Jean Gaston d'Orléans, ''petit-fils de France'', Duke of Valois (17 August 1650 – 10 August 1652) was a French Prince and '' Grandson of France''. He was a member of the House of Bourbon.

Biography

Born at the Palais d'Orléans, the present day

Luxembourg Palace The Luxembourg Palace (french: Palais du Luxembourg, ) is at 15 Rue de Vaugirard in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. It was originally built (1615–1645) to the designs of the French architect Salomon de Brosse to be the royal residence of th ...

in Paris, he was the first and only son born to the Duke and Duchess of Orléans. His father, Gaston d'Orléans, was the youngest brother of the late

Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown ...

; as such, Jean Gaston was born during the reign of his first cousin, the 11-year-old

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 Ver ...

. He was given the title of Duke of Valois, a title which was from his father's appanage from Louis XIII. As a Grandson of France, he was allowed 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 t ...

'' and from his birth, was the fourth male in the kingdom after Louis XIV, the

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 ...

and his father, Gaston. His birth was greatly celebrated by his older half-sister, Anne Marie Louise, "la Grande Mademoiselle"Biography of la Grande Mademoiselle
amazon.com; accessed 15 April 2014. who ordered a large fireworks display in Paris to celebrate his birth. West, V. Sackville, ''Daughter of France: The Life of Anne Marie Louise d'Orléans, Duchesse de Montpensier, 1627-1693, La Grande Mademoiselle'', Doubleday & Company (1st edition), London: 1959, ASIN B0010Z3TNE, pp. 124-125 He was adored by la Grande Mademoiselle despite the child always having frail health; he was never able to walk and could not speak - Jean Gaston had a crooked leg which had been attributed to the Duchess of Orléans lying on her side throughout her pregnancy. The little Duke of Valois died at the Palais d'Orléans of

diarrhoea Diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements each day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss. Signs of dehydration often begin wi ...

and was greatly mourned by his parents and half sister. He was buried at the Royal Basilica of Saint Denis outside Paris, the traditional burial place of the House of Bourbon. The duchy of Valois reverted to his father (died 1660), after whose death the duchy of Orléans reverted to the Crown. The previously mentioned Duke of Anjou became the Duke of Orléans and it is from him the present

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 ...

descends.

Ancestors

References and notes

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Valois, Jean Gaston, Duke of 1650 births 1652 deaths Nobility from Paris Jean Gaston Jean Gaston Dukes of Valois Courtesy dukes Jean Gaston 17th-century French nobility Heirs apparent who never acceded Burials at the Basilica of Saint-Denis Royalty and nobility who died as children