Princes of Condé

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House of Bourbon-Condé
France
Country: Condé-en-Brie, France
Parent house: House of Bourbon descended from Capetian dynasty
Titles: Prince de Condé
Founder: Louis I de Bourbon-Condé
Final ruler: Louis VI Henri de Bourbon-Condé
Current head: Extinct
Founding year: 1637
Dissolution: 1830
Ethnicity: French
Cadet branches: House of Bourbon-Conti

House of Bourbon-Soissons

The prince de Condé (named after Condé-en-Brie, now in the Aisne département) is a historical French title, originally assumed circa 1637 by the French Protestant leader, Louis of Bourbon (1530-1569), uncle of King Henry IV of France, and borne by his male line descendants.

As a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, which was the ruling house of France from 1589 till 1793, the princes de Condé played an important role in the politics and society of the kingdom until their extinction in 1830.

The family were princes du sang, and came to be addressed as altesse sérénissime (Most Serene Highness). As the nearest heirs to the throne outside the immediate royal family (famille du roi), the head of the Condé branch was known at court as Monsieur le prince, until 1723, when the right to that style passed to a more senior prince du sang of the House of Orléans.

Contents

[edit] History

The House of Bourbon family tree.
The House of Bourbon family tree.

The princes de Condé descend from the Vendôme family - the fathers of the modern House of Bourbon. There was never a principality, sovereign or vassal, of Condé. The name merely served as the territorial source of a title adopted by Louis, who inherited from his father, Charles IV de Bourbon, duc de Vendôme (1489-1537), the lordship of Condé-en-Brie in Champagne, consisting of the Château of Condé and a dozen villages some fifty miles east of Paris.

It had passed from the sires of Avesnes, to the Counts of St. Pol. When Marie de Luxembourg-St. Pol wed François, Count of Vendôme (1470-1495) in 1487, Condé-en-Brie became part of the Bourbon-Vendôme patrimony.

[edit] duc de Bourbon

After the extinction in 1527 of the Dukes of Bourbon, François's son Charles (1489-1537) became head of the House of Bourbon, which traces its male-line descent from Robert, Count of Clermont (1256–1318), a younger son of France's Saint-King Louis IX. Of the sons of Charles of Vendôme, the eldest, Antoine, became King-consort of Navarre and fathered Henry IV.

The youngest son, Louis inherited the lordships of Meaux, Nogent, Condé, and Soissons as his appanage. Louis was titled Prince of Condé in a parliamentary document on 15 January 1557 and, without any legal authority beyond their dignity as princes of the Blood Royal, they continued to bear it for the next three centuries.

Louis, the first Prince, actually gave the Condé property to his youngest son, Charles (1566-1612), Count of Soissons. Charles' only son Louis (1604-1641) left Condé and Soissons to female heirs in 1624, who married into the Savoy and Orléans-Longueville dynasties.

[edit] Monsieur le Prince

Upon the accession to France's throne of Henry IV de Bourbon in 1589, his first cousin-once-removed Henry, Prince of Condé (1588–1646), was heir presumptive to the crown until 1601. Although Henry's own descendants thereafter held the senior positions within the royal family of dauphin, fils de France, and petits-fils de France, from 1589 to 1709 the Princes of Condé coincidentally held the rank at court of premier prince du sang royal (First Prince of the Blood Royal), to which was attached income, precedence, and ceremonial privilege (such as the exclusive right to be addressed as Monsieur le prince at court).

However, the position of premier prince devolved upon the Dukes of Orléans in 1710, so the seventh Prince, Louis III (1668–1710) declined to make use of the title, preferring instead to be known by his hereditary peerage of Duke of Bourbon, which still afforded him the right to be known as Monsieur le duc. Subsequent heirs likewise preferred the ducal to the princely title.

[edit] Later

After the death of Henry III Jules de Bourbon, prince de Condé in 1709, the family were in regular attendance at court, and later Louis III, Prince of Condé was married to Louise-Françoise de Bourbon, the legitimated daughter of Louis XIV and his maîtresse-en-titre Françoise-Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan.

The arms of the duc de Bourbon
The arms of the duc de Bourbon

The couple had many children and produced an heir to the Condé titles and lands. Their son was Louis Henri, duc de Bourbon. He led a quiet life and was known at court as Monsieur le duc after the loss of the rank of premier prince du sang in 1723. After his death the family retreated from court life but Louis Joseph de Bourbon, prince de Condé was vital in the forming of the Army of Condé - formed to support his cousin Louis XVI during his imprisonment during the revolution. He was the longest holder of the title, being known as the prince de Condé for seventy-eight years.

