Philippe d'Orléans, grandson of France, Duke of Chartres, Duke of Orléans (1701), Duke of Valois, Duke of Nemours and Duke of Montpensier, Regent of the Kingdom of France during the minority of Louis XV, known as the Regent , was born on August 2, 1674 in Saint-Cloud and died on December 2, 1723 in Versailles.
Young years
Son of Monsieur, brother of Louis XIV, and Princess Palatine, Philippe d'Orléans was first titled Duke of Chartres. He received a careful education, mainly oriented towards military and diplomatic matters, as befits a grandson of France. He is particularly interested in history, geography, philosophy and science. Unlike his uncle and his father, he rides badly, is a bad dancer and does not like hunting. On the other hand, he has the prodigious memory of his uncle:very early on, he knows at his fingertips the memoirs and genealogies of the great families of the court. He also has the great capacity for work and intelligence.
The wedding
Nevertheless, with the birth of the three sons of the Grand Dauphin, eldest son of Louis XIV - the Duke of Burgundy in 1682, the Duke of Anjou in 1683, the Duke of Berry in 1686 - the Duke of Chartres finds himself sixth in line of succession to the throne, which leaves him with very little hope of reigning and does not place him in the best situation to make an advantageous marriage. In addition, France is at war with almost all of Europe, which makes a foreign marriage impossible.
Also, from 1688, Louis XIV alludes to Mademoiselle de Blois, a legitimized bastard. This marriage would complete the policy of lowering the younger branches of the House of Bourbon wanted by the Sun King. But Monsieur and his wife, Princess Palatine, consider such a union simply unimaginable.
The Duke of Chartres is more hesitant, especially since the idea is supported by his tutor, Abbé Dubois. At the beginning of 1692, Louis XIV summoned his nephew and told him that he could show his affection better than by giving him his own daughter in marriage, to which the young man only knew how to respond by stammering an embarrassed thank you. . The Palatine, learning the outcome of the interview, shouts loudly but does not dare to confront the King, especially since she knows that she cannot count on the support of her husband (who only revolted for a short time before his death, saying to his brother that:"Without drawing any profit from this marriage, Chartres will only keep the shame and dishonor"). She limits the expression of her displeasure to turning her back on the King after having made him a deep bow; but then she gives her son a huge slap in front of the whole court. The marriage nevertheless took place on January 9, 1692.
This arranged, unwanted marriage was hardly a happy one. Philippe, who became Duke of Orléans in 1701 on the death of his father, called his wife "Madame Lucifer". They had eight children including one son:
1. N... d'Orléans, "Mademoiselle de Valois" (December 17, 1693 - October 17, 1694);
2. Marie Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans (August 20, 1695 - July 21, 1719 ), married (1710) Charles, Duke of Berry;
3. Louise Adélaïde d'Orléans (August 13, 1698 - February 10, 1743), "Mademoiselle d'Orléans";
4. Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans (October 20, 1700 - January 19, 1761), "Mademoiselle de Valois", wife (1720) François Marie d'Este-Modene, Duke of Modena;
5. Louis I of Orléans, Duke of Chartres, then Duke of Orléans (1723), nicknamed "the Pious" (August 4, 1703 - February 4, 1752);
6. Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans (December 11, 1709 – June 16, 1742), "Mademoiselle de Montpensier", married (1723) Louis I, King of Spain;
7. Philippine Élisabeth d'Orléans (18 December 1714 - May 21, 1734), "Mademoiselle de Beaujolais";
8. Louise Diane d'Orléans (June 27, 17 16 - 26 September 1736), "Mademoiselle de Chartres", married (1732) Louis François de Bourbon-Conti, Prince of Conti.
