| Louis Philippe II Philippe Égalité | |
|---|---|
| First Prince of the Blood Duke of Orléans | |
_in_ceremonial_robes_of_the_Order_of_the_Holy_Spirit_by_Antoine_Fran%25C3%25A7ois_Callet.jpg) Portrait byAntoine-François Callet | |
| Born | Louis Philippe Joseph d'Orléans (1747-04-13)13 April 1747 Château de Saint-Cloud, Saint-Cloud,Kingdom of France |
| Died | 6 November 1793(1793-11-06) (aged 46) Paris,French First Republic |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | |
| House | Orléans |
| Father | Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans |
| Mother | Louise Henriette de Bourbon |
| Signature |  |
Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (Louis Philippe Joseph; 13 April 1747 – 6 November 1793), was a FrenchPrince of the Blood who supported theFrench Revolution.
Louis Philippe II was born at theChâteau de Saint-Cloud toLouis Philippe I, Duke of Chartres, and his wife,Louise Henriette de Bourbon-Conti. He was titledDuke of Montpensier at birth. When his grandfatherLouis, Duke of Orléans, died in 1752, his father became the newDuke of Orléans and Louis Philippe II becameDuke of Chartres. When his father died in 1785, he became Duke of Orléans andFirst Prince of the Blood. He was styled asSerene Highness (French:Son Altesse Sérénissime).
In 1792, during theRevolution, Louis Philippe changed his name toPhilippe Égalité. He was a cousin of KingLouis XVI and one of the wealthiest men in France. He actively supported the Revolution of 1789, and was a strong advocate for the elimination of the presentabsolute monarchy in favor of aconstitutional monarchy. Égalité voted for the death of Louis XVI; however, he was himselfguillotined in 1793 during theReign of Terror. His son, also namedLouis Philippe, becameKing of the French after theJuly Revolution of 1830. After Louis Philippe II, the termOrléanist came to be attached to the movement in France that favored a constitutional monarchy.
Louis Philippe Joseph d'Orléans was the son ofLouis Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Chartres, and his wife,Louise Henriette de Bourbon-Conti. Philippe was a member of theHouse of Orléans, a cadet branch of theHouse of Bourbon. His mother came from theHouse of Bourbon-Conti, a cadet branch of theHouse of Bourbon-Condé.
Philippe was born at theChâteau de Saint-Cloud, one of the residences of theDuke of Orléans, five kilometers west of Paris. His older sister, born in 1745, died when she was six months old. His younger sister,Bathilde d'Orléans, was born in 1750.
On March 12, 1756, Philippe and his sister were amongst the first people in France to be inoculated against smallpox, a decision made by their father against the advice of both their mother and King Louis XV. The procedure was performed by physicianThéodore Tronchin, and a few days later, "the Duchess of Orelans, having appeared at the Opera with her two children, was greeted by endless applause and cheers, as if the two princes had miraculously escaped death."[1]
Philippe's first title, given to him at birth, was that of theDuke of Montpensier. After his grandfather's death in 1752, Philippe inherited the title ofDuke of Chartres. After his father's death in 1785, Philippe became theDuke of Orléans, head of theHouse of Orléans, one of the wealthiest noble families in France.[2] At his father's death, Philippe became thePremier Prince du Sang, First Prince of the Blood, which put him in line for the succession to the throne immediately after thecomte d'Artois, the youngest brother ofLouis XVI.
