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| Dukedom of Orléans | |
|---|---|
  Arms of the Dukes of Orléans of theHouse of Orléans | |
| Creation date | 1344; 681 years ago (1344) |
| Peerage | Peerage of France |
| First holder | Philip of Valois |
| Last holder | Ferdinand Philippe of Orléans |
| Status | Extinct |
| Extinction date | July 13, 1842; 183 years ago (1842-07-13) |
| Seats | Château de Blois Château de Saint-Cloud Palais-Royal |
Duke of Orléans (French:Duc d'Orléans) was a French royal title usually granted by theKing of France to one of his close relatives (usually a younger brother or son), or otherwise inherited through the male line. First created in1344 by KingPhilip VI for his younger sonPhilip,[1] the title was recreated by KingCharles VI for his younger brotherLouis, who passed the title on to his son and then to his grandson, the latter becoming KingLouis XII. The title was created and recreated six times in total, until 1661, whenLouis XIV bestowed it upon his younger brotherPhilippe, who passed it on to his male descendants, who became known as the "Orléans branch" of theBourbons.
Based at thePalais-Royal, theDuke of Orléans Louis-Philippe II contested the authority of his cousinLouis XVI in the adjacentLouvre. His son would eventually ascend to the throne in 1830 asLouis-Philippe I, King of the French. The descendants of the family are theOrléanistpretenders to the French throne.
Île d'Orléans, in Canada, is named after Duke of Orléans Henri II, and the city ofNew Orleans in the United States is named after Duke of Orléans Philippe II.
The holder of the title held the style ofSerene Highness.
The first Dukedom of Orléans was created forPhilip of Valois, seventh son ofPhilip VI of France and younger brother ofJohn the Good, in 1344.[2] This appanage merged theappanages ofTouraine andValois. However, the first ducal line ended with Philip, who died without legitimate children.
| Duke | Birth | Tenure | Death | Marriage(s) Issue | Claim | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Philip Other titles |  | 1 July 1336 Château de Vincennes Son ofPhilip VI of France andJoan of Burgundy | 1344 – 1 September 1375 | 1 September 1375 Orléans Died by natural causes (aged 39) | Blanche of France (m. 1345;wid. 1375) Childless | Created duke byPhilip VI |
The second dukedom of Orléans was created in 1392 byCharles VI of France for his younger brotherLouis. His role as leading figure in court, regent for his brother during his madness and wealthy landlord, as well as head of theArmagnac party, permitted his descendant to maintain a prominent role in French politics. His grandsonLouis XII became king after the extinction of the directValois in 1498,[3] while his great-grandsonFrancis I succeeded the last in 1515.[4] The direct line of Valois-Orléans became extinct with the death of Louis XII in 1515, although the dukedom of Orléans was integrated among the crown's properties after his ascent to the throne in 1495.
| Duke | Birth | Tenure | Death | Marriage(s) Issue | Claim | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Louis I Other titles |  | 13 March 1372 Hôtel Saint-Pol, Paris Son ofCharles V of France andJoanna of Bourbon | 4 June 1392 – 23 November 1407 | 23 November 1407 Le Marais, Paris Murdered by Duke of Burgundy's hitmen (aged 35) | Valentina Visconti (m. 1389;wid. 1407) 8 children | Created duke byCharles VI |
.svg) Charles I Other titles | .jpg) | 24 November 1394 Hôtel Saint-Pol, Paris Son ofLouis I andValentina Visconti | 23 November 1407 – 5 January 1465 | 5 January 1465 Château d'Amboise Died of natural causes (aged 70) | (1)Isabella of France (m. 1406;d. 1409) 1 children (2)Bonne of Armagnac (m. 1410;d. 1430/35) Childless (3)Maria of Cleves (m. 1440;wid. 1465) 3 children | Son ofLouis I (male-blood proximity) |
Louis II Other titles List |  | 27 June 1462 Château de Blois Son ofCharles andMaria of Cleves | 5 January 1465 – 7 April 1498 (Merged into the Crown titles) | 1 January 1515 Hôtel des Tournelles, Paris Died ofgout (aged 52) | (1)Joan of France (m. 1476;ann. 1498) Childless (2)Anne of Brittany (m. 1498;d. 1514) 2 children (3)Mary of England (m. 1514;wid. 1515) Childless | Son ofCharles (male-blood proximity) |
The third dukedom of Orléans was created byFrancis I for his second sonHenry at his birth. When Henry's elder brother andDauphin,Francis, Duke of Brittany, died childless in 1536, Henry substituted him as Dauphin and ceded the title to his younger brotherCharles, Duke of Angoulême, who died childless in 1545.
