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
, death_date =
, death_place = Palace of Vers ...
and his ''
maîtresse-en-titre
The ''maîtresse-en-titre'' () was the chief royal mistress of the King of France. The title came into use during the reign of Henry IV of France, Henry IV and continued through the reign of Louis XV of France, Louis XV. It was a semi-officia ...
'',
Madame de Montespan Madame may refer to:
* Madam, civility title or form of address for women, derived from the French
* Madam (prostitution), a term for a woman who is engaged in the business of procuring prostitutes, usually the manager of a brothel
* ''Madame'' ( ...
.
He was the great-grandson of Louis de Bourbon, ''le Grand Condé'', and ranked as a '' prince du sang''. Following the death one after the other of the heirs to the throne of France in the early 18th century (except for the ''duc d'Anjou'', great-grandson of Louis XIV and future king as
Louis XV
Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reache ...
) Bourbon was third in the
order of succession
An order of succession or right of succession is the line of individuals necessitated to hold a high office when it becomes vacated such as head of state or an honour such as a title of nobility.Philippe, the 2nd duc d'Orléans who became regent, and the latter's son, Louis d'Orléans, duc de Chartres.
He was described in a contemporary description of him as:
Satirical pamphlets directed against royalty were a common form of literature and the chronicles left by courtiers were influenced by rivalries or prejudice, so he may not have looked so bad. Based on collaborating evidence from other sources, however, it is probably safe to assume that he was tall, and not plump.Bernier, p. 22.
It is fairly certain he only had the use of one eye:
probably before he was twenty-five.
regent
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
for the 5-year-old king Louis XV, appointed the then 23-year-old duc de Bourbon to his first Regency Council, the highest consultative body in the French government during the king's minority (equivalent to the '' Conseil d'en-haut'', appointed by adult kings).
In 1718, he replaced
Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, duc du Maine
Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, duc du Maine (31 March 1670 – 14 May 1736) was an illegitimate son of Louis XIV and his official mistress, Madame de Montespan. The king's favourite son, he was the founder of the semi-royal House of Bourbon-Maine name ...
as superintendent of the king's education. This happened at the Regency Council meeting of 26 August, at which Maine and the
Louis-Alexandre de Bourbon, comte de Toulouse
Louis Alexandre de Bourbon (6 June 1678 – 1 December 1737), a legitimated prince of the blood royal, was the son of Louis XIV and of his mistress Françoise-Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan. At the age of five, he became grand admiral of ...
, legitimised sons (''princes légitimés de France'') of Louis XIV, were demoted in rank.Bernier, p. 22.Gooch, p. 36.Guizot, pp. 20–21, but Guizot says the council meeting took place on the 24th.Jones, p. 47, says Villeroi, not Bourbon received control of the king's education.Shennan, p. 43 confirms the date, 26th, but doesn't say who became superintendent of education. The actual instruction of the young king was not much disturbed however, since it was mostly done by his old and trusted tutor,
André-Hercule de Fleury
André-Hercule de Fleury, Bishop of Fréjus, Archbishop of Aix (22 June or 26 June 165329 January 1743) was a French cardinal who served as the chief minister of Louis XV.
Life and government
He was born in Lodève, Hérault, the son of a tax f ...
, Bishop of Fréjus, who remained in place.
Many of the surviving descriptions of the duke's personality are highly uncomplimentary. They fall under the general categories greed, bad manners, stupidity.Gooch, pp. 50–51.Jones, p. 79.Kitchin, p. 392.Lavisse, p. 78.Perkins, p. 52. For example, Barbier said he "had a very limited mind, knows nothing, and only likes pleasure and hunting." He was described as pretending to like hunting to ingratiate himself with the king.
Prime minister
The Regency ended when Louis XV reached the age of majority, thirteen, in February 1723. Cardinal Dubois, who had been the Regent's ''premier ministre'', remained in that capacity for the king. However, Dubois died in August 1723. Thereupon the former regent became the king's ''premier ministre'', until his own death the following 2 December. Bourbon rushed to see the king that very evening and requested the prime ministership. Cardinal de Fleury, who was present at the meeting, recommended acceptance, and Louis XV indicated his assent by a silent nod. Guizot says that Louis "sought in his perceptor's utor'seyes the guidance he needed".Guizot p. 50.