On 6 June 1769, Louis Philippe marriedLouise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon at thechapel of thePalace of Versailles. She was the daughter of his cousin,Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon, Duke of Penthièvre, one of the richest men in France. Since it was certain that his wife would become the richest woman in France upon the death of her father, Louis Philippe was able to play a political role in court equal to that of his great-grandfatherPhilippe II, Duke of Orléans, who had been theRegent of France during the minority ofLouis XV.[3] Louise Marie Adélaïde brought to the already wealthyHouse of Orléans a considerabledowry of six millionlivres, an annual income of 240,000 livres (later increased to 400,000 livres), as well as lands, titles, residences and furniture.[4]Unlike her husband, the Duchess of Orléans did not support the Revolution. She was a devoutCatholic who supported keeping the monarchy in France, as well as following the orders ofPope Pius VI. This was the causes of one of the rifts of the couple, as their first son, the future "King of the French", followed his father's footsteps and joined theJacobin faction.[5]
During the first few months of their marriage, the couple appeared devoted to each other, but the Duke went back to the life oflibertinage he had led before his marriage. The Duke was a well-known womanizer and, like several of his ancestors, such asLouis XIV andPhilippe II, Duke of Orléans, had several illegitimate children.
During the summer of 1772, the Duke began his secret liaison with one of his wife's ladies-in-waiting,Stéphanie Félicité, comtesse de Genlis, the niece ofMadame de Montesson, themorganatic wife of Philippe's father. Passionate at first, the liaison cooled within a few months and, by the spring of 1773, was reported to be "dead". After the romantic affair was over, Madame de Genlis remained in the service of Marie-Adélaïde at thePalais-Royal, a trusted friend to both the Duke and the Duchess. They both appreciated her intelligence and, in July 1779, she became the governess of the couple's twin daughters (born in 1777).[6] One of his best known lovers wasGrace Elliott.
It was alleged thatLady Edward FitzGerald, born Stephanie Caroline Anne Syms, also known asPamela, was a natural daughter of the Duke and the Countess of Genlis. He recognized a son he had withMarguerite Françoise Bouvier de la Mothe de Cépoy,comtesse de Buffon, Victor Leclerc de Buffon (6 September 1792 – 20 April 1812), known as thechevalier de Saint-Paul andchevalier d'Orléans.[5]
In 18th-century France, it was very common for royal princes to receive high positions in the military. From a young age, Philippe d'Orléans displayed his interest in naval matters, and he received three years of training in theFrench Navy. By 1776, he held the rank ofchef d'escadre, and commanded one of the three divisions of theescadre d'évolution, with his flag on the64-gunSolitaire.[7]
Whenwar between Britain and France broke out in 1778, Orléans commanded a squadron at the rank oflieutenant général des armées navales. His squadron that formed the rear of a French fleet underLouis Guillouet, comte d'Orvilliers, with his flag on the80-gunSaint-Esprit. On 27 July 1778, d'Orvilliers's fleet fought the inconclusiveBattle of Ushant against a British fleet underAdmiralAugustus Keppel. During the battle, the French fought in inverted order, placing Orléans' squadron at the vanguard of theirline of battle.[8][9][10] Orléans' squadron failed to exploit a gap in the British line, allowing the rear of Keppel's fleet to withdraw from the battle intact and rejoin the rest of the British ships.
Following his return to Paris, Orléans claimed the battle had been a resounding French victory and was rewarded with a hero's welcome. When it became known in France that the battle had actually been inconclusive, Orléans' credibility suffered an unrecoverable blow. He resigned from the Navy and asked theFrench Royal Army if they could give him a position, which was denied.[11]
In August 1787 the Duke of Orléans and his secretary Charles-Louis Ducrest, the brother of Madame de Genlis, came up with proposals to improve the financial situation of France.[12] Philippe d'Orléans became a member of theSociety of the Friends of the Constitution, and strongly adhered to the principles ofDenis Diderot,Voltaire andJean-Jacques Rousseau. He was interested in creating a more moral and democratic form of government in France.[13] As he grew more and more interested in Rousseau's ideas, he began to promoteEnlightenment ideas, such as the separation of church and state and limited monarchy. He also advocated and voted againstfeudalism and slavery.[14]
