The Dukes
Upon the death of Gaston of Orléans, the appanage of the Duchy of Orléans reverted back to the crown. The appanage was given to Philippe, the brother of Louis XIV of France.
It was Philippe and his second wife, the famous court writer Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, who founded the modern House of Orléans - their surviving son being the regent of France for the young Louis XV.
As a fils de France, Philippe's surname was "de France". Upon his death, his son inherited the Orléans dukedom, but as only a petit-fils de France his surname (and that of his descendants) was taken from his father's main title, and was thus d'Orléans. The first two dukes, as son and patrilineal grandson, respectively, of a French king, were entitled to be addressed as Royal Highness. But Philippe I was primarily known as Monsieur, the style reserved for the king's eldest brother at the French court. Philippe II was succeeded as duke by his son Louis d'Orléans, who was entitled to the style of Serene Highness as a prince du sang. After 1709, the heads of the Orléans branch of the House of Bourbon ranked as the premier princes du sang - this meant that the dukes could be addressed as Monsieur le Prince (a style they did not, however, use) and that, should there be no heir to the crown of France in the king's immediate family, then the Orléans family would ascend the throne by right.
| Name | Portrait | Lifespan | Parents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philippe I 1660–1701 |
September 21, 1640 – June 8, 1701 |
Louis XIII of France Anne of Austria |
|
| Philippe II 1701–1723 |
August 2, 1674 – December 2, 1723 |
Philippe I, Duke of Orléans Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate |
|
| Louis 1723–1752 |
August 4, 1703 – February 4, 1752 |
Philippe II, Duke of Orléans Françoise-Marie de Bourbon |
|
| Louis Philippe I 1752–1785 |
May 12, 1725 – November 18, 1785 |
Louis, Duke of Orléans Margravine Auguste Marie Johanna of Baden-Baden |
|
| Louis Philippe II 1785–1793 |
April 13, 1747 – November 6, 1793 |
Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans Louise Henriette de Bourbon |
|
| Louis Philippe III 1793–1830 |
6 October 1773 – August 26, 1850 |
Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans Louise Marie Adélaïde of Bourbon |
|
| Ferdinand Philippe 1830–1842 |
September 3, 1810 – July 13, 1842 |
Louis Philippe III, Duke of Orléans Maria Amalia Teresa of the Two Sicilies |
|
| Philippe 1842–1869 (did not use the title) |
24 August 1838 – 8 September 1894 |
Ferdinand Philippe, Duke of Orléans Helen of Mecklenburg-Schwerin |
|
| Philippe 1869–1926 |
August 24, 1869 – March 28, 1926 |
Philippe, Count of Paris Marie Isabelle of Orléans |
Other Dukes Members of the House of Orléans
- François Gaston Michel Marie of Orléans, Duke of Orléans (1935–1960) second son of Henri, comte de Paris (posthumous creation)
- Jacques Jean Jaroslav Marie of Orléans, Duke of Orléans (b. 1941) fourth son of Henri, comte de Paris
Read more about this topic: House Of Orleans