Louis-Joseph, Duke of Brittany

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French Monarchy- Capetian Dynasty (Bourbon branch) Henry IV Sister    Catherine of Navarre, Duchess of Lorraine Children    Louis XIII    Elisabeth, Queen of Spain    Christine Marie, Duchess of Savoy    Nicholas Henry    Gaston, Duke of Orléans    Henriette-Marie, Queen of England and Scotland Louis XIII Children    Louis XIV    Philippe, Duke of Orléans Louis XIV Children    Louis, the Grand Dauphin    Marie-Anne    Marie-Therese    Philippe-Charles, Duc d'Anjou    Louis-François, Duc d'Anjou Grandchildren    Louis, Duke of Burgundy    King Philip V of Spain    Charles, Duke of Berry Great Grandchildren    Louis, Duke of Brittany    Louis XV Louis XV Children    Louise-Elisabeth, Duchess of Parma    Madame Henriette    Louis, Dauphin    Madame Marie Adélaïde    Madame Victoire    Madame Sophie    Madame Louise Grandchildren    Clotilde, Queen of Sardinia    Louis XVI    Louis XVIII    Charles X    Madame Élisabeth Louis XVI Children    Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte, Duchess of Angouleme    Louis-Joseph, Dauphin    Louis (XVII)    Sophie-Beatrix Louis (XVII) Louis XVIII Charles X Children    Louis (XIX), Duke of Angoulême    Charles, Duke of Berry Grandchildren    Henry (V), comte de Chambord    Louise, Duchess of Parma

Louis-Joseph-Xavier (October 22, 1781-June 4, 1789) was the second child and first son of King Louis XVI of France and Queen Marie Antoinette. As the heir apparent to the French throne, he was called the dauphin. A sweet-natured child, unlike Madame Royale, Louis-Joseph died at the age of seven of what was then known as "consumption" (tuberculosis). On his death the title of dauphin passed to his younger brother Louis-Charles (1785–1795), who would survive his father and die in prison at the age of ten.

Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, is named for him (Louis Joseph de Bourbon). The Pennsylvania legislature, meeting in Philadelphia in 1785, to thank France for helping America win her independence from Great Britain, named the newly formed county, "Dauphin", northwest of Lancaster and north of York, in which Harrisburg is located. "Dauphin" was the title of the heir to the French throne, much as the title "Prince of Wales" is the title of the heir to the British throne.

The abolition of the monarchy in France in September 1792, as the French Revolution became more radical, ended the significance of the title and name "Dauphin" in France at that time. Although the French monarchy was restored from 1815 to 1848, the title "Dauphin" again ended in 1848, with France never again having a king. However, in America, in Pennsylvania, the name and title "Dauphin" is preserved in the county of Pennsylvania where Harrisburg (the present state capital) is located.

[edit] Bibliography

History of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania Historical Commission, Harrisburg, PA