Louis de Bourbon
Count of Clermont
Portrait by Drouais, 1771
Born	(1709-06-15)15 June 1709 Palace of Versailles,France
Died	16 June 1771(1771-06-16) (aged 62) Paris, France
Names Louis de Bourbon
Father	Louis, Duke of Bourbon, Prince of Condé
Mother	Louise Françoise de Bourbon
Signature

Louis de Bourbon (15 June 1709 – 16 June 1771)^[1][2] was a member of the cadet branch of the then reigningHouse of Bourbon. He is known for leading French forces in Germany during theSeven Years' War where he took command in 1758 following the failed FrenchInvasion of Hanover. He was unable to break throughFerdinand of Brunswick's Anglo-German army and captureHanover. He wasCount of Clermont from birth.

Louis was born on 15 June 1709 at thePalace of Versailles. Aprince of the blood, he was the third and youngest son ofLouis de Bourbon, "Duke of Bourbon", Prince of Condé (1668–1710) andLouise Françoise de Bourbon, Mademoiselle de Nantes (1673–1743), a legitimated daughter of KingLouis XIV and hismaîtresse-en-titreMadame de Montespan. He was also the great-grandson ofLouis, Grand Condé, who died in 1687.

A possible bride was his first cousin,Mademoiselle du Maine, but a union never materialised.

From 1730, he was a lover ofDuchess of Bouillon, wife ofEmmanuel Théodose de La Tour d'Auvergne, mother of the futurePrincess of Beauvau.

His eldest brother,Louis Henri, Duke of Bourbon, was the head of Condé family from 1710 until his death in 1740, and wasLouis XV'sPremier Ministre (prime minister) from 1723 to 1726. He raised his nephewLouis Joseph, Prince of Condé who was an orphan from 1741.

"He was a curious character: prince of the blood, abbé [ofSaint-Germain-des-Prés], military officer, libertine, man of letters (or at least a member of the Academy), anti-Parlement, religious during his final years, he was one of the most striking examples (and one of the most amusing on certain days) and also one of the most shocking (although not at all odious), of the abuses and disparities pushed to scandal, under the Old Order, of pleasure and privilege." (Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve).^[3]

The Comte de Clermont is perhaps best known to history as the fifthGrand Master of theGrand Lodge of France, the supremeMasonic authority in France, which existed from 1728/29 to c.1773.^[4]

According to some sources, the comte was elected and installed in that office in 1743 and retained the position until his death, and was succeeded by his cousin,Louis Philippe d'Orléans, known as the Duke of Chartres, afterwardsDuke of Orléans.^[5] But another source claims he was designated Grand Master in 1744 "but soon left the organization, abandoning his title to Lacorne, his dancing master."^[6] Both the Cousin biography and theAcadémie française biography omit all reference to his Masonic activities.

On 16 June 1771, Louis died at the age of 62, inParis, France.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toLouis, Count of Clermont.

• Biographical file on theAcadémie française website

• 1709 births
• 1771 deaths
• House of Bourbon-Condé
• Counts of Clermont
• Royalty from Versailles
• 18th-century peers of France
• Members of the Académie Française

• CS1 French-language sources (fr)
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from December 2022
• Commons category link is on Wikidata