In addition to being a Jacobin, Philippe was also theGrand Master of the MasonicGrand Orient de France, the most powerful Masonic Obedience in worldwideContinental Freemasonry (which now stands opposed to the "Regular" Freemasonry of theUnited Grand Lodge of England and the majority of lodges in the United States of America), from 1771 to 1793, even though he did not attend a meeting until 1777. He later distanced himself from Freemasonry in a letter dated January 1793, and the Grand Orient vacated his position on 13 December 1793 (however, Philippe had already been executed weeks before).[15]
Philippe was also a strong admirer of Britain'sWestminster system andconstitutional monarchy.[5] He strongly advocated for France's adoption of a constitutional monarchy rather than theabsolute monarchy that was present in France at the time.[16]
As the newDuke of Orléans, one of the many estates Philippe inherited from his father was thePalais-Royal, which became known as thePalais-Égalité in 1792,[17] because he opened up its doors to all people of France, regardless of their estate (class). He employedSwiss guards to refuse entry only to "drunkards, women in excessively indecent dress, and those in tatters."[18] He built shops and cafés where people could interact, and soon it became a hub for social life in Paris. As the Parisian police had no authority to enter the Duke's private property, it became a hub for illegal activity, such as trade in stolen goods, suspicious deals, and the spread of revolutionary ideas. In fact, it was a common place for Jacobins to meet and discuss their plans and ideas.[14] Many members of theNational Assembly claimed that the Palais-Royal was the "birthplace of the Revolution." Philippe's goal was to create a place where people could meet, which he argued was a crucial part of democracy and a "physical need for civil life."[18]
During the months leading up to the outbreak of revolutionary violence in July 1789, Philippe d'Orléans undertook several personal actions having the effect of increasing his personal standing amongst the population at large. These included his endorsement of a pamphlet outlining the process to be followed in the setting up of local assemblies,[19] the sale of artwork to provide funds for poor relief[20] and an incident during theRéveillon riots where he scattered coins amongst a cheering crowd.[21]
Philippe d'Orléans was elected to theEstates General of 1789 by three districts: by the nobility of Paris, Villers-Cotterêts, andCrépy-en-Valois. As a noble in theSecond Estate, he was the head of the liberal minority under the guidance ofAdrien Duport. Although he was a member of the Second Estate, he felt a strong connection to theThird Estate, as they comprised the majority of the members in the Estates-General, yet were the most underrepresented. When the Third Estate decided to take theTennis Court Oath and break away from the Estates General to form theNational Assembly, Philippe was one of the first to join them and was a very important figure in the unification of thenobility and the Third Estate. In fact, he led his minority group of 47 nobles to secede from their estate and join the National Assembly.[22][5]
One of the main accusations thrown at Philippe d'Orléans was the initiation of theWomen's March on Versailles on 5 October 1789, which people believed was done in order to overthrow the King and gain popularity amongst the people. He was accused of funding the riots, as well as calling the rioters his "friends", who were chanting: "Vive Orléans" or "Long live our father, long live King d'Orléans!" The High Court of theGrand Châtelet also accused him of acting as an accomplice toHonoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau, in an attempt to murderLouis XVI and his wife,Marie Antoinette, during this period. Early in the morning on 6 October a group of protesters entered the palace through an unguarded gate, searching for the queen's bedchamber, they were quickly followed by many and fighting with royal guards flared in the halls and outside the queen's apartments. Marie Antoinette and her ladies barely escaped to the king's bedchamber in front of the violent intruders; the queen was suspicious that d'Orléans had arranged the attempted attack on her. Marie Antoinette's daughterMarie-Thérèse shared the same suspicion later writing that, "[t]he principal project was to assassinate my mother".[23]
TheMarquis de Lafayette, who was very influential in France at the time and a supposed "friend" of d'Orléans, suggested to him to go to Britain with the promise that he could potentially become the head of state ofBrabant. However, it is likely that Lafayette viewed d'Orléans as a threat to his control of the revolutionary politics and that he intended to get Philippe out of the country.
