Louis of Orleans (1703-1752)

Louis I of Orleans , Duke of Orleans, known as “the Piles”, also called “the Génovéfain”, was born with Versailles the August 4th 1703, deceased with Paris the February 4th 1752.

It was titrated duke of Chartres (1703 - 1723), then became Duc of Orleans, duke of Valois, duke of Nemours and duke of Montpensier (1723 - 1752), titrated First prince of blood after the death of Henri Jules de Bourbon-Cop (1709)

According to the marquis d' Argenson: “Mr. the duke of Orleans was always outraged in all. In its youth he loved the women with passion, and without thinking of the risks which its health ran. Later, he wanted to put at the head houssards and to make a war of medical student. Then, he liked hunting with fury. Lastly, being devoted to the devotion, it chooses the role of Père of the Church and Anachorète. ” ( Newspaper , July 1742)

Biography

Wire of the Regent Philippe of Orleans and Miss de Blois, legitimated bastard girl of Louis XIV and her mistress Madam de Montespan, Louis of Orleans was a little high by her mother and her grandmother, the Palatine Princesse, and especially by her tutor, the wise abbot Nicolas-Hubert Mongault.

As of the January 30th 1718 it was allowed to the Council of Regency and the following day with that of the War. He did not hesitate to be opposed to certain decisions of his father and his principal minister the cardinal Dubois. To this time, it was delivered, according to the Baron de Besenval, “to passions which entreten a girl of the comedy inspires to youth”.

In 1719, it was named governor of the Dauphiné and, if it did not reside in its province, as it was then of use, it discharged its task with much application. In 1720, it was named large-Master about Saint-Lazare and of Jerusalem, and sought to return its last gloss to him. In 1721, it became general Colonel of the Infantry.

Its marriage was a delicate business. At the end of 1721, the ambassador of France in Russia tried to conclude an alliance with a girl from Pierre Large the, but in addition to the obstacle of the religion, such a union could pass for a misalliance, even for a great-grandson of France which, in this quality, was to be satisfied with the predicate of “Sérénissime Highness”. When the Regent died in 1723, it was judged urgent to stop a party. The choice was made on the princess Augusta Marie Jeanne de Bade (1704 - 1726), girl of the Margrave Louis I {{er}} of Bade and Francoise of Saxony-Lauenbourg, which had the advantage of a genealogy without spot and whose two parents were with the catholic surpluses. This only compensated for a miserable dowry of 80.000 books. The marriage took place in 1724. They had two children, Jeanne de Bade dying in layers by giving rise to the second:

Louis Philippe of Orleans, duke of Chartres then duke of Orleans, called “the Large one” (born the May 12th 1725);
Louise Marie of Orleans, “Miss” (born the August 5th 1726, dead the May 14th 1728).

Death of his/her father in 1723 with 1729, Louis of Orleans became heir apparent to the throne, because of renunciation of the Bourbons of Spain at the time of the Treaty of Utrecht of 1713. If it were isolated government by his cousin the duke of Bourbon, it endeavoured to restore the power of the house of Orleans by being pressed on his faithful friend the count d' Argenson, named chancellor of the house of Orleans in 1723. Like first prince of blood, it sat in all the councils and did not hesitate with opiner over the businesses of policy.

Its relations with Louis XV - they had almost the same age - were cordial even if it reproached to the king his manners dissolues. The queen Marie Leszczyńska expressed a great sympathy to him, just as the cardinal Fleury. Nevertheless, in 1740, Louis XV, on the authorities of Fleury, refused to grant to the son of the duke of Orleans the hand of his/her daughter, Mrs Henriette. Indeed, Louis XV had only one son. In the event of disappearance of this one, the throne of France would be asserted at the same time by the duke of Orleans and the king of Spain, Philippe V, which regarded as null the renunciation of its rights that the England had extorted to him from the Traité of Utrecht of 1713. To marry a girl of the King to the son of the duke of Orleans had been, in this possible quarrel, to give the advantage to this last, which had not failed to upset the Spain, that the cardinal sought on the contrary to spare.

In 1742, Louis from Orleans, whose devotion had not ceased growing since a widowhood which had left it inconsolable, was withdrawn with the Abbaye of Holy-Genevieve where it spent the ten last years of his life. It continued to keep up to date with the businesses, managed its prerogative, accepted and protected the scientists and was devoted to charitable works.

Itself had reputation like hébraïsant. It had trained a cabinet of natural history and a rich person médailler; it left works of scholarship and piety which remained handwritten. One suspected it of Jansénisme, but without reasonable evidence.

On the end of its days, it had a little disturbed spirit. He refused to believe that one could die, as he refused to accept the births that one announced to him and, according to Besenval, he died without the last sacraments because he refused to recognize his grandchildren, condition which the priest charged to assist it had put to grant to him money.

References

External bonds

Gordian Marie-Estelle, Louis of Orleans (1703-1752), first prince of blood and mystical scholar , Sorbonne Thesis, 2002.

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