Monsieur d'Orléans
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Monsieur d'Orléans (16 April 1607 – 17 November 1611) was the second son and fourth child of Henry IV of France and his consort,
Marie de' Medici Marie de' Medici (french: link=no, Marie de Médicis, it, link=no, Maria de' Medici; 26 April 1575 – 3 July 1642) was Queen of France and Navarre as the second wife of King Henry IV of France of the House of Bourbon, and Regent of the Kingdom ...
. Commonly ascribed the names Nicolas or Nicolas Henri and the title
Duke of Orléans Duke of Orléans (french: Duc d'Orléans) was a French royal title usually granted by the King of France to one of his close relatives (usually a younger brother or son), or otherwise inherited through the male line. First created in 1344 by King ...
, he was neither baptised nor invested as such during the course of his short life. He was betrothed to Marie de Bourbon-Montpensier, heiress to vast lands of the extended
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 ...
. After his father's death in 1610, he was heir presumptive to his older brother, Louis XIII. Of frail health, he died of seizures brought on by hydrocephalus at the age of four, whereupon his title and betrothal were transferred to
Gaston Gaston is a masculine given name of French origin and a surname. The name "Gaston" may refer to: People First name *Gaston I, Count of Foix (1287–1315) *Gaston II, Count of Foix (1308–1343) *Gaston III, Count of Foix (1331–1391) *Gaston ...
, his younger brother.


Biography


Birth and name

Marie de' Medici Marie de' Medici (french: link=no, Marie de Médicis, it, link=no, Maria de' Medici; 26 April 1575 – 3 July 1642) was Queen of France and Navarre as the second wife of King Henry IV of France of the House of Bourbon, and Regent of the Kingdom ...
gave birth to her fourth child, a son, at the Palace of Fontainebleau. Like all of her other children, he was born in the Oval room, later called the "Louis XIII salon". Born at 22:00 on 16 April 1607, the day after Easter, the prince's birth was a source of tremendous joy for his father,
King Henry There have been many monarchs adopting the name "Henry". Years shown below are the regnal years. {{tocright Byzantine Empire * Henry of Flanders (1205–1216) (Latin Empire) Castile * Henry I of Castile * Henry II of Castile * Henry III of Cas ...
. His newborn son was said to resemble him, possessing the same large nose and "sparkle of his father's eyes". At his birth, Henry bestowed upon his son 10,000 Lt in land revenue, adding that he would be granted an annuity provided that he should he serve his brother, the Dauphin, well. As it had become customary for the second son of the king to receive the title of
Duke of Orléans Duke of Orléans (french: Duc d'Orléans) was a French royal title usually granted by the King of France to one of his close relatives (usually a younger brother or son), or otherwise inherited through the male line. First created in 1344 by King ...
, news of the young prince's birth described him as "Monsieur d'Orléans". Henry expressed no desire for this to be retracted, but specified that his son will only be styled as such, not invested. Monsieur d'Orléans, as he was henceforth known, was never invested as Duke of Orléans and never baptised; thus, he was never given a name. It was not uncommon in the French royal family for children to be baptised when they were much older: the Dauphin himself had only been baptised in September 1606, when he was almost 5. This lack of a name is also evidenced by his death register, which only records him as "Monseigneur le duc d'Orléans". He was similarly referred to by his doctor during his final illness, where no name was mentioned. In his genealogy of French royalty, Père Anselme refers to Monsieur d'Orléans as "N... de France, duc d'Orléans". While "N..." initially meant "unnamed" (french: non-nommé), it has since been erroneously transcribed as Nicolas. This error, though noted by numerous historians, including Georges Lacour-Gayet, Eudore Soulié and
Édouard de Barthélemy Édouard Marie, comte de Barthélemy (21 November 1830, Angers – 30 May 1888, Paris) was a French administrator and historian. He was the brother of archaeologist Anatole Jean-Baptiste Antoine de Barthélemy. During his career he served as a ...
, seems to have been repeated by means of biographers copying the child's supposed name from other biographers.


