Philippe de France, Duke of Orléans was the brother of Louis XIV and the younger son of Louis XIII and Anne of Austria.
A member of the House of Bourbon, he is the founder of the current House of Orléans. His heirs formed a junior collateral branch of the royal dynasty. They include the second duke, who governed France during the minority of Louis XV in the Regency era; one French monarch, Louis Philippe I; and the Orléanist pretenders to the French throne still flourishing in the 21st century. The accumulation of the vast wealth which the House of Orléans would possess and use to influence both politics and court life (until it was confiscated during the French Revolution) began with Philippe, a lifelong beneficiary of his brother's largesse.
He was originally known by the title "Duke of Anjou". In 1660, his paternal uncle, Gaston, Duke of Orléans, died. The dukedom of Orléans was an appanage traditionally conferred upon the younger brother of the French king whenever available. Philippe exchanged Anjou for Orléans. As a son of a French king, Philippe ranked as a fils de France, and as the king's younger brother, he was invariably referred to at court simply as Monsieur.
Issue by Henrietta-Anne 'Minette' of England
Henrietta Anne and Philippe : Relationship Background
On 31 March 1661, he married his first cousin, Princess Henrietta of England, daughter of King Charles I of England, in the chapel of the Palais-Royal in Paris. Both were grandchildren of Henry IV of France and Marie de' Medici. She was known at court as Madame, Henriette d'Angleterre (Henrietta of England) or affectionately as Minette and was a famed beauty. Philippe was said to have doted on Henriette for the first year of their marriage, but their relationship soon turned sour when she allegedly began an affair with the Count of GuicheBarker, Nancy Nichols, Brother to the Sun king: Philippe, Duke of Orléans, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1989. and went on to seek comfort from others. Philippe openly paraded his mignons in front of his wife and the whole court. Among them were Armand de Gramont, Count of Guiche, known for his arrogance and good looks, the marquis de Châtillon, and his first lover Philip Julian Mancini. Meanwhile, Henriette proved to be very popular at court as a pretty, good-natured princess, much to Philippe's annoyance.
She soon attracted the attention of the King. In order to hide this attraction from the King's mother and wife, Henriette and Louis invented the story that he was constantly in Henriette's company in order to be close to one of her ladies-in-waiting, Louise de La Vallière. In time, Louis indeed fell in love with Louise and made her his mistress.
Reluctantly, and somewhat bitterly, Henriette stepped aside. She is said to have eventually taken one of her husband's earlier conquests, Armand de Gramont as a lover. This caused all sorts of arguments at the Palais Royal, where the Orléans lived. Despite this marital dissension, several children were born of their union. However, Henriette, known for her fragile and delicate health, had four miscarriages in the space of five years.Royal Genealogy, Information on Stuart, Henrietta Anne By the time of the birth of Anne Marie, the couple was notorious for the frequency of their quarrels at court and at home in the Palais-Royal. After joining his brother Louis, the Queen, Mademoiselle, Madame de Montespan, and Louise de La Vallière at a military campaign in northern France, the ducal couple returned to Saint-Cloud. It was there that the Duchess died at the age of twenty-six.
The death of the duchess on 30 June 1670 was popularly attributed to poison. The main suspects of this alleged crime were the Duke himself and the Chevalier de Lorraine. Although the duke may not have been involved, the enmity between Minette and the Chevalier de Lorraine was not a hidden truth. After an autopsy was performed, it was reported that Henrietta-Anne had died of peritonitis caused by an ulcer. During his marriage to Henriette-Anne, Philippe was heard to have said that he had loved her for fifteen days.
