Duke Philippe of Orleans - brother of Louis 14: biography, family and interesting facts

Duke Philip of Orleans (brother of Louis XIV) was one of the most controversial aristocratic figures in the history of France. Being second in line to the throne, he represented a serious threat to the monarchy, however, even in the era of Fronda and internal turmoil, Monsieur did not begin to oppose the legitimate ruler. Remaining loyal to the crown, the duke led a peculiar way of life. He regularly shocked the public, surrounded himself with a multitude of favorites, patronized the arts and, despite his effeminate image, periodically successfully led the military campaigns.

Brother King

On September 21, 1640, the second son, the future Philip of Orleans, was born to King Louis III of France and his wife Anne of Austria. He was born in a residence in the suburbs of Paris Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The boy was the younger brother of the monarch Louis XIV, who ascended the throne in 1643 after the death of their father.

Relations between them were a big exception for the royal families. In history, there are many examples of how brothers (children of some ruler) hated each other and fought each other for power. There were similar examples in France. For example, there is a theory that the penultimate monarch of the Valois dynasty, Charles IX, was poisoned by one of his younger brothers.

Monsieur

The hereditary principle, in which the senior heir received everything, and the other remained in its shadow, was largely unfair. Despite this, Philip of Orleans never plotted against Louis. Between the brothers there was always a warm relationship. This harmony became possible thanks to the efforts of Anna's Austrian mother, who tried to do everything to make her children live and be brought up together in a friendly atmosphere.

In addition, the nature of Philip himself affected. By nature, he was extravagant and quick-tempered, which, however, could not drown out his good nature and gentleness. All his life, Philip wore titles "The only brother of the king" and "Monsieur", which emphasized his special position not only in the ruling dynasty, but throughout the country.

Childhood

The news that Anne of Austria gave birth to a second boy was adopted at the court with enthusiasm. Particularly pleased was the all-powerful Cardinal Richelieu. He understood that Philip of Orleans, the brother of Louis 14, is another legitimate support of the dynasty and its future, if something happens to the Dauphin. From the earliest childhood, boys were invariably brought up together. Together they played, studied and hooliganized, because of which they were both flogged.

At that time Fronde was raging in France. Princes were not once secretly taken away from Paris and hid in distant residences. Philip of Orleans - brother of Louis 14, just like the Dauphin, experienced many privations and adversities. He had to feel fear and defenselessness before the enraged mob of rebels. Sometimes children's pranks of the brothers grew into scuffles. Although Louis was older, he did not always come out victorious in fights.

Like all children, they could quarrel over trifles - plates with porridge, sharing beds in a new room, etc. Philip was temperamental, he liked to shock the people around him, but at the same time he had an easy character and quickly departed from offense. But Louis, on the contrary, was stubborn and could long sulk at others.

Relations with Mazarin

The very fact that Philippe the Duke of Orleans was the younger brother of the omnipotent king made the presence of many ill-wishers, who did not like Monsieur, inevitable. One of his most influential opponents was Mazarin. Cardinal was appointed responsible for the education of the poorly studied Louis and his younger brother. Mazarin did not like Philip because of his fear that he would grow up to be a threat to the throne. Monsieur could repeat the fate of Gaston - his own uncle, who opposed the monarchy with his claims to power.

Mazarin had many superficial reasons to fear such a development of events. The all-powerful nobleman could not help noticing the kind of adventurous man Philip of Orleans had grown up. Biography of the Duke in the future showed that he also grew from a good general who could lead the armies and win victories on the battlefield.

Education

Some biographers, with good reason, noted in their writings that in Philippe they could deliberately educate women's habits and instill interest in homosexuality. If this was really made of ambiguous considerations, then Mazarin thus could count on, first, that the duke would not have a normal family and heir, and secondly, that Monsieur would be despised at court. However, the cardinal did not even need to take the initiative into his own hands.

