Louis Henry II, Prince of Condé
Encyclopedia
Louis Henri de Bourbon (Louis Henri Joseph; 13 April 1756 - 30 August 1830) was the Prince of Condé
from 1818 to his death.
As a member of the reigning House of Bourbon
, he was a prince du sang
. Prior to his accession to the Condé title, he was known as the duc de Bourbon.
In 1770, he married Louise Marie Thérèse Bathilde d'Orléans
, daughter of Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans
and Louise Henriette de Bourbon. In 1772 their only son, Louis Antoine, duc d'Enghien, was born. The marriage was not a happy one, and in 1780 the couple separated. Louis never remarried.
Shortly afterwards, the duc de Bourbon began a public affair with an opera singer, Marguerite Michelot, which resulted in two illegitimate daughters, one of whom, Adèle, went on to marry the comte de Reuilly. During the French Revolution
, the duc accompanied his father into exile in England and survived the purge of the House of Bourbon
in France, which cost the life of King Louis XVI
and his Queen Marie-Antoinette, amongst others.
In 1804, his son, the duc d'Enghien, was abducted in Germany by order of Napoleon and executed in the moat of the Château de Vincennes
on trumped up charges of treason. The duc d'Enghien had been married to Charlotte de Rohan-Rochefort for less than two months and had no issue.
The duc de Bourbon returned with his father to France after the defeat of Napoleon in 1814, and both recovered their fortunes and public status. On his father's death in 1818, he assumed the title of Prince de Condé
.
If French kings Henry IV
or Louis XIII
had no children, Louis Henri would be the last living male line member of the House of Bourbon
. However this could have changed as his paternal grandmother would not have existed either as a granddaughter of Louis XIII.
. While in exile in 1811, the duc de Bourbon had made the acquaintance at a bordello in Piccadilly
of one Sophia Dawes
or Daw, a prostitute from the Isle of Wight
. He set the woman and her mother up in London in a house on Gloucester Street. There, she went through an extensive educational program in modern languages and ancient authors.
After the Bourbon Restoration
in 1815, the duc brought her to Paris and arranged a marriage for her to Baron Adrien Victor de Feucheres, an officer in the royal guard. This was done to allow Sophia entry into French society. However, in the course of setting up her marriage license, Sophia lied on several particulars. Feucheres, who became an aide to the duc, believed for several years that Sophia was a natural daughter of Louis Henri II. When he discovered the truth, he separated from his wife, and informed King Louis XVIII of the real relationship between Louis Henri and Sophia. The king banned Sophia from court.
In revenge, Sophia approached the head of the house of Orléans
, Louis Philippe
and through him made a new entry into society. In return, she agreed to use her influence on the aging Louis Henri II to have him set up a will making the son of Louis Philippe, Henri d'Orléans, duc d'Aumale
, the old prince's main heir. Sophia was given two million francs for her services in the matter. The new Bourbon king, Charles X, eventually accepted her back at court. She was again considered acceptable by polite French society. She was even able to arrange the marriage of a niece to a nephew of Talleyrand.
By now, Louis Henri was trying to get away from the mistress who had taken over his life. In the summer of 1830, he returned to his home at St. Leu. There, he heard of the July Revolution
. Sophia immediately set about to get him to recognize the new Orléans monarchy. On 27 August 1830, the Prince de Condé was found hanging in his bedroom by two handkerchiefs knotted to a window handle. Despite evidence against her from the servants, Sophia was cleared of any wrongdoing by a judicial enquiry set up by the new king. Despite this fact, the terms of the prince's will were still disputed. While Sophia did receive much of the money earmarked by the prince for her, she was refused some property. As a result of the scandal, her reputation was in tatters. She died in 1840 in London.
There are some aspects of the relationship between Sophia and the prince that William Thackeray may have had in mind in the novel Vanity Fair regarding Becky Sharp possibly killing Joseph Sedley. The prince's lands and wealth passed to his godson, the duc d'Aumale. His father, Louis Philippe, was the feudal-law heir to Conti and Condé, being the grandson of Louise Henriette de Bourbon, a daughter of Louise Élisabeth de Bourbon, who was sister of Louis Henri II's grandfather.