His son married the sister of Louis Philippe II d'Orléans better known as Philippe Égalité. She was called Louise Marie Thérèse Bathilde d'Orléans. She was the last princesse de Condé and mother of Louis-Antoine-Henri de Bourbon-Condé, duc d'Enghien. With the death of the duc d'Enghien , the heir to the Condé name, his father was the last holder of the title.

After his death in 1830 the Condé lands passed to the last prince's cousin Henri Eugène Philippe Louis d'Orléans, duc d'Aumale .

[edit] Cadet Branches

[edit] House of Bourbon-Conti

The arms of the Prince de Conti.
The arms of the Prince de Conti.

The House of Bourbon-Conti was formed in 1581 by François de Bourbon, prince de Conti. He was the son of Louis I de Bourbon, prince de Condé. The house became extinct in 1817 upon the death of Louis François II de Bourbon, prince de Conti. The princes de Conti were:

At his death, the title became extinct because the prince died without issue. The title was assumed in 1629 by:

[edit] House of Bourbon-Soissons

The arms of the house of Savoy-Carignan-Soissons
The arms of the house of Savoy-Carignan-Soissons

The first prince de Conti was also the brother of the founder of the House of Bourbon-Soissons, Charles de Bourbon-Soissons. The comtes de Soissons were addressed at court as Monsieur le Comte and their wives as Madame la Comtesse. The members of the house were:

The line started in 1566 when the Soissons title was given to Charles de Bourbon-Condé, the second son of Louis I de Bourbon, prince de Condé, the first Prince of Condé.The Soissons title had been acquired by the first Prince of Condé in 1557 and was held by his descendents for two more generations:

  • 1. Charles de Bourbon-Condé, 1st comte de Soissons
  • 2. Louis de Bourbon-Condé, 2nd comte de Soissons

The 2nd comte de Soissons died without an heir, so the Soissons estates passed to his younger sister, Marie de Bourbon-Condé, the wife of Thomas Francois of Savoy, prince de Carignan, a younger brother of the sovereign Duke of Savoy. Although she received 400,000 livres in annual revenues from the Soissons estates, lived in the hôtel de Soissons where, according to Saint-Simon, she "maintained the traditions of the Soissons", she continued to be known as the princesse de Carignan.[1] On her death, the Soissons countship passed first to her second son, Prince Joseph-Emmanuel of Savoy-Carignan (1631-1656), and then to her third son, Prince Eugène-Maurice of Savoy-Carignan. He married Olympia Mancini, niece of Cardinal Mazarin. She was known as Madame la Comtesse de Soissons[2]. On his death, the title went to his eldest son, Prince Louis Thomas of Savoy-Carignan, who was the older brother of the famous Austrian general, Prince Eugene of Savoy. The Soissons countship became extinct upon the death of Prince Eugène-Jean-François of Savoy-Carignan in 1734.

[edit] Princes of Condé

Louis I, the Ist Prince of Condé and founder of the House of Bourbon-Condé.
Louis I, the Ist Prince of Condé and founder of the House of Bourbon-Condé.
the Grand Condé and fourth Prince.
the Grand Condé and fourth Prince.
Henry III Jules de Bourbon, prince de Condé (later the fifth Prince with his father the Grand Condé (left)
Henry III Jules de Bourbon, prince de Condé (later the fifth Prince with his father the Grand Condé (left)
Louis III, Prince of Condé Son in law to Louis XIV and the sixth Prince.
Louis III, Prince of Condé Son in law to Louis XIV and the sixth Prince.
Louis Henri, Duc de Bourbon ;The seventh Prince.
Louis Henri, Duc de Bourbon ;The seventh Prince.

[edit] Louis I

(? – 13 March 1569). He married Eléanor de Roucy de Roye (1536-1564), and they had:

It was he who not only founded the house, but also fathered the Prince de Conti and the comte de Soissons line. The senior, Condé line outlived the cadet branches. The Conti Line ended in 1814 with the death of Louis François II de Bourbon, prince de Conti, the last Prince de Conti. The Soissons line ended in 1734 at the death of Prince Eugène of Savoy-Carignan.