G. P. Gooch
George Peabody Gooch (21 October 1873 – 31 August 1968) was a British journalist, historian and Liberal Party politician. A follower of Lord Acton who was independently wealthy, he never held an academic position, but knew the work of histo ...
Gooch p. 44. and PerkinsPerkins p. 52. also said that Fréjus acquiesced in the appointment. Jones, on the other hand, says that Fréjus was ''not'' there; also that after the meeting, in order to protect his own influence with the king, which was great, Fréjus got the king to agree never to hold discussions with Bourbon unless he too was present. This was an unusual, and for Bourbon, eventually an intolerable situation. Orléans had been able to see the king whenever he wanted. Within a few years Fréjus was able to assume control of the government himself.
To assess why the king — or Fréjus — chose, or allowed, Bourbon to become ''premier ministre'', says the French lawyer and writer d'Angerville, writing in 1781:
One of Bourbon's first moves as prime minister was to replace d'Argenson, the minister of police, with Nicolas Ravot d'Ombreval, who was a relative of the marquise de Prie. This gave Bourbon control of press censorship, and also gave him control of much of the mail.Bernier, p. 47.
He made the first promotion to the rank of
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 ...
since 1715 — and made some new appointments to France's highest chivalric order, the
Order of the Holy Spirit
The Order of the Holy Spirit (french: Ordre du Saint-Esprit; sometimes translated into English as the Order of the Holy Ghost), is a French order of chivalry founded by Henry III of France in 1578. Today, it is a dynastic order under the House of ...
(''Ordre du Saint-Esprit''). The recipients were almost all supporters of ''Monsieur le Duc''.
Persecution of Protestants
The persecution of the
Huguenot
The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...
s under the reign of Louis XIV was stopped by the regent, despite those who continued to advocate rigour in the treatment of the Protestants. Prominent among these was the
Archbishop of Rouen
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rouen (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Rothomagensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Rouen'') is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. As one of the fifteen Archbishops of France, the Ar ...
,
Louis III de La Vergne de Tressan Louis de La Vergne-Montenard de Tressan or Louis III de La Vergne de Tressan ( - ) was a French cleric of the Roman Catholic Church, Archbishop of Rouen (France) from to .
Biography
He was born in Tressan (France) in . He was the second son of J ...
,
Grand Almoner of France {{other uses, Almoner
The Grand Almoner of France (french: Grand aumônier de France) was an officer of the French monarchy and a member of the ''Maison du Roi'' ("King's Household") during the ''Ancien Régime''. He directed the religious branch of ...
during the Regency. He argued with both the regent and his most influential minister, Cardinal Dubois, in favour of severe measures against Protestants. They rejected his ideas.
When Bourbon came to be prime minister, however, the bishop found in him a more receptive audience, and he was given the go-ahead to draw up a general law against heresy.
King's affairs
One of the most notable achievements of the Duke's premiership was the arrangement of the King's marriage. The King had been betrothed to Mariana Victoria, the ''infanta'' of Spain, daughter of the Spanish king, in 1721, when she was just three years old, and the French king only eleven. By 1724, the king was fourteen but the ''infanta'' was still a decade away from child-bearing age. Some felt that this was too long for France to wait for an heir. This was especially so because, if Louis XV died without an heir, it was feared that, armed with a hereditary right he had renounced when he became king of Spain, Philip V de Bourbon would ignore the
Treaty of Utrecht
The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vacant throne o ...
and claim the French throne, thus plunging France and Spain into conflict with the other European powers.
It appears that by the summer of 1724,Bernier, p. 50. the marquise de Prie, and possibly also ''Monsieur le Duc'', were considering breaking Louis XV's engagement with the ''infanta'', despite the great offence this would cause Spain, and finding him a wife who might provide the country with an heir at an earlier date."The Duke of Bourbon asked Philip to make the husband of Mme de Prie a grandee, a title which would have descended to a child Bourbon had by her. If this request had been granted, the ''infanta'' would probably not have been sent away..." ― Letter of Stanhope. Perkins p. 58, footnote 1.
