François Louis, Prince of Conti
Encyclopedia
François Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Conti (30 April 1664 – 9 February 1709) was Prince de Conti, succeeding his brother Louis Armand I, Prince of Conti
in 1685. Until this date he used the title of Prince of La Roche-sur-Yon. He was son of Armand de Bourbon and Anne Marie Martinozzi
, niece of Cardinal Jules Mazarin. He is the most famous member of the Bourbon-Conti family, a younger branch of the Princes of Condé. As a member of the reigning House of Bourbon
, he was a Prince du Sang
.
in Paris, he was the last of his parents children. He had one older brother:
François was considered an intelligent child and received an excellent education. In court he was distinguished both for the independence of his mind and the popularity of his manners. On this account he was not received with favor by Louis XIV of France
. In 1683 he assisted the Imperialists in Hungary
, and while there he wrote some letters in which he referred to Louis XIV as le roi du théâtre; because of this and because of an early engagement at the side of the Turks in 1685, on his return to France
he was temporarily banished to Chantilly
.
Conti was the protégé of his uncle Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé
"the Great Condé" whose granddaughter, Marie Thérèse de Bourbon (1666–1732), he married in 1688. The couple were married at the Palace of Versailles
on 22 January 1688, before the assembled court. Marie Thérèse was aged 22, quite old for marriage at the time. Together, they had seven children.
The bride was passionately in love with her husband, but he had his attentions elsewhere. It was well known at court that he was in love with his wife's sister-in-law, Louise-Françoise de Bourbon
, wife of Louis III, Prince of Condé
, who was the eldest illegitimate daughter of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan. Marie Anne de Bourbon, the daughter of Louise-Françoise de Bourbon, was thought to have been the fruit of this affair. It was also noted, however, that he had homosexual tendencies and did not pay his wife much attention. He lived as a libertine
, engaging in numerous love affairs with members of both sexes. His scandalous philandering and debaucheries caused tension and distance within the family and earned him the nickname of le Grand Conti.
He served in the French army, but he never managed to achieve a rank higher than lieutenant-general. In 1689 he accompanied his intimate friend the Marshal Luxembourg
to the Netherlands
, and shared in the French victories at Fleurus
, Steinkirk and Neerwinden. On the death of his cousin, Jean Louis Charles, Duke of Longueville (1646–1694) and in accordance to his will, Conti claimed the principality of Neuchâtel against Marie d'Orléans, Duchesse of Nemours
, (1625–1707), a sister of the duke.
He failed to obtain military assistance from the Swiss
, and by the king's command yielded the disputed territory to Marie, although the courts of law had decided in his favour.
In 1697 Louis XIV offered him the Polish crown, and by means of bribes the Abbé de Polignac
secured his election. 27 June 1697 he was formally proclaimed as the King of Poland by Cardinal Radziejowski.
Conti started rather unwillingly for his new kingdom, probably, as the Duke of Saint-Simon
remarks, owing to his affection for Louise-Françoise de Bourbon
.
When he reached Danzig, he found his rival Augustus II, Elector of Saxony, already in possession of the Polish crown. Conti returned to France, where he was graciously received by Louis, although Saint-Simon says the king was vexed to see him again. But the misfortunes of the French armies during the earlier years of the War of the Spanish Succession
compelled Louis to appoint Conti, whose military renown stood very high, to command the troops in Italy.
While at court Conti was regularly involved in the production of plays and spectacles and sponsored the Illustre Théâtre
, Molière
's troupe, early in their career. As a result of his passion for fast living, while attending the celebration of the King's birthday at Versailles he contracted syphilis from a prostitute, an affliction which was to mar the later years of his life. Not only did Conti pass the infection to his wife—little was known about the disease at the time—but he believed it was a punishment from God for his earlier affiliation with actors and musicians, who were seen as the bottom of French society at the time. This resulted in him dismissing all artists under his sponsorship at the behest of his religious advisor and joining the Compagnie du Saint-Sacrement.
He fell ill before he could take the field, and died on the 9 February 1709, his death calling forth exceptional signs of mourning from all classes. He died from a combination of gout
and syphilis
. He was buried alongside his mother at his property in L'Isle-Adam, Val-d'Oise
, near Paris.
