Duke of Enghien (, pronounced with a silent ''i'') was a noble title pertaining to the

House of Condé A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

. It was only associated with the town of

Enghien Enghien (; ; ; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. On 1January 2006, Enghien had a total population of 11,980. The total area is , which gives a population density of 295 inhabitants per km2. ...

for a short time.

Dukes of Enghien – first creation (1566–1569)

The title was first conferred on

Louis I de Bourbon, Prince de Condé 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 * ...

, whose County of Enghien in modern-day

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

was elevated to a duchy-peerage in 1566. However, the necessary registration process was not completed, so the title became extinct at his death in 1569. In spite of this legal loophole, from 1569 to 1689 the eldest son of the Prince of Condé also held the title of Duke of Enghien. The most famous of them is Louis II, also known as the Great Condé, who held the title of Duke of Enghien from his birth in 1621 to his father's death in 1646.

Dukes of Enghien – second creation (1689–1830)

His grandson Henry II, Prince of Condé, inherited the Duchy of Montmorency near

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 ...

in 1633, and in 1689 the Duchy of Montmorency was renamed as Duchy of Enghien for his son Louis II, Prince of Condé. The title Duke of Enghien was thereafter used as a

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but is rather used by custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some context ...

for the eldest son of the

Prince of Condé A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The f ...

. # 1689–1709: Henri I, Duke of Enghien (1643–1709) # 1709–1710: Louis I, Duke of Enghien (1668–1710) # 1710–1740: Louis II Henri, Duke of Enghien (1692–1740) # 1740–1818: Louis III Joseph, Duke of Enghien (1736–1818) # 1818–1830: Louis IV Henri, Duke of Enghien (1756–1830) Most often it refers to Louis-Antoine-Henri de Bourbon-Condé, duc d'Enghien (1772–1804), the son of Louis Henry II, whose execution on trumped-up charges in 1804 during the

French Consulate The Consulate () was the top-level government of the First French Republic from the fall of the French Directory, Directory in the coup of 18 Brumaire on 9 November 1799 until the start of the First French Empire, French Empire on 18 May 1804. ...

removed any hope of reconciliation between

Napoleon Bonaparte 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 ...

and the

House of Bourbon The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a dynasty that originated in the Kingdom of France as a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Kingdom of Navarre, Navarre in the 16th century. A br ...

. The duke was executed in the moat of 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 ...

. On the death of the last duke in 1830, the title passed to Louis Philippe III,

Duke of Orléans Duke of Orléans () was a French royal title usually granted by the King of France to one of his close relatives (usually a younger brother or son), or otherwise inherited through the male line. First created in 1344 by King Philip VI for his yo ...

, a great-great-grandson of the Louis I, Duke of Enghien through the female line. He had become

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 style ...

Louis Philippe I Louis Philippe I (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850), nicknamed the Citizen King, was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, the penultimate monarch of France, and the last French monarch to bear the title "King". He abdicated from his throne ...

a month earlier.

References

Enghien 1566 establishments in France {{France-hist-stub