[edit] Henri I

(13 March 1569 – 5 March 1588) He married twice; first to Marie de Nevers (1553−1574):

  • Catherine (1575-1595), marquise d'Isles

Secondly to Charlotte de La Trémouïlle (1568−1629):

[edit] Henri II

(5 March 1588 – 26 December 1646) He married Charlotte-Marguerite de Montmorency in 1609 and had three children, all of them provacateurs of the Fronde:

[edit] Louis II

the Great Condé (26 December 1646 – 11 November 1686) He married Claire Clémence de Maillé Brézé, niece of Cardinal Richelieu. The couple had:

    • Henry Jules (29 July, 1643 – 1 April, 1709)
    • Louis (20 September, 1652 – 11 April, 1653)

[edit] Henri III

(11 November 1686 – 11 April 1709) He married Anne of Bavaria and they had:

  • Henri de Bourbon-Condé, duc de Bourbon,
  • Louis III, Prince of Condé, known as duc d'Enghien during his father's lifetime, (1668 - [1710]]) ;
  • Henri de Bourbon-Condé, comte de Clermont, (1672 - 1675
  • Louis-Henri de Bourbon-Condé, comte de la Marche, (1673 - 1675)
  • Marie-Thérèse de Bourbon-Condé, mademoiselle de Bourbon (1666 - 1732)
  • Anne de Bourbon-Condé, mademoiselle d'Enghien (1670 - 1675)
  • Anne-Marie-Victoire de Bourbon-Condé, mademoiselle d’Enghien then mademoiselle de Condé, (1675 - 1700)
  • Anne-Louise Bénédicte de Bourbon-Condé, mademoiselle d’Enghien then mademoiselle de Charolais, (1676 - 1753)She married Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, Duke of Maine
  • Marie Anne de Bourbon-Condé, mademoiselle de Montmorency then mademoiselle d’Enghien, (1678 - 1718);
  • X de Bourbon-Condé, styled mademoiselle de Clermont, (1679 - 1680)

[edit] Louis III

(11 April 1709 – 4 March 1710) Married Louise-Françoise de Bourbon, legitimated daughter of Louis XIV and Françoise-Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan. The couple had:

[edit] Louis IV

(4 March 1710 – 27 January 1740) He married Marie-Anne de Bourbon-Conti (1689–1720). They had no children.

He married secondly on 23 July 1728, Caroline of Hesse (1714-1741) a daughter of Ernest Leopold, Landgrave of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rothenburg.

[edit] Louis V

(27 January 1740 – 13 May 1818) He married Charlotte de Rohan-Soubise (1737 - 1760) a daughter of Charles de Rohan, prince de Soubise. They had:

[edit] Louis VI

(13 May 1818 – 30 August 1830)

Louis VI Henry's only legitimate son, Louis-Antoine-Henri de Bourbon-Condé, duc d'Enghien, was executed at Vincennes in 1804, on Napoleon's order. Without other sons, brothers or cousins, the line of Bourbon-Condé came to an end with the death of Louis VI Henry in 1830.

[edit] Addresses

The eldest sons of the Princes of Condé used the title of Duke of Enghien, and were addressed as Monsieur le Duc until that style came to be pre-empted by their fathers, as Dukes of Bourbon, after 1709. The Princes of Condé were also the male-line ancestors of the branches of the Princes of Conti, which flourished 1629–1818, and of the Counts of Soissons, 1566–1641.

Although both the sons and daughters of these branches of the House of Bourbon held the rank of princes and princesses du sang, it never became the custom in France for them to use prince or princess as a prefix to their Christian names. Rather, sons took a title of French nobility, count or duke, suffixed with their appanage (e.g. Count of Charolais), while unmarried daughters used one of their fathers' subsidiary properties to form a courtesy style, e.g. "mademoiselle de Clermont".

[edit] Condé Residences

The Château de Chantilly at the time of the Grand Condé
The Château de Chantilly at the time of the Grand Condé

The Condé Palace or hôtel de Condé, was the Parisian house of the Condé family situated in the 6th district of Paris. It was demolished around 1780 in order to build a theatre (théâtre de l'Odéon).

The family had two seats outside Paris: the château de Condé in Condé-en-Brie, Aisne, which they ceased to own by 1624. The other country residence was the Château de Chantilly. This was the home of the Grand Condé during his exile from court, and the host château of a party given in honour of Louis XIV in 1671. It was confiscated during the French Revolution and eventually came into the possession of King Louis Philippe who gave it to his youngest son, Henri d'Orléans, duc d'Aumale.

The wife of Louis III, Prince of Condé, Louise-Françoise de Bourbon was the builder of the palais Bourbon in Paris. Construction started in 1722 and after it was finished, it was the main residence of the Bourbon-Condés.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Spanheim, Ézéchiel (1973). in ed. Emile Bourgeois: Relation de la Cour de France, le Temps retrouvé (in French). Paris: Mercure de France, pages 99-100, 107, 323, 329. 
  2. ^ Nancy Mitford, The Sun King, 1966, p.87