Duke Philip of Orleans (brother of Louis XIV) was one of the most controversial aristocratic figures in French history. Being the second in line to the throne, he posed a serious threat to the monarchy, but even in the era of the Fronde and internal turmoil, Monsieur did not oppose the legitimate ruler. Remaining loyal to the crown, the duke led a peculiar way of life. He regularly shocked the audience, surrounded himself with many favorites, patronized the arts and, despite his effeminate image, periodically successfully led military campaigns.
King's brother
On September 21, 1640, the second son, the future Philippe of Orleans, was born to the King of France Louis XIII and his wife Anna of Austria. He was born in a residence in the suburbs of Paris Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The boy was the younger brother of the monarch Louis XIV, who ascended the throne in 1643 after the death of their father.
Relations between them were a big exception for royal families. There are many examples in history of how brothers (children of a ruler) hated each other and fought with each other for power. There were similar examples in France. For example, there is a theory that the penultimate monarch of the Valois dynasty, Charles IX, was poisoned by one of his younger brothers.
Monsieur
The hereditary principle in which the senior heir received everything and the other remained in his shadow was largely unfair. Despite this, Philip of Orleans never plotted against Louis. There were always warm relations between the brothers. This harmony was made possible thanks to the efforts of the mother of Anna of Austria, who tried to do everything so that her children lived and were brought up together in a friendly atmosphere.
In addition, affected the nature of Philip himself. By his nature, he was extravagant and quick-tempered, which, however, could not drown out his good nature and gentleness. Throughout his life, Philip wore the titles “The Only Brother of the King” and “Monsieur”, which emphasized his special position not only in the ruling dynasty, but throughout the country.
Childhood
The news that Anna of Austria gave birth to a second boy was received with enthusiasm at the court. Particularly pleased was the omnipotent Cardinal Richelieu. He understood that Philip of Orleans - the brother of Louis 14 - is another legitimate support of the dynasty and its future if something happens to the Dauphin. From early childhood, boys were invariably raised together. Together they played, studied and hooligans, because of what they both flogged.
At that time, Fronde raged in France. The princes were secretly taken more than once from Paris and hid in distant residences. Philip of Orleans - the brother of Louis 14, just like the Dauphin, he experienced many hardships. He had to feel fear and defenselessness in front of an angry mob of rebels. Sometimes the children's pranks of the brothers grew into fights. Although Louis was older, he did not always come out victorious in fights.
Like all children, they could quarrel over trifles - plates of porridge, sharing bedding in a new room, etc. Philip was temperamental, liked to shock others, but at the same time had a light character and quickly moved away from insults. But Louis on the contrary was stubborn and could sulk for a long time around.
Relations with Mazarin
The very fact that Philip the Duke of Orleans was the younger brother of the omnipotent king made inevitable the presence of many ill-wishers who did not like Monsieur. One of his most influential opponents was Mazarin. The cardinal was appointed responsible for the education of the poorly studied Louis and his younger brother. Mazarin did not like Philip because of his fear that he would become a threat to the throne as an adult. Monsieur could repeat the fate of Gaston - his own uncle, who opposed the monarchy with his claims to power.
Mazarin had many superficial reasons to fear such a development. The omnipotent nobleman could not help but notice how adventurous a man Philip of Orleans grew up. The biography of the duke in the future showed that he also grew up a good commander who could lead the army and achieve victories on the battlefield.
Parenting
Some biographers, not without reason in their writings, noted that in Philippe they could intentionally cultivate female habits and instill an interest in homosexuality. If this was really done for ambiguous reasons, then Mazarini could thus count, firstly, on the fact that the duke would not have a normal family and heir, and secondly, on the fact that Monsieur would be despised at court. However, the cardinal did not even need to take the initiative in his own hands.
Feminine habits in Philippe were brought up by his mother Anna of Austria. She liked the gentle character of her youngest son much more than Louis' boring habits. Anna loved to dress a child with a girl and allowed him to play with maids of honor. Today, when Philip of Orleans is mentioned, he is often confused with a namesake descendant, but King Louis Philippe of Orleans, who lived in the 19th century, had little in common with the duke of the 17th century. Their upbringing was noticeably different. It is enough to give an example of how the brother of Louis XIV could be jokingly pulled into a ladies' corset.
The maids of honor, who lived at court, also loved the theater and often gave the child comic roles in their productions. Perhaps it was these impressions that made Philip interested in the scene. At the same time, the boy was left to his own devices for a long time. All the forces of his mother and Cardinal Mazarin spent on Louis, from which they made the king. What will come of his younger brother, everyone was much less interested. All that was required of him was not to interfere with the throne, not to lay claims to power and not to repeat the path of rebellious Uncle Gaston.
Wives
In 1661, the younger brother of Louis XIII Gaston, the Duke of Orleans, died. After his death, the title passed to Philip. Before that, he was the Duke of Anjou. In the same year, Philip of Orleans married Henrietta Anna Stewart - the daughter of Charles I of England.
Interestingly, the first wife of Henrietta was to marry Louis XIV himself. However, during the years of their adolescence, royal power in England was overthrown, and the marriage to Carl Stuart's daughter in Versailles was considered futile. Wives were then chosen according to the position and prestige of the dynasty. While the Stuarts under Cromwell were left without a crown, the Bourbons did not want to be related to them. However, everything changed in 1660, when the brother of Henrietta Charles II regained his father's throne. The status of the girl became higher, but Louis had already married by then. Then the princess received an offer to marry the younger brother of the king. Opponent of this marriage was Cardinal Mazarin, but on March 9, 1661 he died, and the last barrier to engagement disappeared.