Children # Name of Descendant Portrait Birth Death Relations Marriages Issue 1 Marie Louise d'Orléans March 26, 1662 February 12, 1689 Daughter of Philippe de France and Henrietta of England Married to Charles II of Spain No Issue 2 Anne Marie d'Orléans August 27, 1669 August 26, 1728 Daughter of Philippe de France and Henrietta of England Married to Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia 3 children, 2 daughters, 1 son
Grandchildren # Name of Descendant Portrait Birth Death Relations Marriage Issue 1 Maria Adelaide of Savoy December 6, 1685 February 12, 1712 Daughter of Anne Marie d'Orléans and Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia Granddaughter of Philippe de France and Henrietta of England Married to Louis, Dauphin of France 1 child, 1 son 2 Maria Luisa Gabriella of Savoy August 17, 1688 February 14, 1714 Daughter of Anne Marie d'Orléans and Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia Granddaughter of Philippe de France and Henrietta of England Married to Philip V of Spain 2 Children, 2 sons 3 Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia April 27, 1701 February 20, 1773 Son of Anne Marie d'Orléans and Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia Grandson of Philippe de France and Henrietta of England Married (1) Anne Christine Louise of Bavaria (2) Polyxena Christina of Hesse-Rotenburg (3) Elisabeth Therese of Lorraine 4 children, 2 sons, 2 daughters
Great-grandchildren # Name of Descendant Portrait /Coat of Arms Birth Death Relations Marriages Issue 2 Louis I of Spain August 25, 1707 August 31, 1724 Son of Maria Louisa of Savoy and Philip V of Spain Grandson of Anne Marie d'Orléans and Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia Great-Grandson of Philippe de France and Henrietta of England Married Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans No Issue 3 Ferdinand VI of Spain September 23, 1713 August 10, 1759 Son of Maria Louisa of Savoy and Philip V of Spain Grandson of Anne Marie d'Orléans and Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia Great-Grandson of Philippe de France and Henrietta of England Married Barbara of Portugal No Issue 4 Victor Amadeus III of Savoy June 26, 1726 October 16, 1796 Son of Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia and Polyxena Christina of Hesse-Rotenburg Grandson of Anne Marie d'Orléans and Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia Great-Grandson of Philippe de France and Henrietta of England Married Maria Antonia Ferdinanda of Spain 9 children, 5 sons, 4 daughters 5 Eleonora Maria Teresa of Savoy 1728 1781 Daughter of Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia and Polyxena Christina of Hesse-Rotenburg Granddaughter of Anne Marie d'Orléans and Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia Great-Granddaughter of Philippe de France and Henrietta of England unmarried No issue 6 Maria Luisa Gabriella of Savoy 1729 1767 Daughter of Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia and Polyxena Christina of Hesse-Rotenburg Granddaughter of Anne Marie d'Orléans and Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia Great-Granddaughter of 'Philippe de France and Henrietta of England unmarried, a nun No issue 7 Maria Felicita 1730 1801 Daughter of Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia and Polyxena Christina of Hesse-Rotenburg Granddaughter of Anne Marie d'Orléans and Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia Great-Granddaughter of Philippe de France and Henrietta of England unmarried No issue 8 Benedetto Maria Maurizio of Savoy (Duke of Chablais and Marchese of Ivrea) 1741 1808 Son of Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia and Elisabeth Teresa of Lorraine Grandson of Anne Marie d'Orléans and Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia Great-Grandson of Philippe de France and Henrietta of England Married his niece Maria Ana No issue