He also had several natural children including:
* Charles de Saint-Albin (1698-1764), born to Florence Pellerin, who was Bishop-Duke of Laon (1721) then Archbishop-Duke of Cambrai (1723);
* Jean Philippe d 'Orléans (1702-1748), born to Marie Louise Le Bel de La Boissière, known as Countess of Argenton, who was legitimized in 1706 and was Grand Prior of the Order of Malta in France (known as "the Knight of Orléans" or "the Grand Prior of Orléans");
* Angélique de Froissy (1702-1785), born to Christine Charlotte Desmares (1682-1753), who was legitimized in 1722 and married the Count of Segur.
The soldier
The previous year, Chartres had begun his military career in the Netherlands, alongside Louis XIV. Very quickly, he turns out to be a good officer, loved by his soldiers, chaining the campaigns. In 1693, he distinguished himself by a brilliant conduct in Mons, Steinkerque and Neerwinden. He is also very critical of the strategy of the Army of Flanders. His few initiatives, admittedly modest in scope, turned out to be successes. At court, comparisons abound with the Grand Condé, which earns him the jealousy of the other princes of the blood.
Eager to calm things down, Louis XIV recalled all the princes in 1697. The Duke of Chartres saw this decision as a personal snub:he was not granted any great government, unlike the bastards, and he was deprived of a great command. He knows that his uncle disapproves of his conduct:since adolescence, he frequents libertine circles and leads a dissolute life, which leads the devout Duke of Saint-Simon, his childhood friend, to deviate from it (?) and to later make a vitriolic portrait of it in his "Memoirs". He received, on the death of his father, the title of Duke of Orleans. Called back to the army during the difficult campaigns of the War of the Spanish Succession, he proved his bravery in Turin in 1706. After being excluded from possible successions, in France as in Spain, he intrigued. His ill-disguised ambition and his taste for chemistry make him suspect of having contributed to the deaths of the dolphin and his family. Louis XIV shows him coldness and mistrust and imposes on him, by his secret will, the presence of legitimized persons in the Council of Regency.
The Regent
On the death of Louis XIV, the Duke of Orléans had the will annulled by Parliament (September 1715), which recognized him as sole regent, which allowed him to reorganize the Council as he pleased, to spare Parliament (polysynody), to seduce the French with a new policy:peace is restored. He supports the Jansenists, abandons the cause of the Stuarts, tries to restore the finances and the economy with the audacity of Law. At the start of his regency, on October 4, 1715, he sent a "Letter to Mrs. the intendants commissioners distributed in the provinces", in which he declared that his major concern was the excessive weight of the various taxes and announced his intention to establish a fairer and more egalitarian tax system.
But he imposed himself on the parliaments and the legitimized (September 1718), took up arms against Spain in an alliance with London and Vienna (January 1719). The regent has made no change in his frivolous life. The Palais-Royal is the scene of his abandonment to laziness and debauchery in the company of his “roués” (deserving the torture of the wheel), “braggarts of incredulity and crimes”; the small suppers there turn into an orgy. The complicity of Abbé Dubois, his former tutor, who became archbishop, cardinal and minister, is complete in this contempt for public and private virtues.
The coronation of Louis XV and the death of Philippe d'Orléans
But when calamities descend on the kingdom:fires, plague of Marseilles, collapse of Law's system, the country suffers and groans, the irreligion of the Regent is accused. The sagacity and finesse of Cardinal Dubois in business, the intermittent energy of the Regent and the absence of any organized opposition ensure that the monarchy remains standing. Louis XV was consecrated on October 25, 1722 and confirmed Cardinal Dubois as principal minister, but the latter died on August 10, 1723.
Philippe d'Orléans then asked him for the position of principal minister, which Louis XV, who had the greatest affection for him, granted him without hesitation. It is the first time in the history of the monarchy that a grandson of France has been invested with such functions. The Duke of Orleans immersed himself in business with ardor. But he is not in good health, having grown a lot and being subject to frequent drowsiness. He died shortly after, on December 2, 1723.
The artist
Philippe d'Orléans composed two operas, Hypermnestre and Panthée, painted and engraved with talent (we owe him the illustrations for an edition of Daphnis et Chloé). He buys for his crown the Regent, the diamond reputed to be the most beautiful in Europe.