Charles Ferdinand d'Artois, Duke of Berry (24 January 1778 – 14 February 1820), was the third child and younger son of Charles, Count of Artois (later King Charles X of France), and

Maria Theresa of Savoy Maria Theresa of Savoy (; 31 January 1756 – 2 June 1805) was a French princess by marriage to Charles Philippe, Count of Artois. Her husband was the grandson of Louis XV and younger brother of Louis XVI. Nineteen years after Maria Theresa’s ...

. In 1820 he was assassinated at the

Paris Opera The Paris Opera ( ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be kn ...

Louis Pierre Louvel Louis Pierre Louvel (7 October 1783 – 7 June 1820) was the assassin of Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Berry. Born in Versailles, Louvel was the son of a haberdasher, learned the profession of a saddler, and entered in 1806 in the service of the a ...

, a

Bonapartist Bonapartism () is the political ideology supervening from Napoleon Bonaparte and his followers and successors. The term was used in the narrow sense to refer to people who hoped to restore the House of Bonaparte and its style of government. In ...

. In June 1832, two years after the overthrow of Charles X, an unsuccessful royalist insurrection in the

Vendée Vendée () is a department in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France, on the Atlantic coast. In 2019, it had a population of 685,442.Marie-Caroline, in an attempt to restore their son

Henri, Comte de Chambord Henri, Count of Chambord and Duke of Bordeaux (; 29 September 1820 – 24 August 1883), was the Legitimist pretender to the throne of France as Henri V from 1844 until his death in 1883. Henri was the only son of Charles Ferdinand, Duke of ...

, to the French throne.

Biography

Charles Ferdinand d'Artois, Duke of Berry, was born at

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

. As a son of a ''

fils de France ''Fils de France'' (, ''Son of France'') was the style (manner of address), style and Ranks of nobility and peerage, rank held by the sons of the French monarchy, kings and Dauphin of France, dauphins of France. A daughter was known as a fille d ...

'' not being

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

, he was himself only a '' petit-fils de France'', and thus bore his father's

appanage An appanage, or apanage (; ), is the grant of an estate, title, office or other thing of value to a younger child of a monarch, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture (where only the eldest inherits). It was ...

title as surname in

emigration Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...

. However, during the Restoration, as his father was

heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of a person with a better claim to the position in question. This is in contrast to an heir app ...

to the crown, he was allowed the higher rank of a ''fils de France'' (used in his marriage contract, his death certificate, etc.). His maternal grandparents were

Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia Victor Amadeus III (Vittorio Amedeo Maria; 26 June 1726 – 16 October 1796) was King of Sardinia and ruler of the Savoyard state, Savoyard states from 20 February 1773 to his death in 1796. Although he was politically conservative, he carrie ...

and Maria Antonietta of Spain. She was the youngest daughter of

Philip V of Spain Philip V (; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was List of Spanish monarchs, King of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 14 January 1724 and again from 6 September 1724 to his death in 1746. His total reign (45 years and 16 days) is the longest in the ...

and

Elisabeth Farnese Elisabeth Farnese (Italian: ''Elisabetta Farnese'', Spanish: ''Isabel de Farnesio''; 25 October 169211 July 1766) was Queen of Spain by marriage to King Philip V. She was the '' de facto'' ruler of Spain from 1714 until 1746, since she managed ...

. Since he was already dead when his father became king, he and his surviving daughter always had "Artois" as surname. At the start of the French Revolution he left France with his father, then

Count of Artois The count of Artois (, ) was the ruler over the County of Artois from the 9th century until the abolition of the countship by the French Revolution, French revolutionaries in 1790. House of Artois *Odalric () *Altmar () *Adelelm (?–932) *''C ...

, and served in the counter-revolutionary

Army of Condé The Army of Condé () was a French field army during the French Revolutionary Wars. One of several Émigré armies of the French Revolutionary Wars, émigré field armies, it was the only one to survive the War of the First Coalition; others had b ...

of his cousin,

Louis Joseph, Prince of Condé Louis Joseph de Bourbon (9 August 1736 – 13 May 1818) was Prince of Condé from 1740 to his death. A member of the House of Bourbon, he held the prestigious rank of '' Prince du Sang''. Youth Born on 9 August 1736 at Chantilly, Louis Jo ...

, from 1792 to 1797. As a member of Conde's emigre army, he fought in the

Rhine Campaign of 1796 In the Rhine campaign of 1796 (June 1796 to February 1797), two First Coalition armies under the overall command of Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen, Archduke Charles outmaneuvered and defeated two First French Republic, French Republican ...

, and achieved particular distinction at the Battle of Emmendingen and the

Battle of Schliengen At the Battle of Schliengen (24 October 1796), the French Army of the Rhine and Moselle under the command of Jean Victor Marie Moreau, Jean-Victor Moreau and the Austrian army under the command of Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen, Archduke Ch ...

. He afterwards joined the Russian army, and in 1801 took up his residence in England, where he remained for thirteen years. During that time he had a relationship with an Englishwoman, Amy Brown Freeman. The ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' Eleventh Edition (1911) described her as his wife, but that is highly unlikely. In 1814, the duke set out for France. His frank, open manners gained him some favour with his countrymen, and

Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. Before his reign, he spent 23 y ...

named him commander-in-chief of the army at

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

on the return of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

from

Elba Elba (, ; ) is a Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano National Park, a ...

