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Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, duc du Maine (31 March 1670 – 14 May 1736) was an illegitimate son of
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 ...
and his official mistress, Madame de Montespan. The king's favourite son, he was the founder of the semi-royal House of Bourbon-Maine named after his title and his surname.


Biography

Louis-Auguste de Bourbon was born at the
Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye The Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a former royal palace in the commune of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in the department of Yvelines, about 19 km west of Paris, France. Today, it houses the '' Musée d'Archéologie nationale'' (Nationa ...
on 31 March 1670. He was named ''Louis'' after his father''Athénaïs:The Real Queen of France'' by Lisa Hilton, p.153 and ''Auguste'' after the Roman Emperor
Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...
. Immediately after his birth, Louis-Auguste was placed in the care of one of his mother's acquaintances, the widowed Madame Scarron, who took him to live in a house on rue de Vaugirard, near the
Luxembourg Palace The Luxembourg Palace (, ) is at 15 Rue de Vaugirard in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was originally built (1615–1645) to the designs of the French architect Salomon de Brosse to be the royal residence of the regent Marie de' Med ...
in Paris. His siblings, Louis-César, Louise-Françoise and
Louise Marie Anne de Bourbon Louise Marie Anne de Bourbon, ''Légitimée de France'', Mademoiselle de Tours (Saint-Germaine-en-Laye, 18 November 1674 – Bourbon, 15 September 1681) was the illegitimate daughter of Louis XIV of France and his most famous '' Maîtresse-en-ti ...
were also brought there after their births. Their mother, living with the king 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 ÃŽle-de-France, ÃŽle-de-France region in Franc ...
, rarely saw her children, and Madame Scarron took the place of mother in Louis-Auguste's affections. One of his legs was shorter than the other and Scarron took him to consult, first, a famous quack at
Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) 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 Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...
and later to the waters of Barèges, a small town near the
Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...
, whither they traveled incognito (she as the marquise de Surgeres). On 19 December 1673, when Louis-Auguste was three years old, Louis XIV legitimised his children by Montespan by
letters patent Letters patent (plurale tantum, plural form for singular and plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, President (government title), president or other head of state, generally granti ...
registered by the
Parlement of Paris The ''Parlement'' of Paris () was the oldest ''parlement'' in the Kingdom of France, formed in the 14th century. Parlements were judicial, rather than legislative, bodies and were composed of magistrates. Though not representative bodies in the p ...
. At this time, Louis-Auguste received the title of ''duc du Maine''. In 1674, at the age of four, Louis-Auguste and his siblings were officially introduced to the court at Versailles. In the same year, he was made a colonel-general of the Swiss Guards. Du Maine's greatest enemy at court became his father's sister-in-law, the duchesse d'Orléans, known at court as ''Madame''. In her famous correspondence describing life at Versailles, ''Madame'' claimed that du Maine was not the son of the king:
''I can readily believe that the comte de Toulouse is the King's son; but I have always thought that the duc du Maine is the son of Terme member of the court who was a false knave, and the greatest tale-bearer in the Court''
Louis XIV showered him with gifts and titles and hired the best tutors for him. The maréchal du Luxembourg, a famous military strategist, was put in charge of the child's military training. Despite this, Louis-Auguste never became more than a mediocre soldier. He was made '' Grand Maître de France''. The king also blackmailed his cousin, the wealthy ''La Grande Mademoiselle'', into ceding some of her estates to du Maine in return for the liberation of her imprisoned lover, Antoine Nompar de Caumont, Duke of Lauzun. As a result, Louis-Auguste became the '' comte d'Eu'', sovereign Prince of the Dombes, and '' duc d'Aumale''. He also received the governorship of
Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (, , ; ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately . History ...
and was awarded the ''
Order of the Holy Spirit The Order of the Holy Spirit (; sometimes translated into English as the Order of the Holy Ghost) is a French order of chivalry founded by Henry III of France in 1578. Today, it is a dynastic order under the House of France. It should not be c ...
''. In April 1684 du Maine represented the king at the wedding of the Duke of Savoy, Victor Amadeus II to du Maine's cousin,
Anne Marie d'Orléans Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), Annie a ...
. In 1688, Louis Auguste was made a ''capitaine général des galères'' (General of
Galley A galley is a type of ship optimised for propulsion by oars. Galleys were historically used for naval warfare, warfare, Maritime transport, trade, and piracy mostly in the seas surrounding Europe. It developed in the Mediterranean world during ...
s).


