Ferdinand d'Orléans, Duke of Montpensier (french: Ferdinand François Philippe Marie Laurent d'Orléans, Duc de Montpensier) (9 September 1884 – 30 January 1924) was a member 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 ...

and a Prince of France.

Early life

Ferdinand was born on 9 September 1884 at

Château d'Eu The Château d'Eu is a former royal residence in the town of Eu, in the Seine-Maritime department of France, in Normandy. The Château d'Eu stands at the centre of the town and was built in the 16th century to replace an earlier one purposely de ...

, Eu,

Seine-Inférieure Seine-Maritime () is a department of France in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre. Until 1955 it was named Seine-Infé ...

, French Republic. He was the eighth, and youngest, child of Philippe d'Orléans, Count of Paris and his wife Marie Isabelle d'Orléans. His elder siblings were Princess Amélie (wife of

Carlos I of Portugal ''Dom'' Carlos I (; English: King Charles of Portugal; 28 September 1863 – 1 February 1908), known as the Diplomat ( pt, o Diplomata), the Martyr ( pt, o Martirizado), and the Oceanographer ( pt, o Oceanógrafo), among many other names, was ...

), Prince Philippe (who married Archduchess Maria Dorothea, daughter of Archduke Joseph Karl of Austria), Princess Hélène (the wife of Emmanuel Philibert, 2nd Duke of Aosta), Prince Charles (who died young), Princess Isabelle (wife of Prince Jean D'Orléans, Duke of Guise), Prince Jacques (who also died young), and Princess Louise (wife of

Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies , house = Bourbon-Two Sicilies , spouse = , issue = , father = Prince Alfonso, Count of Caserta , mother = Princess Maria Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies , religion = Roman Catholicism , signature = ...

). His father reigned as

King of the French The precise style of French sovereigns varied over the years. Currently, there is no French sovereign; three distinct traditions (the Legitimist, the Orleanist, and the Bonapartist) exist, each claiming different forms of title. The three styles ...

for two days, from 24 February 1848 to 26 February 1848 until the monarchy was abolished, his family fled and the

French Second Republic The French Second Republic (french: Deuxième République Française or ), officially the French Republic (), was the republican government of France that existed between 1848 and 1852. It was established in February 1848, with the February Re ...

was proclaimed. His paternal grandparents were Prince Ferdinand, Duke of Orléans and

Duchess Helene of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Duchess Helene of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (Helene Luise Elisabeth; 24 January 1814 – 17 May 1858) was a French Crown Princess after her marriage in 1837 to the eldest son of Louis Philippe I. She is known as the mother of the future Count of P ...

. Through his father, he was a great-grandson of

Louis-Philippe I, King of the French Louis Philippe (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, and the penultimate monarch of France. As Louis Philippe, Duke of Chartres, he distinguished himself commanding troops during the Revolutionary War ...

and his wife Queen

Maria Amalia of the Two Sicilies french: link=no, Marie-Amélie Thérèse de Bourbon-Siciles , house = Bourbon-Two Sicilies , father = Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies , mother = Maria Carolina of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Caserta Palace, Naples , ...

. His maternal grandparents were Infanta Luisa Fernanda of Spain and

Prince Antoine, Duke of Montpensier es, Antonio María Felipe Luis de Orleans , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Neuilly, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France , death_date = , death_place = Palacio de Orléans-Borbón, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain , date of burial = , plac ...

(the youngest son of

Louis-Philippe of France Louis Philippe (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, and the penultimate monarch of France. As Louis Philippe, Duke of Chartres, he distinguished himself commanding troops during the Revolutionary War ...

and

Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily french: link=no, Marie-Amélie Thérèse de Bourbon-Siciles , house = Bourbon-Two Sicilies , father = Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies , mother = Maria Carolina of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Caserta Palace, Naples , ...

Career

The Duke lived in England for many years, until "his reported indiscretions with regard to his recollections of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

made it somewhat uncomfortable for him when in London." When the Germans went into Belgium, he returned to London until

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

was over and then returned to Belgium. In the fall of 1923, the French government bestowed upon him the Cross of

Officer 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 ...

for his services to his native land.

Albanian throne

In 1912, during the Congress of Trieste, he was proposed as a candidate for the Albanian throne. Others considered for the throne were Prince Ghika of Rumania, Prince Karl, Duke of Urach, Prince Moritz of

Schaumburg-Lippe Schaumburg-Lippe, also Lippe-Schaumburg, was created as a county in 1647, became a principality in 1807, a free state in 1918, and was until 1946 a small state in Germany, located in the present day state of Lower Saxony, with its capital at Bück ...

, the Count of Turin and

Prince Arthur of Connaught Prince Arthur of Connaught (Arthur Frederick Patrick Albert; 13 January 1883 – 12 September 1938) was a British military officer and a grandson of Queen Victoria. He served as Governor-General of the Union of South Africa from 20 November 1920 ...

Personal life

On 20 August 1921, Ferdinand married Doña María Isabel González de Olañeta Ibarreta, 3rd Marchioness of Valdeterrazo, 2nd Viscountess of los Antrimes, at the Château de Randan in Randan, which he inherited from his mother. She was the daughter of Ulpiano González de Olañeta González de Ocampo, 2nd Marquis of Valdeterrazo and his wife Isabel de Ibarreta Uhagón. Ferdinand and María Isabel did not have children. The Duke of Montpensier died on 30 January 1924 at the Château de Randan in Randan in the French Republic.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferdinand of Montpensier, Duke 1884 births 1924 deaths 19th-century French people 20th-century French people Princes of France (Orléans) Dukes of Montpensier People from Eu, Seine-Maritime French explorers Recipients of the Legion of Honour Drug-related deaths in France Burials at the Chapelle royale de Dreux French male writers Children of Prince Philippe, Count of Paris