He was succeeded as Prince of Conti by his eldest son, Louis Armand de Bourbon
(1696–1727).
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Louis Armand I, Prince of Conti
Louis Armand I de Bourbon was Prince of Conti from 1666 to his death, succeeding his father, Armand de Bourbon. As a member of the reigning House of Bourbon, he was a Prince du Sang....
in 1685. Until this date he used the title of Prince of La Roche-sur-Yon. He was son of Armand de Bourbon and Anne Marie Martinozzi
Anne Marie Martinozzi
Anne Marie Martinozzi, Princess of Conti was a niece of King Louis XIV of France's chief minister Cardinal Mazarin, and the wife of Armand de Bourbon, Prince of Conti. She became the mother of the libertine François Louis, Prince of Conti, le Grand Conti...
, niece of Cardinal Jules Mazarin. He is the most famous member of the Bourbon-Conti family, a younger branch of the Princes of Condé. As a member of the reigning House of Bourbon
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
, he was a Prince du Sang
Prince du Sang
A prince of the blood was a person who was legitimately descended in the male line from the monarch of a country. In France, the rank of prince du sang was the highest held at court after the immediate family of the king during the ancien régime and the Bourbon Restoration...
.
Biography
Born at the Hôtel de ContiHôtel de Conti
The Hôtel de Conti, sometimes the Palais Conti refers to two Parisian townhouse's that were the property of the Princes of Conti, the relatives of the ruling Kings of France and Princes of the blood.-History:...
in Paris, he was the last of his parents children. He had one older brother:
- Louis Armand de Bourbon, Prince of ContiLouis Armand I, Prince of ContiLouis Armand I de Bourbon was Prince of Conti from 1666 to his death, succeeding his father, Armand de Bourbon. As a member of the reigning House of Bourbon, he was a Prince du Sang....
(1661–1685) was Prince of Conti from 1666 to his death. He married Marie Anne de BourbonMarie Anne de BourbonMarie Anne de Bourbon, Légitimée de France was the eldest legitimised daughter of King Louis XIV of France and Louise de La Vallière. At the age of thirteen, she was married to Louis Armand de Bourbon, Prince of Conti and as such was the Princess of Conti by marriage...
, the illegitimate daughter of King Louis XIV of FranceLouis XIV of FranceLouis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
and his first mistress, Louise de La VallièreLouise de La VallièreLouise de La Vallière was a mistress of Louis XIV of France from 1661 to 1667. She later became the Duchess of La Vallière and Duchess of Vaujours in her own right...
. The bride and groom were respectively thirteen and fifteen years old at the time
François was considered an intelligent child and received an excellent education. In court he was distinguished both for the independence of his mind and the popularity of his manners. On this account he was not received with favor by Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
. In 1683 he assisted the Imperialists in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, and while there he wrote some letters in which he referred to Louis XIV as le roi du théâtre; because of this and because of an early engagement at the side of the Turks in 1685, on his return to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
he was temporarily banished to Chantilly
Château de Chantilly
The Château de Chantilly is a historic château located in the town of Chantilly, France. It comprises two attached buildings; the Grand Château, destroyed during the French Revolution and rebuilt in the 1870s, and the Petit Château which was built around 1560 for Anne de Montmorency...
.
Conti was the protégé of his uncle Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé
Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé
Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Condé was a French general and the most famous representative of the Condé branch of the House of Bourbon. Prior to his father's death in 1646, he was styled the Duc d'Enghien...
"the Great Condé" whose granddaughter, Marie Thérèse de Bourbon (1666–1732), he married in 1688. The couple were married at the Palace of Versailles
Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles , or simply Versailles, is a royal château in Versailles in the Île-de-France region of France. In French it is the Château de Versailles....
on 22 January 1688, before the assembled court. Marie Thérèse was aged 22, quite old for marriage at the time. Together, they had seven children.
