Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Philippe_II,_Duke_of_Orléans Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans Louis Philippe Joseph d'Orléans (13 April 1747 – 6 November 1793), commonly known as Louis Philippe Joseph Philippe, was a major French noble who supported the French Revolution. d'Orléans He was born at the Château de Saint-Cloud. He received the title of Duke of Montpensier at birth, then that of Duke of Chartres at the death of his grandfather, Louis d'Orléans, in 1752. At the death of his father, Louis Philippe d'Orléans, in 1785, he inherited the title of Duke of Orléans and also became the Premier prince du sang, title attributed to the Prince of the Blood closest to the throne after the Sons and Grandsons of France. He was addressed as Son Altesse Sérénissime (S.A.S.). In 1792, during the Revolution, he changed his name to Philippe Égalité. Louis Philippe d'Orléans was a cousin of Louis 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 present absolute monarchy in favor of a constitutional monarchy. He voted for the death of King Louis XVI; however, he was himself guillotined in November 1793 during the Reign of Terror. His son Louis Philippe d'Orléans became King of the French after the July Revolution of 1830. After him, the term Orléanist came to be attached to the movement in France that favored a constitutional monarchy. Contents Early life Duke of Orléans Succession First Prince of the Blood Personal life Tenure 18 November 1785 – Marriage 6 November 1793 Scandals Predecessor Louis Philippe Military career Successor Louis Philippe I Role in the French Revolution Born 13 April 1747 Liberal ideology Château de Saint- Palais-Royal 1 of 10 07/16/2021, 05:05 Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Philippe_II,_Duke_of_Orléans Leadership in the Estates-General Cloud, Saint-Cloud, France Women's March on Versailles and exile Citoyen Égalité Died 6 November 1793 Relationship with King Louis XVI (aged 46) Paris, France Death Spouse Louise Marie Issue Adélaïde de Bourbon (m. 1769) Ancestry Issue Louis Philippe I, King Titles and succession of the French Popular culture Antoine Philippe, Sources and references Duke of Montpensier Françoise d'Orléans Adélaïde d'Orléans Early life Louis Charles, Count of Beaujolais Louis Philippe Joseph d'Orléans was the son of Louis Philippe House Orléans d'Orléans, Duke of Chartres, and Louise Henriette de Bourbon. Philippe was a member of the House of Orléans, a cadet branch of the Father Louis Philippe French royal family. His mother came from the House of Bourbon- d'Orléans Condé. Mother Louise Henriette de Philippe was born at the Château de Saint-Cloud, one of the Bourbon residences of the Duke of Orléans, five kilometers west of Paris. His Religion Roman Catholicism older sister, born in 1745, died when she was six months old. His Signature younger sister, Bathilde d'Orléans, was born in 1750. Succession Portrait of a young Louis Philippe Joseph d'Orléans, by Philippe's first title, given to him at birth, was that of the Duke of Montpensier. After his grandfather's Louis Tocqué. death in 1752, Philippe inherited the title of Duke of Chartres. After his father's death in 1785, Philippe became the Duke of Orléans, head of the House of Orléans, one of the wealthiest noble families in France.[1] At his father's death, Philippe became the Premier Prince du Sang, First Prince of the Blood, which put him in line for the succession to the throne immediately after the comte d'Artois, the youngest brother of Louis XVI. 2 of 10 07/16/2021, 05:05 Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Philippe_II,_Duke_of_Orléans Personal life Marriage On 6 June 1769, Louis Philippe married Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon at the chapel of the Palace 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-grandfather Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, who had been the Regent of France during the minority of Louis XV.[2] Louise Marie Adélaïde brought to the already wealthy House of Orléans a considerable dowry of six million livres, an annual income of 240,000 livres (later increased to 400,000 livres), as well as lands, titles, residences and furniture.[3] Unlike her husband, the Duchess of Orléans did not support the Revolution. She was a devout Catholic who supported keeping the monarchy in France, as well as following the orders of Pope Pius VI. This was the causes of one of the rifts of the couple, as their first son, the Louise Marie Adélaïde as the Duchess of future "King of the French", followed his father's footsteps and joined the Jacobin Chartres. faction.[4] Scandals During the first few months of their marriage, the couple appeared devoted to each other, but the Duke went back to the life of libertinage he had led before his marriage. The Duke was a well-known womanizer and, like several of his ancestors, such as Louis XIV and Philippe 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 of Madame de Montesson, the morganatic 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 the Palais-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).[5] One of his best known lovers was Grace Elliott. It was alleged that Lady Edward FitzGerald, born Stephanie Caroline Anne Syms, also known as Pamela, was a natural daughter of the Duke and the Countess of Genlis. He recognized a son he had with Marguerite Françoise Bouvier de la Mothe de Cépoy, comtesse de Buffon, Victor Leclerc de Buffon (6 September 1792 – 20 April 1812), known as the chevalier de Saint-Paul and chevalier d'Orléans.[4] 3 of 10 07/16/2021, 05:05 Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Philippe_II,_Duke_of_Orléans Military career 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 the Navy. In 1776, he held the rank of Chef d'Escadre, and commanded one of the three divisions of the Escadre d'évolution, with his flag on the 64-gun Solitaire.[6] When the Anglo-French War broke out in 1778, Orléans was Lieutenant général des Armées navales, in charge of an entire squadron. He commanded the Blue squadron that formed the rear of the French fleet under Orvilliers, with his flag on the 80-gun Saint-Esprit. At the Battle of Ushant, on 27 July 1778, the French fleet fought in inverted order, putting the Blue squadron at the vanguard of the French line of battle.[7][8][9] During the battle, Orléans' squadron failed to exploit a gap in the British line, allowing the rear of Keppel's fleet to escape. Orléans returned to Paris claiming the battle had been a resounding victory, and received a hero's welcome. When it transpired that these claims were overstated that the battle had been more of a draw, Orléans' credibility suffered an unrecoverable blow. He withdrew from the Navy and asked [10] Louis Philippe d'Orléans, as Duke of the army if they could give him a position, but it was denied. Chartres, by Sir Joshua Reynolds, ca.1779, Château de Chantilly Role in the French Revolution Liberal ideology Philippe d'Orléans was a member of the Jacobin faction, and like most Jacobins during the French Revolution, he strongly adhered to the principles of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and was interested in creating a more moral and democratic form of government in France.[11] As he grew more and more interested in Rousseau's ideas, he began to promote Enlightenment ideas, such as the separation of church and state and limited monarchy. He also advocated and voted against feudalism and slavery.[12] In addition to being a Jacobin, Philippe was also the Grand Master of the Masonic Grand Orient de France, the most powerful Masonic Obedience in worldwide Continental Freemasonry (which stands opposed to the "Regular" Freemasonry of the United 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).[13] 4 of 10 07/16/2021, 05:05 Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Philippe_II,_Duke_of_Orléans Philippe was also a strong admirer of the British constitutional monarchy.[4] He strongly advocated for France's adoption of a constitutional monarchy rather than the absolute monarchy that was present in France at the time.