Fils de France
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Fils de France (English: Son of France) was the style and rank held by the sons of the kings and dauphins of France. A daughter was known as a fille de France (English: Daughter of France).
The children of the Dauphin (being the King's heir apparent) were accorded the same style and status as if they were the king's children instead of his grandchildren.[1]
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[edit] Styles
The king, queen, queens dowager, enfants de France and petits-enfants de France constituted the famille du roi (French: Royal Family).[2]
More remote legitimate, male-line descendants of France's kings held the designation and rank of princes du sang (French: Princes of the Blood) or, if legally recognized despite a bar sinister on the escutcheon, they were customarily deemed princes légitimés (French: Legitimated Princes).[3]
The Dauphin, the heir to the French throne, was the most senior of the fils de France. The king's next younger brother, also a fils de France, was known simply as Monsieur, and his wife as Madame.[4]
Daughters were referred to by their given name prefaced by the honorific, Madame, while sons were referred to by their main peerage title (usually ducal), except for the Dauphin. The king's eldest daughter was known as Madame Royale until she married, whereupon the next eldest fille de France succeeded to the style.
Although the children of monarchs are often referred to in English as prince or princess, those terms were used as general descriptions for royalty in France, but not as titular prefixes or direct forms of address prior to the July Monarchy. Collectively, the legitimate children of the kings and dauphins were known as enfants de France (French: Children of France) and used "de France" as their surname.
The styles of the royal family varied as follows:
[edit] Monsieur le Dauphin
This was a form of address for the Dauphin of France, or the heir to the throne. The dauphin de France, strictly-speaking the dauphin de Viennois, was the title used for the heir apparent to the throne of France from 1350 to 1791 and then from 1824 to 1830.
- Louis de France, the only surviving son of Louis XIV, was usually not referred to by this style as he was usually referred to at court as either Monseigneur (see more below) or, informally, as le Grand Dauphin.
- His eldest son who became the dauphin after his death was informally known as le Petit Dauphin.
[edit] Madame la Dauphine
This was the style of the dynastic wife of the dauphin. Some famous examples of holders of the honorific till death were:
- Maria Anna of Bavaria; also called Dauphine Victoire. She was the first wife of Monseigneur and grandmother of Louis XV
- Marie-Adélaïde of Savoy; she was wife of the Dauphin Louis (1682-1712) and mother of Louis XV. She was also a grand-daughter of Madame, the first wife of Monsieur.
- Maria Teresa Rafaela of Spain; she was the first wife of the only son of Louis XV and held the style till her death in 1748 at age twenty-one.
- Marie-Josèphe of Saxony; she was the second wife of the only son of Louis XV and was later the mother of Louis XVI, Louis VIII and Charles X of France.
- Maria Antonia of Austria; before her husband, Louis XVI, succeeded to the throne, Marie Antoinette was the Dauphine.
- Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte of France; known as a child as Madame Royale, she became the last Dauphine of France when her father-in-law succeeded to the throne in 1824.
[edit] Madame Royale
This was the style of the eldest surviving daughter of the King. Those who held this honorific were:
- Elisabeth of Bourbon - the eldest daughter of King Henry IV of France and his second wife, Queen Marie de' Medici. In 1615, Élisabeth was married to the future king, Philip IV of Spain. On her death in 1644, the style reverted to her younger sister, Christine Marie of France.
- Christine Marie of France - the second daughter of King Henry IV and Marie de' Medici. In 1619, Christine was married to Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy. She assumed the style of Madame Royale upon the death of her older sister, the Queen of Spain.
- Marie-Thérèse of France, the longest surviving daughter of Louis XIV and his Queen Maria Theresa of Spain and the only one to survive infancy. She died at the age of five in 1672.
- Louise-Élisabeth of France - the eldest daughter of King Louis XV and his wife, Queen Maria Leszczyńska. As a twin, Louise-Élisabeth rarely if ever used this title. She preferred being called Madame Première, to distinguish herself from her younger twin sister, Henriette-Anne of France, who was referred to by the court as Madame Seconde.[citation needed] See more on this below.
- Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte of France - the eldest daughter of King Louis XVI and his wife, Queen Marie Antoinette. Marie-Thérèse became famous as the sole member of her immediate family to survive the French Revolution. She also exerted a great deal of political influence during the Bourbon Restoration.[5]
Between the death of Marie-Thérèse of France, the longest living daughter of King Louis XIV, in 1672 and the birth of Louise-Élisabeth of France, the eldest daughter of King Louis XV in 1727, there were no legitimate daughters of the King. Because of this, during the time between 1672 and 1727, the style was occasionally used by the most senior unmarried princess at the French Court. It was briefly used by the eldest niece of Louis XIV, Maria Luisa of Orléans, later known as just Mademoiselle. After her marriage to King Charles II of Spain in 1679, the style was assumed briefly by her younger sister, Anne Marie of Orléans, before she married Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia.