By, at latest, the winter of 1725, replacement of the ''infanta'' was being considered.Perkins p. 58, footnote 2. Candidates included the Duke's sisters, especially '' Mademoiselle de Vermandois''. Mme de Prie was opposed to this choice because it would give the duchesse de Bourbon, Vermandois and the duke's mother too much influence.D'Angerville, pp. 39–40. The duchess and Mme de Prie did not like each other. Furthermore, Fréjus was opposed to Louis marrying anyone from the Bourbon-Condé branch of the royal family.Perkins, p. 60.
In April 1725, the seven-year-old ''infanta'' was sent back to Madrid — Louis did not even say goodbye to her.Jones, p. 80. A new candidate was sought urgently because, should Louis die with no heir, and assuming Philippe V of Spain did not seize the throne, then it would pass to the new duc d'Orléans, son of the deceased regent; 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 ...
and the
House of Condé
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
were rivals, so this would cast ''Monsieur le Duc'' into the political wastelands.Bernier, p. 51.Guizot, p. 58.Perkins, pp. 57–58.
Prominent among these was a daughter of
George II of Great Britain
, house = Hanover
, religion = Protestant
, father = George I of Great Britain
, mother = Sophia Dorothea of Celle
, birth_date = 30 October / 9 November 1683
, birth_place = Herrenhausen Palace,Cannon. or Leine ...
. The prize was offered to her if she would consent to become a Catholic. However that would have caused great difficulties for her father, as he was occupying the British throne mainly because he was Protestant, whereas his rival, James Stuart, was Catholic; he had to politely decline the offer of France to his daughter.
Another prominent contender was the grand duchess, later empress,
Elizabeth of Russia
Elizabeth Petrovna (russian: Елизаве́та (Елисаве́та) Петро́вна) (), also known as Yelisaveta or Elizaveta, reigned as Empress of Russia from 1741 until her death in 1762. She remains one of the most popular Russian ...
. Others on the list included the
Princess Anne Charlotte of Lorraine
Anne Charlotte of Lorraine (17 May 1714 – 7 November 1773) was the Abbess of Remiremont and Mons. She was the thirteenth of fifteen children of Leopold, Duke of Lorraine, and his spouse Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans. Her mother was the ...
; a princess of Savoy who was Louis XV's first cousin, and the
Landgravine Caroline of Hesse-Rotenburg
Princess Caroline of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg (18 August 1714 – 14 June 1741) was Princess of Condé by marriage to Louis Henri, Duke of Bourbon.
Early life
Born at Rotenburg an der Fulda in Hesse, Germany, she was the daughter of Ernest Leop ...
.
Marie Leszczynska
The choice finally made was the daughter of the deposed king of Poland. Her name was
Marie Leszczyńska
Maria Karolina Zofia Felicja Leszczyńska (; ; 23 June 1703 – 24 June 1768), also known as Marie Leczinska, was Queen of France as the wife of King Louis XV from their marriage on 4 September 1725 until her death in 1768. The daughter of Stanis ...
; her father, Stanislaus, had occupied the Polish throne from 1704 with the backing of
Charles XII of Sweden
Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII ( sv, Karl XII) or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 O.S.), was King of Sweden (including current Finland) from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of t ...
. He lost it after five years because his sponsor was beaten by
Peter the Great of Russia
Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...
, at
Poltava
Poltava (, ; uk, Полтава ) is a city located on the Vorskla River in central Ukraine. It is the capital city of the Poltava Oblast (province) and of the surrounding Poltava Raion (district) of the oblast. Poltava is administratively ...
. Stanislaus had found refuge, first in Germany, then in France, where the regent had given him a house at
Wissembourg
Wissembourg (; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Weisseburch'' ; German: ''Weißenburg'' ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Bas-Rhin Departments of France, department in Grand Est in northeastern France.
It is situated on the li ...
in Alsace, a pension of fifty thousand
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 ...
, irregularly paid, and, as a sign of respect, a few regiments of soldiers as an honour guard; they, along with a handful of retainers who had followed the forsaken king in his wanderings, comprised his bare little court. "His property in Poland had been confiscated and his wife's jewels pawned.
