Louis François II de Bourbon, prince de Conti
Encyclopedia
Louis François Joseph de Bourbon (1 September 1734 13 March 1814) was Prince of Conti
, succeeding his father Louis François de Bourbon. His mother was Louise Diane d'Orléans
, the youngest daughter of Philippe d'Orléans, duc d'Orléans
, the Regent
of France during the minority of King Louis XV of France
. As a member of the reigning House of Bourbon
, he was a Prince du Sang
.
in Paris. From birth he was known as the Count of La Marche (formally, Monsieur le Comte de La Marche). He would have very fragile health during his life but despite that, he lived to be 79 years old. His mother Louise Diane d'Orléans
died in childbirth on 26 September 1736; the child also died. After Louise Diane's death, the Prince of Conti decided to retire to the château de L'Isle-Adam
in order to be away from court and to pursue his love of hunting; later on, his father would have a very distinguished military career; he would also be a great collector and his mistress was the cultured Madame de Boufflers
.
The young prince of the Blood was baptised at the Chapelle du château de Versailles
on 29 November 1742 in front of the King
(Louis XV of France
) and his polish wife, Maria Leszczyńska
. Eight years later, on 17 May 1750, the Count was made a Knight of the Order of the Holy Spirit
. This ceremony was also held at Versailles.
During the Seven Years' War
(1756–1763), the young Count
took part in the Battle of Hastenbeck
on 26 July 1757 as well as the Battle of Krefeld
(23 June 1758); in both of these battles, Louis François Joseph held the rank of Field Marshal
.
He was married to his first cousin, Marie Fortunée d'Este
(1734–1803). Princess Maria Fortunata of Modena was the fourth daughter of Francesco III d'Este
, the Duke of Modena, and his wife, Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans, who was his mother's older sister. Through Marie Fortunée, he was the brother-in-law of the Duke of Penthièvre, the richest man in France.
The marriage contract was signed in Milan
on 3 January 1759 by the French ambassador to the court of Turin
. A wedding by proxy took place in Milan on 7 February of the same year. It was celebrated in person on the 27th of February at Nangis-en-Brie in France
. Maria Fortunata's father settled upon her a dowry of one million livres. In addition, upon her arrival in France, her husband was given a gift of 150,000 livres from King Louis XV
. The young comtesse de La Marche was presented to the King, the Queen
and the rest of the royal family on 5 March 1759 by the Dowager Princess of Conti. The Dowager Princess of Conti was Louis François' paternal grandmother.
The couple did not get along and never had any children. Many at court said this state of affairs was due to the influence of her husband's mistress, Marie Anne Véronèse
, known as Mademoiselle Coraline. Véronèse had been a dancer at an Italian theatre. Louis François and his mistress had two illegitimate children together, born in 1761 and 1767.
In 1770, the marriage of the Dauphin of France
, the future Louis XVI, and the Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria
took place. Marie Fortunée, as she was known in France, and her husband were one of twelve couples invited to dine with the newlyweds in the Opéra of the Palace of Versailles
, which had been constructed for the royal wedding.
In 1776, his father died making Louis François Joseph the head of the Conti branch of the House of Bourbon
. In the next years, the Prince and Princess of Conti decided to separate in despite the scandal it caused at court. The official separation date was 12 June 1777. His "wife" would live quietly at the Château
de Triel. After fleeing France during the revolution, she would travel incognito as the comtesse de Triel; She would die in Venice
, Italy
on 21 September 1803 and was buried at the Convent of the Visitation outside the city.
Pierre Beaumarchais
says in his preface to the play The Marriage of Figaro
(1778) (a play that satirized the aristocracy) that it was the late prince of Conti (his father Louis François, Prince of Conti, who died in 1776) who requested the play be written, and Louis François Joseph may have been the model of the misadventure of Count Almaviva (see discussion of this article).
He took the side of Maupeou in the struggle between the chancellor and the parlement
s, and in 1788 declared that the integrity of the constitution must be maintained. He emigrated following the French Revolution
, but refused to share in the plans for the invasion of France
. He returned to his native country in 1790.
Arrested by order of the National Convention
in 1793, he was acquitted, but was reduced to poverty by the confiscation of his possessions. He afterwards received a pension. In 1797, however, the Directoire
decided to exile the last of the Bourbons still living in France. He was sent in exile to Spain
along with his few remaining relatives who still lived in France and had not already been killed in the Revolution
, including the Duchess of Bourbon
. Relegated to a place near Barcelona
, he lived in poverty. Refusing to share in the plots of the Royalist
s, he lived an isolated existence in Barcelona
until his death in 1814, when the House of Bourbon-Conti became extinct.
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Prince of Conti
The title of Prince of Conti was a French noble title, assumed by a cadet branch of the house of Bourbon-Condé. It was taken from Conty, a small town of northern France, c. 35 km southwest of Amiens, which came into the Condé family by the marriage of Louis of Bourbon, first prince of Condé,...