Female habits in Philip brought up his mother Anne of Austria. The soft nature of the younger son was much more pleasing to her than the boring habits of Louis. Anna loved to dress up a child as a girl and allowed him to play with the ladies-in-waiting. Today, when Philippe of Orleans is mentioned, he is often confused with a descendant-namesake, but King Louis Philippe of Orleans, who lived in the 19th century, had little in common with the duke of the seventeenth century. Their upbringing was noticeably different. It is enough to give an example of how the brother of Louis XIV could joke in a joke for a ladies' corset.

The maid of honor who lived at court, also loved the theater and often gave the child comic roles in their productions. Perhaps, it was these impressions that brought Philip to interest in the scene. At the same time, the boy was left to himself for a long time. All the powers of his mother and Cardinal Mazarin were spent on Louis, from which they made the king. What will come out of his younger brother, everyone was interested in much less. All that was required of him was not to interfere with the throne, not to make claims to the authorities and not to repeat the way of the rebellious uncle of Gaston.

Wives

In 1661, the younger brother of Louis XIII died Gaston - Duke of Orleans. After his departure from life, the title passed to Philip. Before that, he was the Duke of Anjou. In the same year Philip of Orleans married Henriette Anne Stewart - the daughter of Charles I of England.

It is interesting that the first wife Henrietta was to marry Louis XIV himself. However, during their adolescence, royal power in England was overthrown, and marriage with the daughter of Charles Stewart at Versailles was considered to be futile. The wife was then chosen according to the position and prestige of the dynasty. While the Stuarts at Cromwell were left without a crown, the Bourbons did not want to be related to them. However, everything changed in 1660, when Henrietta's brother Charles II recovered his father's throne. The status of the girl was higher, but Louis had already married by that time. Then the princess was invited to marry the younger brother of the king. The opponent of this marriage was Cardinal Mazarin, but on March 9, 1661, he passed away, and the last barrier to the engagement disappeared.

It is not known exactly what the future wife of Philip of Orleans was sincerely thinking about her fiancé. Prior to England came contradictory rumors about the hobbies of Monsieur and his favorites. Nevertheless, Henrietta married him. After the wedding, Louis gave his brother Palais Royal Palace, which became the city residence of the couple. Philip, Duke of Orleans, in his own words, was carried away by his wife only two weeks after the wedding. Then came the everyday routine, and he returned to the company of his favorites - minions. The marriage was unhappy. In 1670, Henrietta died, and Philip married for the second time. Elizabeth Charlotte, daughter of Karl Ludwig, the Elector of Palatinate, became his chosen one this time. In this marriage, the son Philip II was born - the future regent of France.

Favorites

Thanks to the surviving correspondence of his second wife, historians were able to collect a wealth of evidence of the duke's homosexuality. Of his lovers, the Chevalier Philippe de Lorren is best known. He was a representative of the old aristocratic and influential Gizov family. Philip of Orleans and Chevalier de Lorren met at a young age. Later both wives of the Duke tried to remove the favorite from the court. He exerted a serious influence on Philip, which jeopardized the family life of the latter. Despite the efforts of Henrietta and Elizabeth, the Chevalier continued to remain an associate of the Duke of Orleans.

In 1670, the situation under his control tried to take the king. Louis XIV concluded the Chevalier in the famous prison of If. However, the stay of the favorite in the dungeon was short-lived. Seeing the grief of his brother, Louis retreated and allowed the minion first to move to Rome, and then return to the court of his patron. The connection between Philippe of Orleans and Philippe de Lorrain continued until the death of the Duke in 1701 (the favorite survived him for only a year). When Louis buried his younger brother, he ordered to burn all the correspondence of Philip, fearing the publicity of his adventures and unattractive lifestyle.