Marie did not have a reputation for great beauty or intelligence, but she was not ugly, was healthy as well as kind, generous, and calm. She had already been thought of as a wife for the duc de Bourbon. Now he and Mme de Prie decided she would be ideal for the King. On 31 March 1725, the Council met and agreed that the offer would go to Marie Leczińska. On 27 May, the name of the Queen-to-be was made public.
The young ''duc d'Orléans'' stood in for the bridegroom during the marriage by procuration, which took place in the cathedral of Strasbourg, and was officiated by the
Cardinal de Rohan
Louis René Édouard de Rohan known as Cardinal de Rohan (25 September 1734 – 16 February 1803), ''prince de Rohan-Guéméné'', was a French Bishop of Strasbourg, politician, cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, and cadet of the Rohan f ...
, bishop of
Strasbourg
Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...
and Grand Almoner of France. The bride and groom were wed in person at
Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau (; ) is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the ''arrondissement ...
.
Bourbon remained prime minister until his dismissal in 1726 in favour of the young king's tutor, Cardinal Fleury.
Saint-Simon, the memoir writer known for his acid portraits of grandees, described the Duke of Bourbon as a man with "an almost stupid foolishness, an indomitable obstinacy, an insatiable self-interest". On the other hand, the Cardinal de Fleury said that he found in the Duke of Bourbon "goodness, probity, and honour" and that he considered himself one of the duke's friends.
Later life
After his spell in the government, Bourbon was exiled to his country estate, 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 ...
, 40 kilometers northeast of Paris. The château then underwent a sort of ''renaissance'', being described as a "splendid residence.".Gooch pp. 50-51 Bourbon redecorated the building as well as the grounds and entertained there when he could avoid hosting the Parisian set which had banished him. He died there, aged 47. The titles of the Bourbon-Condé family then passed to his 4-year-old son who was to hold the title of
prince de 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 ...
for more than seven decades.
Wealth
Chantilly porcelain
Chantilly porcelain is French soft-paste porcelain produced between 1730 and 1800 by the manufactory of Chantilly in Oise, France. The wares are usually divided into three periods, 1730-51, 1751-1760, and a gradual decline from 1760 to 1800.
Th ...
was established by the Prince de Condé. During the Regency his several pensions, together with the income from his extensive estates, gave him an income of 1.8 million ''
livre
LIVRE (, L), previously known as LIVRE/Tempo de Avançar (, L/TDA), is a green political party in Portugal founded in 2014.
Its founding principles are ecology, universalism, freedom, equity, solidarity, socialism and Europeanism. Its symbol ...
s'', the historian Bernier, writing in 1984, estimating the ''livre'' as equivalent to about $4.50.
During the Regency he made large amounts of money by speculating in the financial ''Système'' (1716–20) of
John Law
John Law may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
*John Law (artist) (born 1958), American artist
*John Law (comics), comic-book character created by Will Eisner
*John Law (film director), Hong Kong film director
* John Law (musician) (born 1961), B ...
. He bought paper notes, waited for their value to rise, then, before the ''Système'' failed in 1720, took them to Law's bank (which had become the national bank) and traded them in for gold. On 3 March 1720, following the example of the Prince de Conti who the day before had gone to Law's bank and withdrawn fourteen million livres in gold in several large carts, Bourbon went to the bank and took away twenty-five million.Bernier, p. 34. The bank closed later that year due to lack of reserves. Bourbon made 40 million ''livres'' off the ''Système'',Bernier, p. 46. or perhaps 20 million.Jones, p. 68. Historian James Breck Perkins says, "he asked enormous advantages in return for the protection he extended o John Law and his associates and the unfortunate adventurer awwas not in a position to say no to so powerful a nobleman." After the ''Système'' went under, "the government compelled some humbler speculators to disgorge their gains, but no one ventured to disturb the head of the house of Condé."Perkins, pp. 51–52.
Marriages and issue
On 9 July 1713 at Versailles, he married
Marie Anne de Bourbon
Marie Anne de Bourbon, ''Légitimée de France','' born Marie Anne de La Blaume Le Blanc, by her marriage Princess of Conti then Princess Dowager of Conti, ''suo jure'' Duchess of La Vallière and of Vaujours (2 October 1666 – 3 May 1739) ...
who died in 1720. Marie Anne was the eldest daughter of
Marie Thérèse de Bourbon
Marie Thérèse de Bourbon (1 February 1666 – 22 February 1732) was the titular Queen consort of Poland in 1697. She was the daughter of the Prince of Condé. As a member of France's reigning House of Bourbon, she was a '' princesse du sang''. ...