Life

The playwright
François Tristan l'Hermite François l'Hermite (c. 16017 September 1655) was a French dramatist who wrote under the name Tristan l'Hermite. He was born at the Château de Soliers in the Haute Marche. Life His adventures began early, for he killed his enemy in a due ...
, who, as a youngster, lived at the court of Henry IV and was often called upon to read stories to the king's own children, described Monsieur d'Orléans as extremely handsome, intelligent, sharp-witted and prone to taking pity on those around him. Once, when recounting Aesop's ''
The Wolf and the Lamb The Wolf and the Lamb is a well-known fable of Aesop and is numbered 155 in the Perry Index. There are several variant stories of tyrannical injustice in which a victim is falsely accused and killed despite a reasonable defence. The fable and i ...
'' to Monsieur, the young prince was disturbed at the thought of the wolf eating the lamb, and implored l'Hermite to stop. This touched all those present, prompting l'Hermite to change the ending of the fable. Deeply moved, l'Hermite would later describe Monsieur d'Orléans as "a divine flower" and "an incomparable wonder". In 1608, Monsieur's father, Henry IV, intended to betroth him to the slightly older Marie de Bourbon-Montpensier, who was one of the greatest heiresses of her time, having inherited numerous titles and lands on the death of her father,
Henri, Duke of Montpensier Henri de Bourbon, Duke of Montpensier, (12 May 1573 – 27 February 1608) was Dauphin of Auvergne, Duke of Montpensier, Sovereign Prince of the Dombes and Lord of Châtellerault. Henri was born at Mézières, the son of François de Bourbon, Du ...
. Her mother, Henriette Catherine de Joyeuse, herself a rich heiress, held a high position at court as the recently widowed and wealthy mother of a '' princesse du sang''. In 1610, Henry IV was stabbed to death by a Catholic fanatic in Paris and the Dauphin succeeded as Louis XIII, with Queen Marie as regent. As the second son, Monsieur became heir presumptive to the French throne, a position he held until his death.


Health and death

Monsieur's health was delicate from infancy. In September 1607, one of his nursemaids died of the
plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...
; soon afterwards, he was discovered to be feverish, but seems to have recovered quickly. Louis Batiffol, Marie de' Medici's biographer, describes Monsieur as frail, with a large head set atop a very thin body, stating that he "suffered from his first days" and "dragged on in constant suffering". In November 1611, Monsieur was taken ill with seizures at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, which lasted a few days. Louis XIII was brought to visit his brother and, upon seeing him, Monsieur reportedly said: "you honour me too greatly to have come to see me". The young king ran out of the room in tears and refused to enter again. Some time in the next days, Monsieur reported that a white angel had visited him and told him that his father wished to see him. After a series of seizures, he died between midnight and 1:00 on the morning of 17 November. The following day, the body of Monsieur d'Orléans was subjected to an autopsy, which revealed that his brain was of a soft consistency, hydrocephalus, filled with water and catarrh, pus. The liquid present in his brain was judged to be the cause of his seizures. He was, otherwise, in perfect physical health. After the autopsy, Monsieur's body was sent to the Basilica of Saint-Denis, where it lying in state, lay in state until 25 November, when he was buried there. After his death, the duchy of Orléans was awarded to his younger brother,
Gaston Gaston is a masculine given name of French origin and a surname. The name "Gaston" may refer to: People First name *Gaston I, Count of Foix (1287–1315) *Gaston II, Count of Foix (1308–1343) *Gaston III, Count of Foix (1331–1391) *Gaston ...
. In order to honour the terms of the betrothal, Marie de Bourbon-Montpensier herself was eventually married to Gaston, the new Duke of Orléans.


Titles and styles

Although never formally invested as such, Monsieur d'Orléans was styled as Duke of Orléans, duc d'Orléans and had the distinction of being a ''fils de France'' (son of France).


Ancestry


References


Bibliography

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External links

* , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholas Henri Of Orleans, Duke 1607 births 1611 deaths 17th-century French people People from Fontainebleau House of Bourbon Princes of France (Bourbon) Dukes of Orléans Courtesy dukes Burials at the Basilica of Saint-Denis Heirs presumptive to the French throne Children of Henry IV of France Neurological disease deaths in France Deaths from epilepsy Royalty and nobility with disabilities Royalty and nobility who died as children Sons of kings