César de Bourbon, ''Légitimé de France'' (June 1594 – 22 October 1665) was the illegitimate son of

Henry IV of France Henry IV (; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (''le Bon Roi Henri'') or Henry the Great (''Henri le Grand''), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 16 ...

and his mistress

Gabrielle d'Estrées Gabrielle d'Estrées, Duchess of Beaufort and Verneuil, Marchioness of Monceaux (; 157310 April 1599) was a mistress, confidante and adviser of Henry IV of France. She is noted for her role in ending the religious civil wars that plagued France ...

, and founder of the House of Bourbon-Vendome. He held the titles of 1st

Duke of Vendôme Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they a ...

, 2nd

Duke of Beaufort Duke of Beaufort ( ) is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created by Charles II in 1682 for Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Worcester, a descendant of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester, legitimised son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd D ...

and 2nd Duke of Étampes, but is also simply known as César de Vendôme.

Biography

Born in June 1594 at the Château de Coucy in the

Picardy Picardy (; Picard language, Picard and , , ) is a historical and cultural territory and a former regions of France, administrative region located in northern France. The first mentions of this province date back to the Middle Ages: it gained it ...

region of France, César was the illegitimate son of

and his mistress

and was the couple's first child. He was legitimised on 3 February 1595, and was created the first

by his father in 1598. In the same year, he was engaged to Françoise de Lorraine, "..the wealthiest heiress in France". In 1598, César was created '' Duke of Vendome'' in his own right. One year later he also inherited the titles of ''

'' and '' Duke of Étampes'' upon the death of his mother, who died as a result of a stillbirth in Paris. He was his father's first son but due to his illegitimacy, was not allowed to inherit the throne; his half-brother, the future

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. ...

was born in September 1601 much to the joy of the king. On 16 July 1608, at the

Château de Fontainebleau Palace of Fontainebleau ( , ; ), located southeast of the center of Paris, in the commune of Fontainebleau, is one of the largest French royal châteaux. It served as a hunting lodge and summer residence for many of the French monarchs, includ ...

, Cesar married Françoise de Lorraine, the wealthy heiress of Philippe Emmanuel, Duke of Mercœur. Françoise was the legal heir to the large and separate duchies of Mercœur and Penthièvre. In 1610, Cesar's father granted him a rank higher than peers of the realm but below princes of the blood ('' prince du sang''). César was involved in many noble intrigues during the reign of his half-brother

. In 1614, whilst Governor of Brittany, he briefly supported Henri, Prince of Conde in demanding the summoning of the Estates General and the removal of several of Louis' ministers, before submitting to the young king when he came with a force to Nantes. Later implicated in the Chalais conspiracy against

Cardinal Richelieu Armand Jean du Plessis, 1st Duke of Richelieu (9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), commonly known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a Catholic Church in France, French Catholic prelate and statesman who had an outsized influence in civil and religi ...

, he and his brother

Alexandre, Chevalier de Vendôme Alexandre de Vendôme (19 April 1598 – 28 February 1629) was the third illegitimate child, and second illegitimate son, of Henry IV of France and his mistress Gabrielle d'Estrées. He was a prior of the Langue of France of the Order of S ...

, were imprisoned in the

Château de Vincennes The Château de Vincennes () is a former fortress and royal residence next to the town of Vincennes, on the eastern edge of Paris, alongside the Bois de Vincennes. It was largely built between 1361 and 1369, and was a preferred residence, after ...

in 1626. He was released in 1630. In 1632, he returned to France but was soon accused of plotting the death of Richelieu and was exiled again, first to Holland then to England. He did not return until 1642. Soon after his return he took part in the '' cabale des Importants'' against

Cardinal Mazarin Jules Mazarin (born Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino or Mazarini; 14 July 1602 – 9 March 1661), from 1641 known as Cardinal Mazarin, was an Italian Catholic prelate, diplomat and politician who served as the chief minister to the Kings of France Lou ...

, together with his second son

François François () is a French language, French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis (given name), Francis. People with the given name * François Amoudruz (1926–2020), French resistance fighter * Voltaire, Fran ...

- this led to yet another exile, till 1650. The marriage of his son

Louis Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also ...

to Laura Mancini brought about his reconciliation with Mazarin, and he supported

Anne of Austria Anne of Austria (; ; born Ana María Mauricia; 22 September 1601 – 20 January 1666) was Queen of France from 1615 to 1643 by marriage to King Louis XIII. She was also Queen of Navarre until the kingdom's annexation into the French crown ...

throughout the

Fronde The Fronde () was a series of civil wars in the Kingdom of France between 1648 and 1653, occurring in the midst of the Franco-Spanish War, which had begun in 1635. The government of the young King Louis XIV confronted the combined opposition ...

. He reconciled with his half-brother in December 1642, a year before his death and the accession of his nephew

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

. The reconciliation occurred after the death of Richelieu. César led the royal troops against the rebels in

Burgundy Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. ...

, of which he was appointed governor in 1650; appointed Grand Admiral of France in 1651 he helped to capture the insurgent stronghold of

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

in July 1653. Joining French forces in the ongoing war with Spain, he defeated a Spanish fleet off Barcelona in 1655. Early in 1665 the Duke of Vendôme was created the Grand Master of Navigation. He died later that year on 22 October 1665 in Paris and was buried in the chapel of Saint-Georges at the Château of Vendôme.

Issue

Cesar and Françoise had: * Louis de Bourbon, 2nd ''Duke of Vendôme married

Laura Mancini Laura Mancini, Duchess of Mercœur (6 May 1636 – 8 February 1657) was a niece of Cardinal Mazarin. She was the eldest of the five famous Mancini sisters, who along with two of their female Martinozzi cousins, were known at the court of Louis ...

* François de Bourbon, 2nd ''Duke of Beaufort'' * Élisabeth de Bourbon, ''Mademoiselle de Vendôme'', married in Paris on 11 July 1643 Charles Amédée of Savoy, ''Duke of Nemours''

References

Sources

* * * * * *xxx * *19 * * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Cesar, Duke Of Vendome 1594 births 1665 deaths 16th-century peers of France 17th-century peers of France Peers created by Henry IV of France 17th-century French military personnel People from Picardy House of Bourbon-Vendôme Dukes of Vendôme Dukes of Étampes Dukes of Beaufort (France) House of Bourbon (France) Admirals of France Illegitimate children of Henry IV of France French prisoners and detainees Prisoners and detainees of France French exiles Military personnel of the Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659) Sons of kings Dukes of Mercœur Jure uxoris dukes