At first, it was difficult to convince d'Orléans to leave France during these troubling times, but after strong pressure and enticement from Lafayette, he ended up leaving. Throughout his weeks in exile, he wrote several letters expressing his strong desire to return to France. After spending several months in Britain, d'Orléans returned to France for theFête de la Fédération; but he never regained the same influence that he enjoyed in 1789 prior to his departure. Those who did not support him, as well as people overseas, labeled him as a coward for fleeing to England as a result of accusations against him, calling it a period of "exile." However, he was able to keep his position in theNational Assembly until it disbanded on 30 September 1791.[5]
Due to the liberal ideology that separated Philippe d'Orléans from the rest of his royal family, he always felt uncomfortable with his name.[citation needed] He felt that the political connotations associated with his name did not match his democratic and Enlightenment philosophies, thus he requested that theParis Commune allow his name to be changed, which was granted.[14] Shortly after theSeptember Massacres in 1792,[24] he changed his surname toÉgalité, ("equality" in English).[25] As one of the three words in the motto of the French Revolution (Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité), he felt that this name better represented him as a symbol of the French people and what they were fighting for.[26]
Égalité also attributed his new surname to the reputation of generosity that he had among the people of France, especially the poor. He was well known for distributing food and money to the poor, as well as providing shelter for homeless during the severe winter of 1788–1789.[18]
Although a relative of KingLouis XVI, Philippe d'Orléans never maintained a positive relationship with his cousin. Upon inheriting the title ofDuke of Orléans, Philippe also became thePremierPrince du sang – the most important personage of the kingdom after the king's immediate family. Therefore, he would be next in line to the throne should the main Bourbon line die out.[27] For this reason, many[who?] supposed that Philippe's goal was to take his cousin's throne. Philippe and the King's wife,Marie Antoinette, also detested each other. Marie Antoinette hated him for what she viewed as treachery, hypocrisy and selfishness, and he, in turn, scorned her for her frivolous and spendthrift lifestyle.[28] The King's reluctance to grant Philippe a position in the army after the indecisive result at theBattle of Ushant is said to be another reason for Philippe's discontent with the King.[11]
At a meeting ofparlement on 19 November, 1787, Louis XVI, as if at alit de justice, ordered the registration of some loans which were being championed by theArchbishop Brienne. Philippe suddenly rose and protested that the king's action was illegal. Taken aback, the king awkwardly replied thatit was legal because he wished it. The next day Philippe was exiled to the countryside by means of a royallettre de cachet.[29]
One of the most astounding events occurred when Philippe took a vote in favor ofLouis XVI's immediate execution. He had agreed among allies in theNational Convention that he would vote against his execution, but surrounded by theMontagnards, a radical faction, he turned on this agreement, to the surprise of many.[11] 288 of the 721 deputies voted against death and for some other alternative, mainly some means of imprisonment or exile, with 72 of the deputies voting for the death penalty, but subject to several delaying conditions and reservations. The voting took a total of 36 hours.[30] 361 of the deputies voted for Louis's immediate execution. Louis was condemned to death by a majority of one vote. The King was especially shocked by the news, stating: "It really pains me to see that Monsieur d'Orléans, my kinsman, voted for my death."[14]
On 1 April 1793, theNational Convention passed a decree (with Égalité's vote) that condemned anyone with "strong presumptions of complicity with the enemies of Liberty." At the time, Égalité's son,Louis Philippe, who was a general in theFrench Revolutionary Army, joined GeneralCharles François Dumouriez in a plot to visit theAustrians, who were an enemy of France. Although there was no evidence that convicted Égalité himself of treason, the simple relationship that his son had with Dumouriez, a traitor in the eyes of the Convention, was enough to get him andLouis Charles, Count of Beaujolais arrested on 4 April 1793, and the other members of the Bourbon family still in France on the days after. He spent several months incarcerated atFort Saint-Jean inMarseille until he was sent back toParis. On 2 November 1793, he was imprisoned at theConciergerie. Tried by theRevolutionary Tribunal on 6 November, he was sentenced to death,[14] and guillotined the same day.[31] He was buried in theErrancis Cemetery, a common place of interment for those executed during the Revolution.[32]
The Duke and Duchess of Orléans had six legally-recognized children:
| Ancestors of Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans[33] |
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Notes
Citations
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