Marriage

Several potential brides were considered for him, including his first cousin, Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans, the only daughter of his uncle, ''
Monsieur ( ; ; pl. ; ; 1512, from Middle French , literally "my lord") is an honorific title that was used to refer to or address the eldest living brother of the king in the French royal court. It has now become the customary French title of respe ...
'' and his enemy, ''Madame'', who was horrified at the prospect of her daughter marrying a ''bastard''. However, the '' Grand Condé'', a more distant relative of the king but still France's '' premier prince du sang'', was willing to overlook the discrepancy in social status. So du Maine was allowed to choose among the three unmarried daughters of Condé's son, the duc d'Enghien. He chose Louise Bénédicte, ''Mademoiselle de Charolais'', over her sisters, Anne Marie, ''Mademoiselle de Condé'' and Marie Anne, ''Mademoiselle de Montmorency'' (later duchesse de Vendôme). Mademoiselle de Condé was quite upset, as she had her heart set on marrying du Maine:
''Monsieur le Prince had three daughters for him u Maineto choose from, and an extra quarter of an inch of stature made him prefer the second. All three were extremely small; the eldest nne Mariewas beautiful, and full of sense and wit. The incredible constraint, to say the least of it, in which the strange temper of ''Monsieur le Prince'' kept everyone who was subject to his yoke, made the choice of her sister a cause of bitter heartburning to her''
On 19 May 1692, Louis-Auguste and Anne Louise Bénédicte were married in a ceremony at the
Palace of 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 ÃŽle-de-France, ÃŽle-de-France region in Franc ...
. Presided over by the Cardinal de Bouillon, the guest of honour was the exiled
James II of England James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II of England, Charles II, on 6 February 1 ...
. Madame de Montespan, who had fallen out of favour with the king after the ''Affaire des Poisons'', did not attend her son's wedding. The duc du Maine received a gift of one million '' livres'' from his father at his wedding. His bride was given a hundred thousand livres in cash, with clothes and jewels worth an additional two hundred thousand ''livres''. The marriage proved unhappy. Louise Bénédicte felt disgraced by her marriage to a ''légitimé de France'' and was often unfaithful. As the groom and bride were both physically handicapped (Louise Bénédicte had a bad right arm and Louis had a lame leg), people at court snickered:
''Voici l'union d'un boiteux et d'une manchote. Ah, le beau couple!'' (Behold the union of a cripple and a penguin. Ah, the beautiful couple!)
The union, despite open discord, produced seven children, but only three lived to adulthood. Their only surviving daughter, baptised at Versailles on 9 April 1714, was known as ''Mademoiselle du Maine'' and named Louise-Françoise de Bourbon. In 1707, Madame de Montespan died, and the duc du Maine inherited a large portion of her fortune, including the Château de Clagny, built for her by his father near the château at Versailles. Unlike his younger siblings, the duke did not express any emotion or remorse at the loss of his mother, as he considered Madame de Maintenon to have been more of a mother to him throughout his youth.


''Prince du Sang''

In July 1714, pressed by Maintenon, Louis XIV raised Louis-Auguste and his younger brother, the comte de Toulouse, to the rank of '' princes du sang'', and compelled the ''Parlement of Paris'' to acquiesce to their being placed in the line of succession to the French throne, following all of the legitimate lines of 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 ...
. In August 1715, Louis XIV's health deteriorated drastically. On 22 August, he was unable to attend a troop parade in the gardens of Versailles, and he ordered the duc du Maine to take his place at this event. This public display of the Maine's "promotion" greatly concerned his rival, the duc d'Orléans.