[edit] Monsieur
This honorific was the style of the oldest living brother of the King. Among those who held this style were:
- Charles, duc d'Orléans - (1559-1560), younger brother of Francis II, known as Monsieur at the beginning of the reign of Francis II. He was King of France as Charles IX from 1560-1574;
- Henri, duc d'Anjou - (1560-1574), younger brother of Francis II and Charles IX, known as Monsieur during the reign of Charles IX. He became King of France as Henry III from 1574-1589;
- Francis, duc d'Anjou - (1574-1584), youngest brother of Francis II, Charles IX and Henry III, known as Monsieur during the reign of Henry III;
- Gaston, duc d'Orléans - (1610-1660), younger brother of Louis XIII, known as Monsieur during the reign of Louis XIII;
- When his brother Louis XIII died in 1643, his nephew Philippe, duc d'Anjou became known as le Petit Monsieur and Gaston as le Grand Monsieur.
- Philippe, duc d'Orléans - (1640-1701), was the younger brother of Louis XIV, known as Monsieur in 1660 after the death of his uncle, Gaston. He was the founder of the House of Orléans;
- Louis Stanislas, comte de Provence - (1774-1793), younger brother of Louis XVI, known as Monsieur during the reign of Louis XVI, and was later King of France as Louis XVIII from 1814-1824;
- Charles Philippe, comte d'Artois - (1795-1824) was the youngest brother of Louis XVI and Louis XVIII, known as Monsieur at the beginning of the reign of Louis XVIII, and was later King of France as Charles X from 1824-1830.
[edit] Madame
This was the style of the wife of Monsieur. The most famous examples of this were:
- Princess Henrietta-Anne of England - the first wife of King Louis XIV's younger brother, Philippe I, duc d'Orléans (Monsieur).
- Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine - the second wife of Philippe I, duc d'Orléans (Monsieur).
[edit] Other
[edit] Monseigneur
This was another style of addressing Le Grand Dauphin, the only legitimate son of Louis XIV. After the death of le Grand Dauphin, the heir apparent to the throne of France for half a century, the style of Monseigneur was not used again to describe the Dauphin himself. Rather, it became the style used by his sons before their titles (see more below).
[edit] Madame Première
King Louis XV and his wife, Maria Leszczyńska (1703-1768), had ten children, eight of whom were daughters. To distinguish between these eight princesses, the daughters were known in birth order as Madame 'number', such as Madame Première, Madame Seconde, etc.
- Louise-Élisabeth (August 14, 1727 - December 6, 1759), twins with her younger sister, Henriette; married Philip, Duke of Parma. Before her marriage, she was known as Madame Première. After her marriage she was the Duchess of Parma, and as such was known as Madame Infante, duchesse de Parme.
- Henriette-Anne (August 14, 1727 - February 10, 1752), twins with her older sister, Louise-Élisabeth, known as Madame Seconde.
- Marie-Louise (July 28, 1728 - February 19, 1733), known as Madame Troisième.
- Adélaïde (March 23, 1732 - February 27, 1800). Originally known as Madame Quatrième, after her elder sister died in 1733, she was known as Madame Troisième. Later, she was known as Madame Adélaïde.
- Victoire (May 11, 1733 - June 7, 1799). Originally known as Madame Quatrième, and later as Madame Victoire.
- Sophie (July 17, 1734 - March 3, 1782). Madame Cinquième, known later as Madame Sophie.
- Thérèse-Félicité (May 16, 1736 - September 28, 1744), known as Madame Sixième.
- Louise (July 5, 1737 - December 23, 1787). Originally, she was known as Madame Septième or Madame Dernière. Later she was known as Madame Louise.
Note: This style was not a traditional right and was merely a way the court used to distinguish between the many daughters of Louis XV.
[edit] Petit-fils de France
Petit-fils de France (French: Grandson of France) was the style and rank accorded to the sons of the fils de France, who were themselves the sons of the kings and dauphins of France. Females had the style petite-fille de France (French: Granddaughter of France). However, as surnames they used their fathers' main peerage title.
The petits-enfants de France, like the enfants de France, were entitled to be addressed as Royal Highness. Additionally, they traveled and lodged wherever the king did, could dine with him, and were entitled to an armchair in his presence.
Yet as hosts they only offered armchairs to foreign monarchs -- whom they addressed as Monseigneur rather than "Sire". Nor did they pay visits to foreign ambassadors or extend to them a hand in greeting. They only wore full mourning for deceased members of the royal family.
When entering a town, they were greeted with the presentation of arms by the royal garrison, by the firing of cannon, and by a delegation of local officials. However, only the sons and daughters of France were entitled to dine au grand couvert, that is, alone on a canopied dais amidst non-royal guests.[6]
[edit] Monseigneur
During the lifetime of le Grand Dauphin, the only legitimate son of Louis XIV, his three sons were addressed as:
[edit] Mademoiselle
This style was held by the eldest daughter of Monsieur and his wife, Madame[7] . Those who held this style were:
- Anne Marie Louise d'Orléans . She was the eldest daughter of Gaston, duc d'Orléans, the younger brother of Louis XIII.
