Philippe, Duke of Anjou (Philippe Louis; 30 August 1730 – 7 April 1733) was a French prince and the second son of king

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 ...

and

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 ...

. He was styled Duke of Anjou from birth.

Biography

Philippe was born at the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 19 ...

on 30 August 1730, the second son and fifth child of

and

. As a son of the king, he held the rank 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 ...

'' ("son of France"), which also entitled him to the style of ''

Royal Highness Royal Highness is a style used to address or refer to some members of royal families, usually princes or princesses. Monarchs and their consorts are usually styled ''Majesty''. When used as a direct form of address, spoken or written, it takes ...

''. In his short lifetime, he was the third most important male at court, after his father Louis XV and his elder brother

Louis 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 ( ...

Dauphin of France Dauphin of France (, also ; french: Dauphin de France ), originally Dauphin of Viennois (''Dauphin de Viennois''), was the title given to the heir apparent to the throne of France from 1350 to 1791, and from 1824 to 1830. The word ''dauphin'' ...

. Philippe was styled

Duke of Anjou The Count of Anjou was the ruler of the County of Anjou, first granted by Charles the Bald in the 9th century to Robert the Strong. Ingelger and his son, Fulk the Red, were viscounts until Fulk assumed the title of Count of Anjou. The Robertians ...

from birth; this title had last been bestowed on his father, from his own birth in 1710 until his accession to the throne in 1715. Philippe grew up at Versailles with his brother, the Dauphin, and their twin sisters Louise Élisabeth (''Madame Royale'', later Duchess of Parma) and Henriette (''Madame Seconde''). In his short lifetime, Philippe saw the birth of his younger sister

Madame Adélaïde Marie Adélaïde de France, (23 March 1732 – 27 February 1800) was a French princess, the sixth child and fourth daughter of King Louis XV and Queen Marie. As a legitimate daughter of the King, Adélaïde was a ''fille de France''. She was ...

, in March 1732, and the death of his older sister Marie Louise de France (''Madame Troisième'') from the

common cold The common cold or the cold is a viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract that primarily affects the respiratory mucosa of the nose, throat, sinuses, and larynx. Signs and symptoms may appear fewer than two days after exposu ...

, in February 1733. Always a sickly child, Philippe was cared for by a group of female attendants, as royal children were cared for by women until the age of five. As part of their intensely superstitious beliefs, the women mixed in earth from the grave of

Saint Medard Saint Medardus or St Medard ( French: ''Médard'' or ''Méard'') (ca. 456–545) was the Bishop of Noyon. He moved the seat of the diocese from Vermand to Noviomagus Veromanduorum (modern Noyon) in northern France. Medardus was one of the most ...

with his food; the child was given so much earth that his organs failed. As a result, Philippe died at Versailles on 7 April 1733, at the age of two. He was buried at the Royal

Basilica of Saint Denis The Basilica of Saint-Denis (french: Basilique royale de Saint-Denis, links=no, now formally known as the ) is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the commune of Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. The building ...

outside Paris.

Ancestry

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Philippe 1730 births 1733 deaths 18th-century French people People from Versailles Dukes of Anjou Courtesy dukes French people of Polish descent Princes of France (Bourbon) Burials at the Basilica of Saint-Denis Children of Louis XV Royalty and nobility who died as children Sons of kings