Cellamare Conspiracy

On 1 September 1715, Louis XIV died and was succeeded by his great-grandson Louis, Duke of Anjou as
Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...
. The little boy was the grandson of du Maine's late half-brother
Louis, Grand Dauphin Louis, Dauphin of France (1 November 1661 – 14 April 1711), commonly known as le Grand Dauphin, was the eldest son and heir apparent of King Louis XIV and his spouse, Maria Theresa of Spain. He became known as the Grand Dauphin after the birth ...
. The old king's last will and testament gave the regency to both his nephew and son-in-law the duc d'Orléans and the 45 year old duc du Maine. However, the next day, the duc d'Orléans ensured the annulment of Louis XIV's will in the Parlement of Paris. Displeased with Orléans' actions, Louis-Auguste, pressured by his ambitious wife, joined in the Cellamare Conspiracy in the hope of transferring the regency to the young King
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 ...
, who was the uncle of the boy king Louis XV and a half nephew of du Maine. The plot was named after Antonio del Giudice, Prince di Cellamare, the Spanish ambassador to the French court. After the conspiracy was discovered, du Maine was arrested and imprisoned in the fortress of Doullens, and his wife was exiled to
Dijon Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...
. In 1720, the couple was pardoned by the Council of the Regent and was allowed to return to court. After their release from imprisonment in 1720, Louise Bénédicte made an effort to reconcile with her husband, whom she had talked into joining the plot. She remarked:
''I owe a full and rightful explanation to M. le Duc du Maine which is more precious to me than my own liberty or life''
After their release, Louis-Auguste and his wife led a more subdued, compatible life at the
Château de Sceaux The Château de Sceaux () is a grand Château, country house in Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine, approximately south-southwest of the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris. Situated in a large park laid out by André Le Nôtre, partly in Antony, Hauts-de-Seine, ...
, bought by Louis XIV for du Maine, where his wife created a little court attended by popular literary figures of the day. They also had a new home in Paris. On 27 December 1718, before their exile, he and his wife had purchased an unfinished house in Paris on the rue de Bourbon (now rue de Lille) from his wife's sister, Marie Thérèse de Bourbon. It was originally designed by the architect
Robert de Cotte Robert de Cotte (; 1656 – 15 July 1735) was a French architect-administrator, under whose design control of the royal buildings of France from 1699, the earliest notes presaging the Rococo, Rococo style were introduced. First a pupil of ...
, but they had hired a new architect, , to enlarge and redesign it. It was completed before their return from exile and became known as the Hôtel du Maine (destroyed 1838).Robert Neuman (1994) ''Robert de Cotte and the Perfection of Architecture in Eighteenth-Century France'', Chicago/London: The University of Chicago Press, , pp. 142–143; Alexandre Gady (2008) ''Les Hôtels particuliers de Paris du Moyen Âge à la Belle Époque'', Paris: Parigramme, , pp. 313. The site of the former Hôtel du Maine is at 84–86 rue de Lille. This ''hôtel'' is not to be confused with his wife's later residence, also called the Hôtel du Maine (now the Hôtel Biron), on the rue de Varenne. Louise Bénédicte tried on several occasions to marry off their children. First, she tried to marry their son and main heir, Louis Auguste de Bourbon, to his first cousin Charlotte Aglaé, ''Mademoiselle de Valois'', daughter of du Maine's younger sister, Françoise-Marie de Bourbon. The young ''Mademoiselle de Valois'' refused, however. Later, Louise-Bénédicte tried to marry off ''Mademoiselle du Maine'' twice. First, she offered her daughter's hand to the duc de Guise, but that marriage never materialised. She then offered the girl to the widower,
Jacques I, Prince of Monaco Jacques I (Jacques François Léonor Goyon de Grimaldi; 21 November 1689 – 23 April 1751) was Prince of Monaco from 1731 to 1733. He was also Duke of Valentinois from 1716 until 1733, and Count of Thorigny. For ten months preceding his re ...
, who was often at Versailles. Despite offering a large dowry to each man, neither accepted. ''Mademoiselle du Maine'' eventually died in 1743, alone and single, at the age of thirty-five. She was buried at the Église at Sceaux. It was at Sceaux that du Maine died on 14 May 1736 at the age of sixty-six, during the reign of his grandnephew Louis XV, by now a young man of twenty-six years. The House of Bourbon-Maine became extinct at the death of his eldest son, the prince de Dombes, in 1775. The large du Maine fortune was inherited by their cousin, the duc de Penthièvre, the only son of du Maine's younger brother, Louis-Alexandre de Bourbon, comte de Toulouse.