- Marie Louise d'Orléans, later the wife of King Charles II of Spain. She was the eldest daughter of King Louis XIV's younger brother, Philippe I, duc d'Orléans.
Younger daughters of Monsieur were named after one of his inherited fiefdoms. An example of this was Mademoiselle de Chartres, the third surviving daughter of Louis XIV's younger brother, Philippe de France.
Other families also did this such as the House of Bourbon-Condé with Anne-Louise-Bénédicte de Bourbon-Condé being known as Madmoiselle d’Enghien. A Conti example is Mademoiselle de Conti.
[edit] La Grande Mademoiselle
After 1662, Anne, Duchess of Montpensier, who was originally called Mademoiselle as the eldest daughter of Gaston, Duke of Orléans, became known as la Grande Mademoiselle at court in order to distinguish her from her younger cousin, Maria Luisa of Orléans, now also called Mademoiselle as the daughter of Anne's first cousin, the new Monsieur. After her death in 1693, the style of Grande Mademoiselle was not used again.
Note: this style was not an official style but simply a means the court used to distinguish between the two princesses who held the style of Mademoiselle at the same time.
[edit] Legitimised royal offspring
Legitimised children of the King of France, and of other males of his dynasty, took surnames according to the branch of the House of Capet to which their father belonged, e.g. Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, duc du Maine, was the elder son of Louis XIV by his most famous mistress, Madame de Montespan.[8]
[edit] Examples
After the legitimisation of the child occurred, they were given a title. Males were given titles from their fathers lands and estates and females were given the style of Mademoiselle de X. Examples of this are (children of Louis XIV and La Montespan):
- Louise Françoise de Bourbon;
- duc du Maine, titled the duc du Maine;
- Louis César de Bourbon, titled as comte de Vexin;
- Mademoiselle de Nantes;
- Mademoiselle de Tours;
- Mademoiselle de Blois;
- comte de Toulouse.
Also the child would be called a Légitimé de France or Bourbon; such as Marie Anne de Bourbon, Légitimé de France, Madmoiselle de Blois daughter of Louis XIV and Louise de La Vallière
[edit] Orléans-Longueville
The branch of the ducs de Longueville, extinct in 1672, bore the surname d'Orléans, as legitimised descendants of Jean, bâtard d'Orléans, the natural son of a Valois prince who held the appanage of Orléans before the Bourbons did.[9] Non-legitimised natural children of royalty took whatever surname the king permitted, which might or might not be that of the dynasty.
Children born out of wedlock to a French king or prince were never recognized as fils de France. However, if legitimised, the king might raise them to a rank just below or even equivalent to that of a prince du sang.[10]
[edit] References
- ^ Spanheim, Ézéchiel (1973). in ed. Emile Bourgeois: Relation de la Cour de France, le Temps retrouvé (in French). Paris: Mercure de France, page 70.
- ^ Spanheim, Ézéchiel (1973). in ed. Emile Bourgeois: Relation de la Cour de France, le Temps retrouvé (in French). Paris: Mercure de France, pages 81, 87, 313-314.
- ^ Spanheim, Ézéchiel (1973). in ed. Emile Bourgeois: Relation de la Cour de France, le Temps retrouvé (in French). Paris: Mercure de France, pages 100-105, 323-327.
- ^ Spanheim, Ézéchiel (1973). in ed. Emile Bourgeois: Relation de la Cour de France, le Temps retrouvé (in French). Paris: Mercure de France, pages 72.
- ^ Susan Nagel, Marie-Thérèse, Child of Terror, Bloomsbury, 2008, p.277
- ^ Spanheim, Ézéchiel (1973). in ed. Emile Bourgeois: Relation de la Cour de France, le Temps retrouvé (in French). Paris: Mercure de France, pages 87, 313-314.
- ^ Spanheim, Ézéchiel (1973). in ed. Emile Bourgeois: Relation de la Cour de France, le Temps retrouvé (in French). Paris: Mercure de France, pages 76, 80.
- ^ Spanheim, Ézéchiel (1973). in ed. Emile Bourgeois: Relation de la Cour de France, le Temps retrouvé (in French). Paris: Mercure de France, pages 323, 107-108.
- ^ Spanheim, Ézéchiel (1973). in ed. Emile Bourgeois: Relation de la Cour de France, le Temps retrouvé (in French). Paris: Mercure de France, pages 104-105.
- ^ Spanheim, Ézéchiel (1973). in ed. Emile Bourgeois: Relation de la Cour de France, le Temps retrouvé (in French). Paris: Mercure de France, pages 100-105, 323-327.
[edit] See also
 Kingdom of France |
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| Structure |
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Parlements French nobility Taille Gabelle Seigneurial system |
- Dauphin
- Madame Royale
- Monsieur
- Madame
- Prince of the blood
- First Prince of the Blood
- Prince du Sang
- Infante and its feminine form, infanta, for princes and princesses of Spain and Portugal