| Duke | Birth | Tenure | Death | Marriage(s) Issue | Claim | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Henry I Other titles List |  | 31 March 1519 Saint-Germain-en-Laye Son ofFrancis I of France andClaude of France | 31 March 1519 – 10 August 1536 (Renounced the title to becomeDauphin) | 10 July 1559 Place des Vosges, Paris Accidentally killed in a joust (aged 40) | Catherine de' Medici (m. 1533;wid. 1559) 10 children | Created duke byFrancis I |
Charles II Other titles | .jpg) | 22 January 1522 Saint-Germain-en-Laye Son ofFrancis I of France andClaude of France | 10 August 1536 – 9 September 1545 | 9 September 1545 Forest-Montiers Died byinfluenza (aged 23) | Unmarried | Brother ofHenry I (Elevated byFrancis I) |
The fourth dukedom was created byHenry II for his sonLouis at his birth. The child duke, however, died one year later, and the title passed to his recently born brotherCharles, who becameKing of France in 1560.[5] The title passed to Charles' brother,Henry, Duke of Angoulême, who six years later exchanged the appanages of Orléans for theDukedom of Anjou, becoming the heirin pectore of the Crown.[6]
| Duke | Birth | Tenure | Death | Marriage(s) Issue | Claim | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Louis III Other titles List
|  | 3 February 1549 Château of Fontainebleau Son ofHenry II andCatherine de' Medici | 3 February 1549 – 24 October 1550 | 24 October 1550 Mantes Died by exposure (aged 1) | Unmarried | Created duke byHenry II |
Charles III Other titles |  | 27 June 1550 Saint-Germain-en-Laye Son ofHenry II andCatherine de' Medici | 24 October 1550 – 5 December 1560 (Renounced the title to becomeKing of France) | 30 May 1574 Château de Vincennes Died bytuberculosis (aged 23) | Elisabeth of Austria (m. 1570;wid. 1574) 1 child | Brother ofLouis III (Elevated byHenry II) |
Henry II Other titles |  | 19 September 1551 Château of Fontainebleau Son ofHenry II andCatherine de' Medici | 5 December 1560 – 8 February 1566 (Exchanged the title for the appanage ofAnjou) | 2 August 1589 Château de Saint-Cloud Assassinated by Jacques Clément (aged 37) | Louise of Lorraine (m. 1570;wid. 1574) | Created duke byCharles IX |
After Henry's exchange of appanages,Charles IX gave theOrléanais to his motherCatherine, former Queen of France, as reward for her role asregent, mainly about toleration politics. She was the onlysuo jure Duchess of Orléans, so is included among the ruling dukes.[7]
| Duke | Birth | Tenure | Death | Marriage(s) Issue | Claim | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Catherine (suo jure) Other titles |  | 13 April 1519 Palazzo Pitti,Florence Daughter ofLorenzo, Duke of Urbino andMadeleine de La Tour d'Auvergne | 8 February 1566 – 5 January 1589 | 5 January 1589 Château de Blois Died bypleurisy (aged 69) | Henry II of France (m. 1533;d. 1559) 10 children | Created duchess byCharles IX |
The fifth dukedom was created in 1626 byLouis XIII for his younger brotherGaston, Duke of Anjou.[8] Gaston became alibertine and scheming figure at court, plotting the assassination ofCardinal Richelieu and later joining theFronde, a coalition of nobles who opposed the royal centralisation. Finally forgiven by Louis XIII, he died without male heirs, extinguishing the first Bourbon House of Orléans.