Louise Élisabeth de Bourbon
Louise Élisabeth de Bourbon (22 November 1693–27 May 1775) was a daughter of Louis III de Bourbon, Prince of Condé, and his wife, Louise Françoise de Bourbon, ''légitimée de France'', a legitimised daughter of King Louis XIV of France ...
, married Marie Anne's brother,
Louis Armand II de Bourbon, prince de Conti
Louis Armand de Bourbon (10 November 1695 – 4 May 1727) was Prince of Conti, from 1709 to his death, succeeding his father, François Louis de Bourbon. As a member of the reigning House of Bourbon, he was a '' Prince du Sang''. His mother was ...
Ernest Leopold, Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg
Ernst Leopold of Hesse-Rotenburg (15 June 1684 – 29 November 1749) was Landgrave of Hessen-Rheinfels-Rotenburg between 1725 and 1749.
Born in Langenschwalbach, he was a son of landgrave William, Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg and Countess Ma ...
Army of Condé
The Army of Condé (french: Armée de Condé) was a French field army during the French Revolutionary Wars. One of several émigré field armies, it was the only one to survive the War of the First Coalition; others had been formed by the Comte d ...
during the
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted French First Republic, France against Ki ...
.
Caroline had once been on a list of possible wives for
Louis XV of France
Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached ...
. Her husband was pardoned by Louis XV in 1730; this was regarding his exile to 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 ...
in 1725. The couple lived at the ''
Palais Bourbon
The Palais Bourbon () is the meeting place of the National Assembly, the lower legislative chamber of the French Parliament. It is located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, on the ''Rive Gauche'' of the Seine, across from the Place de la Concor ...
'' which had been built by her mother-in-law
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 ...
.
In addition, Louis Henri had an illegitimate daughter with Armande Félice de La Porte Mazarin (1691–1729), the wife of Louis de Mailly, marquis de Nesle (1689–1767), whom he officially recognized,
* Henriette de Bourbon (1725–1780), ''Mademoiselle de Verneuil'', who married Jean, marquis de Laguiche, (1719–1770) in 1740.
Ancestry
Notes
References
*Olivier Bernier,''Louis the Beloved, The Life of Louis XV''. 1984, Garden City, New York; Doubleday & Co.
*Mouffle d'Angerville, ''The Private Life of Louis XV''. "Annotated and amplified by quotations from original and unpublished documents by Albert Mirac." Translated from the French by H. S. Mingard. 1924, New York; Boni and Liveright. D'Angerville's original title: ''Vie privée de Louis XV, ou principaux évènements, particularités et anecdotes de son règne''. 4 vols. crown 8vo., published in London in 1781. Meyrac says he "extracted these piquant pages" from the original.
*
G. P. Gooch
George Peabody Gooch (21 October 1873 – 31 August 1968) was a British journalist, historian and Liberal Party politician. A follower of Lord Acton who was independently wealthy, he never held an academic position, but knew the work of histo ...
, ''Louis XV: The Monarchy in Decline''. 1956, London; Longmans.
*Guizot, History of France '. Transl. from the French by Robert Black. No date, but a publisher's note is dated 1876; New York; Klemscott Society. vol. 6 p. 110ff.
*Colin Jones, ''The Great Nation: France from Louis XV to Napoleon''. 2002, New York; Columbia University Press.
* G. W. Kitchin, D.D., F.S.A., dean of Durham, ''History of France'' vol. III. 1903, Oxford, at the Clarendon Press.
*Ernest Lavisse, ''Histoire de France'', reprinted from the editions of 1900–1911, Paris. 1969, New York; AMS Press, Inc. Vol. VIII, part 2.
*James Breck Perkins, ''France Under Louis XV'', vol. i. 1897, Boston; Houghton Mifflin Co.
*
J. H. Shennan
Joseph Hugh Shennan (13 March 1933 – 25 May 2015) was a British historian who was Professor of European Studies (1974–98) and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (1993–98) at the University of Lancaster. One of the pioneers in European Studies, his r ...