. He was, however, unable to retain the loyalty of his troops, and retired to

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

during the

Hundred Days The Hundred Days ( ), also known as the War of the Seventh Coalition (), marked the period between Napoleon's return from eleven months of exile on the island of Elba to Paris on20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII o ...

war. On 17 June 1816, following negotiations by the French ambassador, the Duke of Blacas, he married Princess Maria-Carolina of Naples (1798–1870), oldest daughter of then hereditary Prince Francis of Naples. Three children were born before the duke's death, with one surviving infancy. His daughter, Louise d'Artois, born in 1819, married Charles III of Parma. On 13 February 1820, the Duke of Berry was stabbed and mortally wounded when leaving the

opera house An opera house is a theater building used for performances of opera. Like many theaters, it usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, backstage facilities for costumes and building sets, as well as offices for the institut ...

in Paris with his wife, and died the next day. The assassin was a saddle maker named

, a

opposed to the monarchy. Seven months after his death, the Duke's wife gave birth to their fourth child, Henri, who received the title of Duke of Bordeaux, but is better known in history as the Count of Chambord, and who in the view of

Legitimists The Legitimists () are royalists who adhere to the rights of dynastic succession to the French crown of the descendants of the eldest branch of the House of Bourbon, Bourbon dynasty, which was overthrown in the 1830 July Revolution. They reject ...

, was (from 1844 to 1883) King of France, as Henry V. His grandson Athanase-Charles-Marie Charette de la Contrie would later become a prominent military commander for France and other nations.

Issue

With his wife, Maria Carolina of Bourbon-Sicily, the Duke of Berry had four children, of whom only two survived for more than a day: #Louise Élisabeth d'Artois (13 July 1817 – 14 July 1817). #Louis d'Artois (born and died 13 September 1818). # Louise Marie Thérèse d'Artois (21 September 1819 – 1 February 1864); married

Charles III, Duke of Parma Charles III (; 14 January 1823 – 27 March 1854) was the duke of Parma from 1849 to 1854. He was the son of Duke Charles II of Parma and was educated in Saxony and Vienna. He grew up as a restless young man and traveled extensively while he w ...

. # Henri d'Artois, Duke of Bordeaux and Count of Chambord (29 September 1820 – 24 August 1883); married Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria-Este. In addition, the Duke had several illegitimate offspring: *With Mary Bullhorn, a Scottish actress: #Marie de la Boulaye (1807 – ?), married Henri-Louis Bérard. No issue. *With Amy Brown Freeman (whose daughters are the only illegitimate issue whom Berry recognized, on his deathbed): # Charlotte Marie Augustine de Bourbon, ''comtesse d'Issoudun'' (13 July 1808 – 13 July 1886), married in 1823 to Ferdinand de Faucigny-Lucinge, Prince de Lucinge. #Louise Marie Charlotte de Bourbon, ''comtesse de Vierzon'' (29 December 1809 – 26 December 1891), married in 1827 to Charles-Athanase de Charette, Baron de la Contrie. Her son Athanase-Charles-Marie Charette de la Contrie was a

military commander The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...

and became a general for France and other nations. He married Antoinette Van Leer Polk, a great-niece of

James Knox Polk James Knox Polk (; November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. A protégé of Andrew Jackson and a member of the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

, the 11th President of the United States. *With Eugénie Virginie Oreille (1795 – 1875): #Charles Louis Auguste Oreille de Carrière (4 March 1815 – 30 August 1858), married in 1846 to Elisabeth Jugan, with whom he had a son Charles, a lyric artist, married but without surviving issue. #Ferdinand Oreille de Carrière (10 October 1820 – 27 December 1876), married in 1860 to Louise Eugénie Ancelle, with whom he had a daughter, Léonie, who married and left several children.Daniel Manach and Michel Sementéry: ''La Descendance de Charles X, roi de France'', ed. Christian, 1997. *With Marie Sophie de La Roche (1795 – 1883):C. Maubois: ''Descendance inédite du duc de Berry''. #Ferdinand de La Roche (24 August 1817 – 24 December 1908), married in 1849 to Claudine Gabrielle Claire de Bachet de Méziriac. No issue. #Charles de La Roche (30 March 1820 – 12 January 1901), married in 1840 to Julie Dolé, with whom he had four children. *With Louise Melanie Thiryfoq (? – 1887): #Louise Charlotte Antoinette Aglaé Thiryfoq (15 October 1819 – 25 May 1843), married in 1839 to Gaston du Charron, Comte du Portail. *With Lucie Cosnefroy de Saint-Ange (1797 – 1870): #Alix Mélanie Cosnefroy de Saint-Ange (16 September 1820 – 11 June 1892). Four of his children – the Count of Chambord, Ferdinand Oreille de Carrière, Charles de La Roche and Mélanie Cosnefroy de Saint-Ange – were born after his death.

Ancestors

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Charles Ferdinand Of Berry, Duke 1778 births 1820 deaths Burials at the Basilica of Saint-Denis Royalty from Versailles People of the Bourbon Restoration French Ultra-royalists Assassinated French people Assassinated royalty Dukes of Berry Courtesy dukes Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain People murdered in Paris Deaths by stabbing in France Princes of France (Bourbon) French counter-revolutionaries Royal reburials People murdered in 1820 Sons of kings People assassinated in the 19th century