Further Descent # Name of Descendant Portrait Birth Death Relations Marriages Issue 1 Louise Élisabeth, Duchess of Parma August 14, 1727 December 6, 1759 Daughter of Louis XV of France and Maria Leszczyńska Married to Philip, Duke of Parma 3 children, 2 daughters, 1 son 2 Isabella of Parma 31 December 1741 November 27, 1763 Daughter of Louise Élisabeth, Duchess of Parma and Philip, Duke of Parma Married to Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor 1 child, 1 daughter 3 Maria Theresia March 20, 1762 January 23, 1770 Daughter of Isabella of Parma and Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor Unmarried No Issue 4 Ferdinand, Duke of Parma January 20, 1751 October 9, 1802 Son of Louise Élisabeth, Duchess of Parma and Philip, Duke of Parma Married Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria 4 children, 1 son, 3 daughters 5 Princess Caroline of Parma November 22, 1770 March 1, 1804 Daughter of Ferdinand, Duke of Parma and Maria Amalia of Austria Married Maximilian, Hereditary Prince of Saxony 7 children, 3 sons, 4 daughters 6 Louis of Etruria 5 July 1773 27 May 1803 Son of Ferdinand, Duke of Parma and Maria Amalia of Austria Married Maria Louisa, Duchess of Lucca 2 children, 1 son, 1 daughter 7 Maria Antonia 28 November 1774 20 February 1841 Daughter of Ferdinand, Duke of Parma and Archduchess Marie Amalie of Austria. Unmarried, a nun No Issue 8 Charlotte of Parma September 7, 1777 1812 Daughter of Ferdinand, Duke of Parma and Maria Amalia of Austria Unmarried, a nun No Issue 9 Maria Luisa of Parma December 9, 1751 January 2, 1819 Daughter of Louise Élisabeth, Duchess of Parma and Philip, Duke of Parma Married to Charles IV of Spain 7 children, 3 sons, 4 daughters 10 Carlota Joaquina of Spain 25 April 1775 7 January 1830 Daughter of Maria Luisa of Parma and Charles IV of Spain Married to John VI of Portugal 8 children, 2 sons, 6 daughters 11 Maria Amalia January 9, 1779 July 22, 1798 Daughter of Maria Luisa of Parma and Charles IV of Spain Married to Infante Antonio Pascual of Spain Stillborn son 12 Maria Louisa July 6, 1782 March 13, 1824 Daughter of Maria Luisa of Parma and Charles IV of Spain Married to Louis of Etruria 2 children, 1 son, 1 daughter 13 Ferdinand VII of Spain October 14, 1784 September 29, 1833 Son of Maria Luisa of Parma and Charles IV of Spain Married (1) Maria Antonia of Naples (2) Maria Isabel of Portugal (3) Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony (4) Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies 2 children, 2 daughters 14 Charles, Count of Molina March 29, 1788 March 10, 1855 Son of Maria Luisa of Parma and Charles IV of Spain Married (1) Maria Francisca of Portugal (2) Teresa, Princess of Beira 2 children, 2 sons 15 Maria Isabella of Spain June 6, 1789 September 13, 1848 Daughter of Maria Luisa of Parma and Charles IV of Spain Married to Francis I of the Two Sicilies 12 children, 6 sons, 6 daughters 16 Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain 10 March 1794 13 August 1865 Son of Maria Luisa of Parma and Charles IV of Spain Married Princess Luisa Carlotta of the Two Sicilies 8 children, 4 sons, 4 daughters
Issue by Elisabeth-Charlotte 'Liselotte' of the Palatinate
Elisabeth-Charlotte and Philippe : Relationship Background
Philippe's confidante, Anna Gonzaga, Princess Palatine, arranged his second marriage to her husband's niece, Elisabeth Charlotte, the nineteen-year-old daughter of Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine. Upon her arrival in France, "Liselotte" converted to Roman Catholicism, before the marriage ceremony.
The couple was married by proxy, in the cathedral Saint-Étienne at Metz, on 16 November 1671. The maréchal du Plessis-Praslin represented the Duke of Orléans. Philippe and Liselotte first met on the road between the towns of Châlons and Bellay.Arvède Barine, "Madame, Mère du Régent", in: Revue des deux mondes, LXXVIIe Année, Cinquième période, Tome Quarantième, Paris, 1907, p. 814.
Whereas Philippe’s first wife, Henriette of England, was celebrated at court for her beauty and conversational brilliance, Elisabeth-Charlotte of the Palatinate did not conform to the same aesthetic or social expectations of Versailles. Contemporary observers often remarked upon the contrast.
Philippe is reported to have taken a direct interest in Liselotte’s public presentation, particularly in matters of dress and court appearance, though the extent and tone of this involvement vary across sources.