, succeeding his father Louis François de Bourbon. His mother was Louise Diane d'Orléans
Louise Diane d'Orléans
Louise d'Orléans was the sixth daughter and last child of Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans and his wife, Françoise Marie de Bourbon, the youngest legitimised daughter of King Louis XIV of France and his mistress, Madame de Montespan...
, the youngest daughter of Philippe d'Orléans, duc d'Orléans
Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
Philippe d'Orléans was a member of the royal family of France and served as Regent of the Kingdom from 1715 to 1723. Born at his father's palace at Saint-Cloud, he was known from birth under the title of Duke of Chartres...
, the Regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
of France during the minority of King Louis XV of France
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
. 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
Child of the Prince and Princess of Conti, he was 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. From birth he was known as the Count of La Marche (formally, Monsieur le Comte de La Marche). He would have very fragile health during his life but despite that, he lived to be 79 years old. His mother Louise Diane d'Orléans
Louise Diane d'Orléans
Louise d'Orléans was the sixth daughter and last child of Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans and his wife, Françoise Marie de Bourbon, the youngest legitimised daughter of King Louis XIV of France and his mistress, Madame de Montespan...
died in childbirth on 26 September 1736; the child also died. After Louise Diane's death, the Prince of Conti decided to retire to the château de L'Isle-Adam
Château de L'Isle-Adam
The Château de L'Isle-Adam, now destroyed, could be found in the town of L'Isle-Adam in the department of Val-d'Oise; it was built on an island called the Île du Prieuré The building was connected with many illustrious families; the Lords of Adams, the Dukes of Villiers, the Dukes of Montmorency,...
in order to be away from court and to pursue his love of hunting; later on, his father would have a very distinguished military career; he would also be a great collector and his mistress was the cultured Madame de Boufflers
Marie-Charlotte Hippolyte de Campet de Saujon
Marie-Charlotte Hippolyte de Campet de Saujon, by marriage Countess of Boufflers , was a French lady of letters and salon hostess...
.
The young prince of the Blood was baptised at the Chapelle du château de Versailles
Chapels of Versailles
The present chapel of the Palace of Versailles is the fifth in the history of the palace. These chapels evolved with the expansion of the château and formed the focal point of the daily life of the court during the Ancien Régime .-First chapel:The château's first chapel dated from the time of...
on 29 November 1742 in front of the King
King
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
(Louis XV of France
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
) and his polish wife, Maria Leszczyńska
Maria Leszczynska
Marie Leszczyńska was a queen consort of France. She was a daughter of King Stanisław Leszczyński of Poland and Catherine Opalińska. She married King Louis XV of France and was the grandmother of Louis XVI, Louis XVIII, and Charles X. In France, she was referred to as Marie Leczinska...
. Eight years later, on 17 May 1750, the Count was made a Knight of the Order of the Holy Spirit
Order of the Holy Spirit
The Order of the Holy Spirit, also known as the Order of the Knights of the Holy Spirit, was an Order of Chivalry under the French Monarchy. It should not be confused with the Congregation of the Holy Ghost or with the Order of the Holy Ghost...
. This ceremony was also held at Versailles.
During the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
(1756–1763), the young Count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
took part in the Battle of Hastenbeck
Battle of Hastenbeck
The Battle of Hastenbeck was fought as part of the Invasion of Hanover during the Seven Year's War between the allied forces of Hanover, Hesse-Kassel and Brunswick and the French...
on 26 July 1757 as well as the Battle of Krefeld
Battle of Krefeld
The Battle of Krefeld was a battle fought on 23 June 1758 between a Prussian-Hanoverian army and a French army during the Seven Years' War.-Background:...
(23 June 1758); in both of these battles, Louis François Joseph held the rank of Field Marshal
Field Marshal (France)
Maréchal de camp was a general officer rank used by the French Army until 1848.The rank originated from the older rank of sergeant major general . Sergeant Major General was third in command in an army, after the General and the Lieutenant General. One of his tasks was to dispose the troops on the...
.
He was married to his first cousin, Marie Fortunée d'Este
Maria Fortunata d'Este
Maria Fortunata d'Este was a Modenese princess by birth and a princess of the blood of France by marriage. By her marriage to a second cousin Louis François Joseph de Bourbon, Prince of Conti, she became the Countess of La Marche and later the Princess of Conti and was a member of the French court...
(1734–1803). Princess Maria Fortunata of Modena was the fourth daughter of Francesco III d'Este
Francesco III d'Este
Francesco III was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1737 until his death.-Biography:He was born in Modena, the son of Rinaldo d'Este, Duke of Modena, and Charlotte of Brunswick-Lüneburg....
, the Duke of Modena, and his wife, Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans, who was his mother's older sister. Through Marie Fortunée, he was the brother-in-law of the Duke of Penthièvre, the richest man in France.
The marriage contract was signed in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
on 3 January 1759 by the French ambassador to the court of Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
. A wedding by proxy took place in Milan on 7 February of the same year. It was celebrated in person on the 27th of February at Nangis-en-Brie in 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...
