Prince Du Sang - Monsieur Le Comte

Monsieur Le Comte

This address was used by the head of the most junior branch of the House of Bourbon, the comte de Soissons. The comtes de Soissons, like the Princes of Conti, descended from the Princes of Condé. The line started in 1566 when the Soissons title was given to Charles de Bourbon, the second son of Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Condé, the first Prince of Condé.

The first Prince had three sons:

• Henri de Bourbon, second Prince of Condé;
• Charles de Bourbon, first Count of Soissons and the founder of the House of Bourbon-Soissons
• François de Bourbon, Prince of Conti, first Prince of Conti but the Conti title lapsed upon his death in 1614 without legitimate heirs. It was later revived in 1629 for Armand, Prince of Conti, the second son of Henry II, Prince of Condé.

The Soissons title was acquired by the first Prince of Condé in 1557 and was held by his descendants for two more generations:

• Charles, Count of Soissons
• Louis, Count of Soissons

The 2nd Count of Soissons died without an heir, so the Soissons title passed to his younger sister, Marie de Bourbon, the wife of Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano, a member of the House of Savoy. She became known as Madame la comtesse de Soissons. On her death, the title passed first to her second son, Joseph-Emmanuel, Prince of Savoy (1631–1656), and then to her third son, Eugène-François, Prince of Savoy.

He married Olympia Mancini, niece of Cardinal Mazarin. She was known as Madame la Comtesse de Soissons like her mother-in-law. On his death, the title went to his eldest son, Louis-Thomas, Prince of Savoy, who was the older brother of the famous Austrian general, Prince Eugene of Savoy. The Soissons title became extinct upon the death of Eugène-Jean-François of Savoy-Carignano in 1734.