The bride was passionately in love with her husband, but he had his attentions elsewhere. It was well known at court that he was in love with his wife's sister-in-law, Louise-Françoise de Bourbon
Louise-Françoise de Bourbon
Louise Françoise de Bourbon, Légitimée de France was the eldest surviving legitimised daughter of Louis XIV of France and his maîtresse-en-titre, Madame de Montespan. She was said to have been named after her godmother, Louise de La Vallière, the woman that her mother had replaced as the king's...
, wife of Louis III, Prince of Condé
Louis III, Prince of Condé
Louis de Bourbon, , was Prince of Condé for less than a year, following the death of his father Henry III, Prince of Condé in 1709...
, who was the eldest illegitimate daughter of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan. Marie Anne de Bourbon, the daughter of Louise-Françoise de Bourbon, was thought to have been the fruit of this affair. It was also noted, however, that he had homosexual tendencies and did not pay his wife much attention. He lived as a libertine
Libertine
A libertine is one devoid of most moral restraints, which are seen as unnecessary or undesirable, especially one who ignores or even spurns accepted morals and forms of behavior sanctified by the larger society. Libertines, also known as rakes, placed value on physical pleasures, meaning those...
, engaging in numerous love affairs with members of both sexes. His scandalous philandering and debaucheries caused tension and distance within the family and earned him the nickname of le Grand Conti.
He served in the French army, but he never managed to achieve a rank higher than lieutenant-general. In 1689 he accompanied his intimate friend the Marshal Luxembourg
François Henri de Montmorency-Bouteville, duc de Luxembourg
François Henri de Montmorency-Bouteville, duc de Piney, called de Luxembourg was a French general, marshal of France, famous as the comrade and successor of the great Condé.-Early years:...
to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, and shared in the French victories at Fleurus
Battle of Fleurus (1690)
The Battle of Fleurus, fought on 1 July 1690, was a major engagement of the Nine Years' War. In a bold envelopment the Duc de Luxembourg, commanding Louis XIV’s army of some 35,000 men, soundly defeated Prince Waldeck’s Allied force of approximately 38,000 men comprising mainly Dutch, German, and...
, Steinkirk and Neerwinden. On the death of his cousin, Jean Louis Charles, Duke of Longueville (1646–1694) and in accordance to his will, Conti claimed the principality of Neuchâtel against Marie d'Orléans, Duchesse of Nemours
Marie d'Orleans-Longueville, Duchess de Nemours
Marie d'Orléans was the daughter of Henry II of Orléans, duke of Longueville. After the death of her brother Jean Louis Charles d'Orléans-Longueville in 1694 she succeeded him as Princess of Neuchâtel....
, (1625–1707), a sister of the duke.
He failed to obtain military assistance from the Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, and by the king's command yielded the disputed territory to Marie, although the courts of law had decided in his favour.
In 1697 Louis XIV offered him the Polish crown, and by means of bribes the Abbé de Polignac
Melchior de Polignac
Melchior de Polignac was a French diplomat, Roman Catholic cardinal and neo-Latin poet.A younger son of Armand XVI, marquis de Polignac, he was born at Lavoûte-sur-Loire, Haute-Loire, Auvergne. At an early age he achieved distinction as a diplomat...
secured his election. 27 June 1697 he was formally proclaimed as the King of Poland by Cardinal Radziejowski.
Conti started rather unwillingly for his new kingdom, probably, as the Duke of Saint-Simon
Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon
Louis de Rouvroy commonly known as Saint-Simon was a French soldier, diplomatist and writer of memoirs, was born in Paris...
remarks, owing to his affection for Louise-Françoise de Bourbon
Louise-Françoise de Bourbon
Louise Françoise de Bourbon, Légitimée de France was the eldest surviving legitimised daughter of Louis XIV of France and his maîtresse-en-titre, Madame de Montespan. She was said to have been named after her godmother, Louise de La Vallière, the woman that her mother had replaced as the king's...
.
When he reached Danzig, he found his rival Augustus II, Elector of Saxony, already in possession of the Polish crown. Conti returned to France, where he was graciously received by Louis, although Saint-Simon says the king was vexed to see him again. But the misfortunes of the French armies during the earlier years of the War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
compelled Louis to appoint Conti, whose military renown stood very high, to command the troops in Italy.