Commander

For the first time, Philip showed up as a military commander during the War of Destruction in 1667-1668, when France fought Spain for influence in the Netherlands. In 1677, he again returned to the army. Then the war began against Holland, ruled by Wilhelm III of Orange. The conflict erupted on several fronts. In Flanders, Louis needed another commander, since all his usual commanders had already been occupied. Then Philip 1 of Orleans went to this region. The biography of the duke is an example of a loyal and loyal brother, who did not contradict the monarch's orders at the most crucial moment, when the fatherland was in danger.

The army under the command of Philip first captured Cambra, and then proceeded to besiege the city of Saint-Omer. Here the duke found out that the main Dutch army was heading from Ipra to meet him, which was headed by King Wilhelm III of Orange himself. Philip left a small part of his troops under the walls of the besieged city, and he went to intercept the enemy. The armies clashed in the battle of Kassel on April 11, 1677. The Duke led the center of the army, in which stood the infantry. Cavalry settled on the flanks. Success was provided by a swift attack of dragoon units, which forced the enemy army to retreat.

The Dutch suffered a crushing defeat. They lost 8,000 people killed and wounded, and 3,000 others were taken prisoner. The French seized the enemy's camp, its banners, guns and other equipment. Thanks to victory, Philip managed to complete the siege of St. Omer to take control of the city. In the war there was a radical change. This was the Duke's greatest success on the battlefield. After his triumph, he was recalled from the army. Ludwig XIV clearly envied and feared the further victories of his brother. Although the king solemnly met Monsieur and publicly thanked for the defeat of the enemy, he no longer gave him troops.

Philip and art

Thanks to his hobbies Philip of Orleans was remembered by contemporaries and descendants as the greatest patron of the arts of his era. It was he who made famous composer Jean-Baptiste Lully, and also supported the writer Moliere. The Duke had a significant collection of works of art and jewelry. His special passion was theater and satire.

Prince Philip the Duke of Orleans not only loved art, but later himself became the hero of many works. His personality attracted a wide variety of writers, the makers of musicals, directors, etc. For example, one of the most provocative images came from Roland Joffe in his film "Vatel" in 2000. In this picture, the duke is depicted as an open homosexual and a friend of the disgraced Conde. Philip's childhood is shown in another film - "The King-Child", where the events of the Fronde unfold. The most famous French writer Alexander Dumas could not pass by the image of the Duke . In his novel "The Viscount de Bragelonne, or Ten Years Later", the author allowed liberty with historical facts. In the book, Philip is not the only brother of Louis XIV. In addition to him on the pages of the novel there is a twin of the monarch, who became a prisoner in an iron mask because of political expediency.

Last years

Thanks to successful marriages both daughters of Philip became queens. His namesake-son made a brilliant military career during the War of the Augsburg League. In 1692, he participated in the Battle of Stenkerk and the siege of Namur. The successes of the children were a special pride of Philip, so in his last years he could live peacefully in his estates and rejoice over the descendants.

At the same time, the relationship between the duke and his crowned brother was not going well. June 9, 1701, Prince Philip of Orleans died of an apoplexy stroke, which caught him in Saint-Cloud after a long dispute with the king about the fate of his son. Ludovik tried in every possible way to limit his nephew, fearing the growth of his popularity in the army. This infuriated Philip. Another quarrel was fatal for him. Pernervnichav, he survived the blow, which turned out to be fatal.

The body of the 60-year-old Monsieur was buried in the Saint-Denis abbey in Paris. During the Great French Revolution, the grave was plundered. At the court of the death of the Duke, the former favorite of the King of the Marquis de Montespan was most grieved.

It is interesting that the King of France Louis-Philippe of Orleans, who ruled the country in 1830-1848. And overthrown by the revolution, was a descendant of Monsieur. The ducal title was regularly passed from descendant to descendant of brother Louis XIV. Louis Philippe was his grandson in several tribes. Although he did not belong to the Bourbon family that had reigned before, this did not stop him from becoming a king due to a bloodless coup. Louis Philippe of Orleans, although his name was similar to his ancestor, actually had little in common with him.