Notes: theMonsieur d'Orléans, second son of Henry IV isn't included in the list due to his short life (4 years) and lack of official baptism or name.[9]
| Duke | Birth | Tenure | Death | Marriage(s) Issue | Claim | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Gaston Other titles | .jpg) | 24 April 1608 Château of Fontainebleau Son ofHenry IV of France andMarie de' Medici | 6 August 1626 – 2 February 1660 | 2 February 1660 Château de Blois Died by natural causes (aged 51) | (1)Marie of Bourbon (m. 1626;d. 1627) 1 children (2)Marguerite of Lorraine (m. 1632;wid. 1660) 5 children | Created duke byHenry IV |
The sixth and final creation was forPhilip, Duke of Anjou, who received the Orléanais by his brotherLouis XIV. Through his marriage withElizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, he established a long dynasty that finally arose to the throne in 1830, with the deposition ofCharles X and the proclamation ofLouis Philippe I.[10] Louis Philippe passed his title to his son anddauphin,Ferdinand, who died in a carriage accident in 1842.[11]
| Duke | Birth | Tenure | Death | Marriage(s) Issue | Claim | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Philip I Other titles | .jpg) | 21 September 1640 Saint-Germain-en-Laye Son ofLouis XIII andAnne of Austria | 10 May 1661 – 9 June 1701 | 9 June 1701 Château de Saint-Cloud Died bystroke (aged 60) | (1)Henrietta of England (m. 1661;d. 1670) 3 children (2)Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate (m. 1671;wid. 1701) 3 children | Created duke byLouis XIV |
Philip II Other titles |  | 2 August 1674 Château de Saint-Cloud Son ofPhilip I andElizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate | 9 June 1701 – 2 December 1723 | 2 December 1723 Palace of Versailles Died by natural causes (aged 49) | Françoise Marie de Bourbon (m. 1692;wid. 1723) 8 children | Son ofPhilip I (male-preference proximity) |
Louis Other titles |  | 4 August 1703 Palace of Versailles Son ofPhilip II andFrançoise Marie de Bourbon | 2 December 1723 – 4 February 1752 | 4 February 1752 St. Genevieve, Paris Died bydelirium complications (aged 48) | Johanna of Baden-Baden (m. 1724;d. 1726) 8 children | Son ofPhilip II (male-preference proximity) |
Louis Philippe I Other titles | _as_Duke_of_Orl%25C3%25A9ans_by_Alexander_Roslin%2c_Stockholm.png) | 12 May 1725 Palace of Versailles Son ofLouis andJohanna of Baden-Baden | 4 February 1752 – 18 November 1785 | 18 November 1785 Château de Sainte-Assise Died by natural causes (aged 60) | Louise Henriette de Bourbon (m. 1743;d. 1759) 3 children Morganatic: Charlotte-Jeanne Béraud (m. 1773;wid. 1785) Childless | Son ofLouis (male-preference proximity) |
Louis Philippe II Other titles |  | 13 April 1747 Château de Saint-Cloud Son ofLouis Philip I andLouise Henriette de Bourbon | 18 November 1785 – 6 November 1793 | 6 November 1793 Conciergerie, Paris Executed for treason (aged 46) | Marie-Adélaïde de Bourbon (m. 1768;wid. 1793) 5 children | Son ofLouis Philip I (male-preference proximity) |
Louis Philippe III Other titles |  | 6 October 1773 Palais-Royal, Paris Son ofLouis Philip II andMarie-Adélaïde de Bourbon | 6 November 1793 – 9 August 1830 (Renounced the title to become King of the French) | 26 August 1850 Claremont, England Died by natural causes (aged 76) | Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily (m. 1809;wid. 1850) 10 children | Son ofLouis Philip II (male-preference proximity) |
Ferdinand Other titles List |  | 3 September 1810 Royal Palace,Palermo Son ofLouis Philip III andMaria Amalia of Naples and Sicily | 9 August 1830 – 13 July 1842 | 13 July 1842 Neuilly-sur-Seine Died in an accident (aged 31) | Helene of Mecklenburg (m. 1837;wid. 1842) 2 children | Son ofLouis Philip III (male-preference proximity) |
| Dukes of Orléans |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Current claimants |
| |
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Orleans, Dukes of".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 20 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 282.