While at court Conti was regularly involved in the production of plays and spectacles and sponsored the Illustre Théâtre
Illustre Théâtre
The Illustre Théâtre was a French theatre company set up by Molière on 30 June 1643, and shut down less than two years later on his imprisonment in August 1645. However, it is notable for its impact on the history of the French theatre...
, Molière
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
's troupe, early in their career. As a result of his passion for fast living, while attending the celebration of the King's birthday at Versailles he contracted syphilis from a prostitute, an affliction which was to mar the later years of his life. Not only did Conti pass the infection to his wife—little was known about the disease at the time—but he believed it was a punishment from God for his earlier affiliation with actors and musicians, who were seen as the bottom of French society at the time. This resulted in him dismissing all artists under his sponsorship at the behest of his religious advisor and joining the Compagnie du Saint-Sacrement.
He fell ill before he could take the field, and died on the 9 February 1709, his death calling forth exceptional signs of mourning from all classes. He died from a combination of gout
Gout
Gout is a medical condition usually characterized by recurrent attacks of acute inflammatory arthritis—a red, tender, hot, swollen joint. The metatarsal-phalangeal joint at the base of the big toe is the most commonly affected . However, it may also present as tophi, kidney stones, or urate...
and syphilis
Syphilis
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
. He was buried alongside his mother at his property in L'Isle-Adam, Val-d'Oise
L'Isle-Adam, Val-d'Oise
L'Isle-Adam is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department in Île-de-France in northern France.-References:** -External links:* * *...
, near Paris.
He was succeeded as Prince of Conti by his eldest son, Louis Armand de Bourbon
Louis Armand II, Prince of Conti
Louis Armand de Bourbon, Prince of Conti was Prince of Conti, from 1709 to his death, succeeding his father François Louis, Prince of Conti. As a member of the reigning House of Bourbon, he was a Prince du Sang. His mother was the pious Marie Thérèse de Bourbon, a grand daughter of Louis de...
(1696–1727).
Issue
The couple had seven children, three of whom survived infancy:| Name | | Portrait | Lifespan | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marie Anne de Bourbon Princess of Condé |
18 April 1689 - 21 March 1720 |
Born Versailles she married her first cousin Louis Henri, Duke of Bourbon but had no issue; | |
| X de Bourbon |
 |
18 November 1693 - 22 November 1693 |
died in infancy; |
| X de Bourbon Prince of La Roche-sur-Yon |
|
1 December 1694 - 25 April 1698 |
Born in Paris, he died in infancy; |
| Louis Armand de Bourbon Prince of Conti |
|
10 November 1695- 4 May 1727 |
Born at Versailles, he died in Paris; He was nominated as the Prince of Orange by Louis XIV in 1712; married his first cousin Louise Élisabeth de Bourbon and had issue; |
| Louise Adélaïde de Bourbon Louise Adélaïde de Bourbon (1696–1750) Louise Adélaïde de Bourbon was a French princess of the Blood. She had no children and thus no descendants.-Biography:... Mademoiselle de La Roche-sur-Yon |
2 November 1696 – 20 November 1750 |
Born in Paris, she never married; | |
| X de Bourbon Mademoiselle d'Alais |
|
19 November 1697 - 13 August 1699 |
Born in Paris, she died in infancy; |
| Louis François de Bourbon Count of Alais |
|
27 July 1703 - 21 January 1704 |
Born in Paris, he died in infancy; |
Titles and styles
- 30 April, 1664 – 9 November, 1685 His Serene HighnessSerene HighnessHis/Her Serene Highness is a style used today by the reigning families of Liechtenstein and Monaco. It also preceded the princely titles of members of some German ruling and mediatised dynasties as well as some non-ruling but princely German noble families until 1918...
the Prince of La Roche-sur-Yon - 9 November, 1685 – 9 February, 1709 His Serene HighnessSerene HighnessHis/Her Serene Highness is a style used today by the reigning families of Liechtenstein and Monaco. It also preceded the princely titles of members of some German ruling and mediatised dynasties as well as some non-ruling but princely German noble families until 1918...
the Prince of Conti
Titles
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