The Princes of Orléans were male-line descendants 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 ...

headed by the Duke of Orléans. The present House of Orléans was founded by Philippe de France, ''duc d'Orléans'', known as '' Monsieur'' and the only sibling of

Louis XIV of France , 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 ...

. The children of Philippe de France held the rank of '

Grandchildren of 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 kin ...

', being male-line descendants of

Louis XIII of France 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 ...

, the father of Louis XIV and ''Monsieur''. This allowed that group of people 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 ...

; this was from the reign of Louis XIII. After 1723, members of the House of Orléans took the style of

Serene Highness His/Her Serene Highness (abbreviation: HSH, second person address: Your Serene Highness) is a style used today by the reigning families of Liechtenstein, Monaco and Thailand. Over the past 400 years, it has also used as a style for senior members ...

and thus ranked as ' Princes of the Blood'. At the French court, these princes outranked their cousins the

Princes of Condé The Most Serene House of Bourbon-Condé (), named after Condé-en-Brie now in the Aisne ', was a French princely house and a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon. The name of the house was derived from the title of Prince of Condé (French: ''p ...

and the

Princes of Conti The title of Prince of Conti (French: ''prince de Conti'') was a French noble title, assumed by a cadet branch of the princely house of Bourbon-Condé. History The title derives its name from Conty, a small town in northern France, c. 35 km ...

, older branches of the House of Bourbon that ruled France from 1589 beginning with Henry IV until the end of the Revolution during the reign of

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...

. The title of Prince of Orléans, although not a ''

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

'' style, has generally been restricted to the following persons – the legitimate sons of a Duke of Orléans, and the legitimate male-line descendants of a Duke of Orléans.

Princes of Orléans (1650–1652)

The following male was the son of Gaston, Duke of Orléans, the only surviving brother of Louis XIII. Gaston was created the Duke of Orléans at his first marriage in 1626 to the heiress

Marie de Bourbon, Duchess of Montpensier Marie de Bourbon (15 October 1605 – 4 June 1627), Duchess of Montpensier, and Duchess of Orléans by marriage, was a French noblewoman and one of the last members of the House of Bourbon-Montpensier. Her parents were Henri de Bourbon, '' D ...

; Marie died in childbirthgiving birth to ''

la Grande Mademoiselle LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...

'' in 1762 while Gaston again married again in 1632 to Marguerite de Lorraine.

Princes of Orléans (1664–1850)

References and notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Princes of Orleans Dukes of Orléans Princes of France (Bourbon) House of Bourbon

Princes of Orléans (1650–1652)

Princes of Orléans (1664–1850)

See also

References and notes