. Maria Fortunata's father settled upon her a dowry of one million livres. In addition, upon her arrival in France, her husband was given a gift of 150,000 livres from King Louis XV
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
. The young comtesse de La Marche was presented to the King, the Queen
Maria Leszczynska
Marie Leszczyńska was a queen consort of France. She was a daughter of King Stanisław Leszczyński of Poland and Catherine Opalińska. She married King Louis XV of France and was the grandmother of Louis XVI, Louis XVIII, and Charles X. In France, she was referred to as Marie Leczinska...
and the rest of the royal family on 5 March 1759 by the Dowager Princess of Conti. The Dowager Princess of Conti was Louis François' paternal grandmother.
The couple did not get along and never had any children. Many at court said this state of affairs was due to the influence of her husband's mistress, Marie Anne Véronèse
Marie Anne Véronèse
Maria Anna Veronese , was an Italian-French actress, active at the Comédie-Italienne in Paris.Veronese was the daughter of the Italian Pantalone-actor Carlo Veronese and the sister of the actress Giacoma Antonia Veronese . She debuted with her sister at the Comédie-Italienne in Paris in 1744...
, known as Mademoiselle Coraline. Véronèse had been a dancer at an Italian theatre. Louis François and his mistress had two illegitimate children together, born in 1761 and 1767.
In 1770, the marriage of the Dauphin of France
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
, the future Louis XVI, and the Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria
Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette ; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was an Archduchess of Austria and the Queen of France and of Navarre. She was the fifteenth and penultimate child of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I....
took place. Marie Fortunée, as she was known in France, and her husband were one of twelve couples invited to dine with the newlyweds in the Opéra of the Palace of Versailles
L'Opéra of the Palace of Versailles
The Opéra Royal de Versailles ' is the main theatre and opera house of the Palace of Versailles. Designed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel, with interior decoration by Augustin Pajou, the Opéra was constructed entirely of wood and painted to resemble marble in a technique known as faux marble.The house is...
, which had been constructed for the royal wedding.
In 1776, his father died making Louis François Joseph the head of the Conti branch of the 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...
. In the next years, the Prince and Princess of Conti decided to separate in despite the scandal it caused at court. The official separation date was 12 June 1777. His "wife" would live quietly at the Château
Château
A château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
de Triel. After fleeing France during the revolution, she would travel incognito as the comtesse de Triel; She would die in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
on 21 September 1803 and was buried at the Convent of the Visitation outside the city.
Pierre Beaumarchais
Pierre Beaumarchais
Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais was a French playwright, watchmaker, inventor, musician, diplomat, fugitive, spy, publisher, arms dealer, satirist, financier, and revolutionary ....
says in his preface to the play The Marriage of Figaro
The Marriage of Figaro (play)
The Marriage of Figaro ) is a comedy in five acts, written in 1778 by Pierre Beaumarchais. This play is the second installment in the Figaro Trilogy, preceded by The Barber of Seville and followed by The Guilty Mother. The Barber begins the story with a simple love triangle in which the Count has...
(1778) (a play that satirized the aristocracy) that it was the late prince of Conti (his father Louis François, Prince of Conti, who died in 1776) who requested the play be written, and Louis François Joseph may have been the model of the misadventure of Count Almaviva (see discussion of this article).
He took the side of Maupeou in the struggle between the chancellor and the parlement
Parlement
Parlements were regional legislative bodies in Ancien Régime France.The political institutions of the Parlement in Ancien Régime France developed out of the previous council of the king, the Conseil du roi or curia regis, and consequently had ancient and customary rights of consultation and...
s, and in 1788 declared that the integrity of the constitution must be maintained. He emigrated following the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, but refused to share in the plans for the invasion of 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 returned to his native country in 1790.
Arrested by order of the National Convention
National Convention
During the French Revolution, the National Convention or Convention, in France, comprised the constitutional and legislative assembly which sat from 20 September 1792 to 26 October 1795 . It held executive power in France during the first years of the French First Republic...
in 1793, he was acquitted, but was reduced to poverty by the confiscation of his possessions. He afterwards received a pension. In 1797, however, the Directoire
French Directory
The Directory was a body of five Directors that held executive power in France following the Convention and preceding the Consulate...
decided to exile the last of the Bourbons still living in France. He was sent in exile to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
along with his few remaining relatives who still lived in France and had not already been killed in the Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, including the Duchess of Bourbon
Bathilde d'Orléans
Louise Marie Thérèse Bathilde d'Orléans, Princess of Condé , was a French princess. She was sister of Philippe Égalité, the mother of the executed duc d'Enghien and aunt of Louis-Philippe King of the French...
. Relegated to a place near Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, he lived in poverty. Refusing to share in the plots of the Royalist
Royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of government, but not necessarily a particular monarch...
s, he lived an isolated existence in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
until his death in 1814, when the House of Bourbon-Conti became extinct.
Ancestors
Titles
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