Philip, Duke of Parma

Philip I
Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla
Reign 18 October 1748 – 18 July 1765
Predecessor Maria Theresa
Successor Ferdinand
Born (1720-03-15)15 March 1720
Royal Alcazar, Madrid, Spain
Died 18 July 1765(1765-07-18) (aged 45)
Alessandria, Italy
Spouse Louise Élisabeth of France
Issue Isabella, Archduchess of Austria
Ferdinand, Duke of Parma
Maria Luisa, Queen of Spain
House House of Bourbon-Parma
Father Philip V of Spain
Mother Elisabeth Farnese

Philip of Spain (15 March 1720 – 18 July 1765) was Infante of Spain by birth, and Duke of Parma from 1748 to 1765. He founded the House of Bourbon-Parma, a cadet line of the Spanish branch of the dynasty. He was a son-in-law of Louis XV.

Life

Born at the Royal Alcazar in Madrid as Felipe de Borbón y Farnesio, he was the third child and second son of Philip V of Spain and his wife, Elisabeth Farnese.

He was raised in Madrid and as a child showed more interest in art than in politics. He was also the 12th Count of Chinchón and Grandee of Spain First Class with a coat of arms of Bourbon after the alienation with royal authorization in 1738 of the 11th Count of Chinchón, Don Jose Sforza-Cesarini, Duke of Canzano, a title he later ceded to his brother Louis in 1754.

His mother came from the family of Farnese, which had ruled the Duchy of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla for many generations. The duchy had been ruled between 1731 and 1736 by his elder brother Charles, but was exchanged with Austria for The Two Sicilies after the War of Polish Succession. Twelve years later, in the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748), Austria lost the duchy and Philip became the new duke, founding the House of Bourbon-Parma.

As part of the Treaty of Versailles (1757) between Austria and France, it was intended that Phillip would become king of the Southern Netherlands in a deal that would see French troops occupy key positions in the country – however this arrangement was repudiated by the subsequent Third Treaty of Versailles and Phillip continued in Parma.

The Duchy of Parma was ruined by many years of warfare, and in 1759 Philip named the able Frenchman Guillaume du Tillot as his minister to restore the economy. Philip was an enlightened ruler who stimulated education and philosophy, attracting personalities like Étienne Bonnot de Condillac.

Marriage

Philip married his first cousin once removed Princess Louise Élisabeth of France in Alcalá de Henares, Spain on 25 October 1739. They had the following children:

Their marriage was an unhappy one, and Louise Elisabeth died of smallpox at the age of 32 in 1759. Philip died unexpectedly on 18 July 1765 in Alessandria, Italy, after having accompanied his daughter Maria Luisa on her way to Genoa, where she sailed for Spain to marry Infante Charles. Through Philip's daughter Maria Luisa, he is an ancestor of the Bourbons of Spain, the Bourbons of the Two Sicilies, and the House of Orléans.

Ancestors

Heraldry

Heraldry of Philip, Duke of Parma
Coat of arms as Infante of Spain[1]
Coat of Arms as Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla[2]

Titles and Styles

References

  1. Balechou, Jean Joseph. "Don Philippe, Infant d'Espagne" (in Portuguese). National Library of Portugal. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  2. "Parma, Fernando I de Borbón, Duque de (1751-1802)". Ex-Libris Database (in Spanish). Royal Library of Spain. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  3. http://www.heraldica.org/topics/france/frroyal.htm#sang Style of HRH and further information on Princes of the Blood
Philip, Duke of Parma
Cadet branch of the House of Bourbon
Born: 15 March 1720 Died: 18 July 1765
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Maria Theresa
Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla
1748–1765
Succeeded by
Ferdinand
Spanish nobility
Preceded by
Philip V of Spain
Count of Chinchón
1738–1754
Succeeded by
Infante Luis of Spain
Preceded by
Philip V of Spain
Duke of Canzano
1748–1765
Succeeded by
Infante Luis of Spain
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