- Dukes of Orléans
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Duke of Orléans (French: Duc d'Orléans) was one of the highest ranking titles of the French peerage and dates back to the 14th century. Known as princes of the blood (princes du sang), the title of Duke of Orleans was exclusive to princes of the nearest collateral line of the royal family; thus they constituted a junior branch of the ruling house, second in seniority only to members of the primary line.
During the period of the ancien régime the holder of the title often assumed a political role. The Orléans came to the throne with Louis XII (15th century). Louis Philippe II, fifth Duke of Orleans, contributed to the destruction of the ancien regime. At the head of a retrospectively named 'Orleanist' faction centred on the Palais Royal, he contested the authority of his cousin Louis XVI in the adjacent Louvre. It was his son who would eventually ascend the throne in 1830 following the July Revolution as Louis-Philippe I, King of France. The descendants of the family are the Orléanist pretenders to the French throne, and the title has been used by several members of the House. The holder of the title held the style of Serene Highness.
Contents
House of Valois
First creation (1344)
Name Portrait Lifespan Parents Philip of Valois
1344–1375July 1, 1336 -
September 1, 1376Philip VI of France
Joan the LameSecond creation (1392)
Name Portrait Lifespan Parents Louis I
1372–1407March 13, 1372 -
November 23, 1407Charles V of France
Joanna of BourbonCharles I
1407–1465November 24, 1394 -
January 5, 1465Louis I, Duke of Orléans
Valentina ViscontiLouis II
1465–1515June 27, 1462 -
January 1, 1515Charles I, Duke of Orléans
Marie of ClevesThird creation (1519)
Name Portrait Lifespan Parents Henry II
1519–1536March 31, 1519 –
July 10, 1559Francis I of France
Claude of FranceCharles II
1536–1545January 22, 1522 –
September 9, 1545Francis I of France
Claude of FranceLouis III
15493 February –
24 October 1549Henry II, King of France
Catherine de' MediciCharles III Maximilian
1550–1560June 27, 1550 –
May 30, 1574Henry II, King of France
Catherine de' MediciHenry III
1560–1574September 19, 1551 –
August 2, 1589Henry II, King of France
Catherine de' MediciHouse of Bourbon
Fourth creation (1607)
Name Portrait Lifespan Parents Nicholas Henri
1607–161116 April 1607 -
17 November 1611Henry IV of France
Marie de' MediciFifth creation (1626)
At the death of Nicholas Henri, his younger brother Gaston was given the title of Orléans but was not officially allowed to be styled as the Duke of Orléans till his marriage with the heiress Marie de Bourbon, Duchess de Montpensier in her own right (she had been betrothed to Nicholas at the age of 3). They were the parents of Anne Marie Louise of Orléans, Duchess of Montpensier. At her death in 1693, much of her vast wealth went to her cousin, Philippe I, Duke of Orléans.
Name Portrait Lifespan Parents Gaston
1626–166025 April 1608 -
2 February 1660Henry IV of France
Marie de' MediciSixth creation (1660)
Upon the death of Gaston of Orléans, the appanage of Orléans reverted back to the crown and was given to Philippe de France, the brother of Louis XIV of France. As the king's eldest brother he was known at court as Monsieur.
Philippe and his second wife, the famous court writer Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, founded the modern House of Orléans. Their surviving son Philippe d'Orléans was the regent for the child king Louis XV.
The first two dukes were addressed as Royal Highness (Altesse royale); their successors had the style Serene Highness. After 1709, the dukes of Orléans were the First Princes of the Blood – this meant that they could be addressed as Monsieur le Prince, and were in line to the throne of France after the descendants of Louis XIV.
Other Dukes
Members of the House of Orléans
- François Gaston Michel Marie of Orléans, Duke of Orléans (1935–1960) second son of Henri, comte de Paris (posthumous creation)
- Jacques Jean Jaroslav Marie of Orléans, Duke of Orléans (b. 1941) fourth son of Henri, comte de Paris
- James Moore Valios Bourbon Orleans, Duc d'Orleans (Junior branch beneath the Royal Family),direct decendent of King Philippe I (b.1952)
See also
- Duchess of Orléans
- Count of Orléans
- Orleanist
- Legitimist
Dukes of Orléans Philippe · Louis · Charles · Louis · Henri · Charles · Louis · Charles Maximilian · Alexandre Édouard · Nicolas Henri · Gaston · Philippe · Philippe · Louis · Louis Philippe · Louis Philippe Joseph · Louis Philippe · Ferdinand Philippe · Philippe · François Currant claimants Jacques Categories:- House of Bourbon (France)
- House of Orléans
- Dukes of Orléans
- Duchesses of Orléans
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