It is not known exactly what the future wife of Philip of Orleans sincerely thought of her fiancé. Controversial rumors reached England about the hobbies of Monsieur and his favorites. However, Henrietta married him. After the wedding, Louis gave his brother the Palais Royal Palace, which became the city residence of the spouses. Philip, Duke of Orleans, in his own words, was carried away by his wife only two weeks after the wedding. Then came everyday routine, and he returned to the company of his favorites - the minions. The marriage was unfortunate. In 1670, Henrietta died, and Philip married a second time. This time, Elizabeth Charlotte, daughter of Karl Ludwig, Elector of the Palatinate, became his chosen one. In this marriage, the son of Philip II was born - the future regent of France.
Favorites
Thanks to the preserved correspondence of the second wife, historians were able to collect a lot of evidence of the duke's homosexuality. Of his lovers, Chevalier Philippe de Lorrain is best known. He was a representative of the old aristocratic and influential clan Gizov. Philip of Orleans and Chevalier de Lorrain met at a young age. Later both wives of the duke tried to remove the favorite from the yard. He had a serious impact on Philip, which threatened the family life of the latter. Despite the efforts of Henrietta and Elizabeth, the Chevalier continued to remain close to the Duke of Orleans.
In 1670, the king tried to take control of the situation. Louis XIV imprisoned Chevalier in the famous prison of If. However, the favorite's stay in prison was short-lived. Seeing the grief of his brother, Louis stepped back and allowed the minion to first move to Rome, and then return to the court of his patron. The relationship between Philippe of Orleans and Philippe de Lorrain continued until the death of the Duke in 1701 (the favorite survived him only for a year). When Louis buried his younger brother, he ordered that all of Philip’s correspondence be burned, fearing the publicity of his adventures and unsightly way of life.
General
For the first time, Philip showed himself as a military commander during the Revolutionary War in 1667–1668, when France fought with Spain for influence in the Netherlands. In 1677, he returned to the army. Then the war against Holland began, which was ruled by William III of Orange. The conflict erupted on several fronts. In Flanders, Louis needed another commander, since all his usual commanders were already occupied. Then Philip 1 of Orleans went to this region. The biography of the duke is an example of a faithful and loyal brother who, without any argument, executed the orders of the monarch at the most crucial moment, when the fatherland was in danger.
The army under the command of Philip first captured Cambrai, and then proceeded to the siege of the city of Saint-Omer. Here the duke learned that from Ypres, the main Dutch army was heading towards him, led by King William III of Orange himself. Philip left a small part of his army under the walls of the besieged city, and he set off to intercept the enemy. The armies clashed at the battle of Kassel on April 11, 1677. The duke led the center of the army, in which the infantry stood. The cavalry is located on the flanks. Success was ensured by a swift attack by the Dragoon units, forcing the enemy army to retreat.
The Dutch suffered a crushing defeat. They lost 8 thousand people killed and wounded, and another 3 thousand were taken prisoner. The French captured the enemy camp, his banners, guns and other equipment. Thanks to the victory, Philip managed to bring to the end the siege of St. Omer to take control of the city. In the war, a radical change occurred. It was the duke's most significant success on the battlefield. After his triumph, he was recalled from the army. Louis XIV was clearly envious and feared his brother's further victories. Although the king solemnly met Monsieur and publicly thanked for the defeat of the enemy, he no longer gave him troops.
Philip and art
Thanks to his hobbies, Philip of Orleans was remembered by contemporaries and descendants as the largest patron of the arts of his era. It was he who made the composer Jean-Baptiste Lully famous, and also supported the writer Moliere. The duke had a significant collection of art and jewelry. His particular passion was theater and satire.
Prince Philip the Duke of Orleans not only loved art, but later also became the hero of many works. His personality attracted a wide variety of writers, musical creators, directors, etc. For example, one of the most provocative images came from Roland Joffe in his 2000 film Vatel. In this picture, the duke is depicted as an open homosexual and a friend of the disgraced Conde. Philip’s childhood is shown in another film, The Child King, where Fronde’s events unfold. The most famous French writer, Alexander Dumas, could not pass by the image of the duke . In his novel Viscount de Brazhelon, or Ten Years Later, the author took liberties with historical facts. In the book, Philip is not the only brother of Louis XIV. In addition to him, on the pages of the novel there is a twin monarch, who became a prisoner in an iron mask because of political expediency.
Last years
Thanks to successful marriages, both daughters of Philip became queens. His namesake son made a brilliant military career during the Augsburg League war. In 1692, he participated in the battle of Stenkerk and the siege of Namur. The success of the children was especially proud of Philip, so in his last years he could live peacefully in his estates and rejoice for posterity.
At the same time, the relationship between the duke and his crowned brother was going through hard times. On June 9, 1701, Prince Philip of Orleans died of an apoplexy blow that overtook him in Saint Cloud after a long argument with the king about the fate of his son. Louis tried in every possible way to limit his nephew, fearing the growth of his popularity in the army. This infuriated Philip. Another quarrel became fatal for him. Nervous, he survived the blow, which turned out to be fatal.
The body of the 60-year-old Monsieur was buried in the Parisian abbey of Saint-Denis. During the French Revolution, the grave was looted. At court, the former favorite of the King Marquis de Montespan was most grieved over the death of the Duke.
It is interesting that the king of France Louis-Philippe of Orleans, who ruled the country in 1830-1848. and overthrown by the revolution, was a descendant of Monsieur. The ducal title was regularly passed from descendant to descendant of brother Louis XIV. Louis Philippe was his grandson in several knees. Although he did not belong to the branch of the Bourbons that reigned before, this did not prevent him from becoming king due to a bloodless coup. Louis Philippe of Orleans, although he looked like his ancestor by name, actually had little in common with him.