Honours

Legitimised (''légitimé de France'') 20 December 1673; * Duc du Maine (1673) and made ''colonel général des Suisses et Grisons'' 1674; * Captain of the Gardes Suisses 3 February 1674; * Colonel of the Regiment of Infantry of Turenne 13 August 1675; * Sovereign Prince of the Dombes and '' comte d'Eu'' 2 February 1681; * Governor of
Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (, , ; ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately . History ...
29 May 1682; * ''Chevalier des Ordres du roi'' 2 June 1686; * ''Général des galères'' and
Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
General of the Seas 15 September 1688; * '' Marechal de camp'' 2 April 1690; * Lieutenant général on 3 April 1692; * Wed Louise Bénédicte de Bourbon, ''princesse du sang'' * Colonel of the regiment of the 'Royal-Carabiniers' 1 November 1693; *
Peer of France The Peerage of France () was a hereditary distinction within the French nobility which appeared in 1180 during the Middle Ages. The prestigious title and position of Peer of France () was held by the greatest, highest-ranking members of the Fr ...
1694; * Grand Master of the Artillery 10 September 1694; * '' Prince du sang'' 29 July 1714; * Superintendent of the education of
Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...
September 1715; * Stripped of the rank of ''prince du sang'' by the Regent,
Philippe II, Duke of Orléans Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (Philippe Charles; 2 August 1674 – 2 December 1723), who was known as the Regent, was a French prince, soldier, and statesman who served as Regent of the Kingdom of France from 1715 to 1723. He is referred to i ...
July 1717


Issue

*Mademoiselle de Dombes (
Palace of 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 ÃŽle-de-France, ÃŽle-de-France region in Franc ...
, 11 September 1694 –
Palace of 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 ÃŽle-de-France, ÃŽle-de-France region in Franc ...
, 26 September 1694). *Louis Constantin de Bourbon, Prince of the Dombes (Palace of Versailles, 17 November 1695 – Palace of Versailles, 28 September 1698). *Mademoiselle d'Aumale (Palace of Versailles, 21 December 1697 – Palace of Versailles, 22/24 August 1699). * Louis Auguste de Bourbon, Prince of the Dombes (Palace of Versailles, 4 March 1700 –
Palace of 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 List of French monarchs ...
, 1 October 1755). * Louis Charles de Bourbon, Count of Eu (
Château de Sceaux The Château de Sceaux () is a grand Château, country house in Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine, approximately south-southwest of the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris. Situated in a large park laid out by André Le Nôtre, partly in Antony, Hauts-de-Seine, ...
, 15 October 1701 – 13 July 1775). *Charles de Bourbon, Duke of Aumale (Palace of Versailles, 31 March 1704 – Château de Sceaux, 2 September 1708). * Louise Françoise de Bourbon, Mademoiselle du Maine (Palace of Versailles, 4 December 1707 – Château d'Anet, 19 August 1743).


Notes


References

* Lewis, W.H., ''Louis XIV, the Sun King'', * Wolf, J. B., ''Louis XIV'', New York: Norton, 1968. * Lewis, W.H., ''Sunset of the splendid century; the life and times of Louis Auguste de Bourbon, duc du Maine, 1670–1736'', Eyre & Spottiswoode, London, 1955. *Hilton, Lisa, ''Athénaïs:The Real Queen of France''. * Fraser, Antonia (Lady), ''Love and Louis XIV''. * Freeman-Mitford, Nancy (The Hon.), ''The Sun King''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Louis Auguste Of Maine, Duke 1670 births 1736 deaths 17th-century peers of France 18th-century peers of France Peers created by Louis XIV People from Saint-Germain-en-Laye Princes of the Dombes Dukes of Maine House of Rochechouart House of Bourbon People of the Regency of Philippe d'Orléans House of Bourbon-Maine Illegitimate children of Louis XIV Sons of kings Dukes of Aumale