NOTE:The above Anne Julie Adélaïde de Melun was the younger sister of Louis de Melun, Duke of Joyeuse; he was the ecret husband of Louise Adélaïde's great aunt Marie Anne de Bourbon (1697–1741); Louis de Melun's wife was Armande de La Tour d'Auvergne - the eldest grand daughter of Marie Anne Mancini
;
Prince of Condé
The Most Serene House of Condé is a historical French house, a noble lineage of descent from a single ancestor...
from 1818 to his death.
Life
He was the only son of Louis Joseph, Prince of Condé and his wife, Charlotte de Rohan.As a member of the reigning House of Bourbon
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
, he was a prince du sang
Prince du Sang
A prince of the blood was a person who was legitimately descended in the male line from the monarch of a country. In France, the rank of prince du sang was the highest held at court after the immediate family of the king during the ancien régime and the Bourbon Restoration...
. Prior to his accession to the Condé title, he was known as the duc de Bourbon.
In 1770, he married Louise Marie Thérèse Bathilde d'Orléans
Bathilde d'Orléans
Louise Marie Thérèse Bathilde d'Orléans, Princess of Condé , was a French princess. She was sister of Philippe Égalité, the mother of the executed duc d'Enghien and aunt of Louis-Philippe King of the French...
, daughter of Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans
Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans
Louis Philippe d'Orléans known as le Gros , was a French nobleman, a member of a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, the dynasty then ruling France. The First Prince of the Blood after 1752, he was the most senior male at the French court after the immediate royal family. He was the father of...
and Louise Henriette de Bourbon. In 1772 their only son, Louis Antoine, duc d'Enghien, was born. The marriage was not a happy one, and in 1780 the couple separated. Louis never remarried.
Shortly afterwards, the duc de Bourbon began a public affair with an opera singer, Marguerite Michelot, which resulted in two illegitimate daughters, one of whom, Adèle, went on to marry the comte de Reuilly. During the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, the duc accompanied his father into exile in England and survived the purge of the House of Bourbon
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
in France, which cost the life of King Louis XVI
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
and his Queen Marie-Antoinette, amongst others.
In 1804, his son, the duc d'Enghien, was abducted in Germany by order of Napoleon and executed in the moat of the Château de Vincennes
Château de Vincennes
The Château de Vincennes is a massive 14th and 17th century French royal castle in the town of Vincennes, to the east of Paris, now a suburb of the metropolis.-History:...
on trumped up charges of treason. The duc d'Enghien had been married to Charlotte de Rohan-Rochefort for less than two months and had no issue.
The duc de Bourbon returned with his father to France after the defeat of Napoleon in 1814, and both recovered their fortunes and public status. On his father's death in 1818, he assumed the title of Prince de Condé
Prince of Condé
The Most Serene House of Condé is a historical French house, a noble lineage of descent from a single ancestor...
.
If French kings Henry IV
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
or Louis XIII
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority...
had no children, Louis Henri would be the last living male line member of the House of Bourbon
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
. However this could have changed as his paternal grandmother would not have existed either as a granddaughter of Louis XIII.
End of the Condé
The line of Bourbon-Condé came to an end with Louis Henri II's death under suspicious circumstances in 1830, shortly after the July RevolutionJuly Revolution
The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution or in French, saw the overthrow of King Charles X of France, the French Bourbon monarch, and the ascent of his cousin Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans, who himself, after 18 precarious years on the throne, would in turn be overthrown...
. While in exile in 1811, the duc de Bourbon had made the acquaintance at a bordello in Piccadilly
Piccadilly
Piccadilly is a major street in central London, running from Hyde Park Corner in the west to Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is completely within the city of Westminster. The street is part of the A4 road, London's second most important western artery. St...
of one Sophia Dawes
Sophie Dawes, Baronne de Feuchères
Sophie Dawes , Baronne de Feuchères by marriage, was an English "adventuress" best known as a mistress of Louis Henry II, Prince of Condé....
or Daw, a prostitute from the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
. He set the woman and her mother up in London in a house on Gloucester Street. There, she went through an extensive educational program in modern languages and ancient authors.
After the Bourbon Restoration
Bourbon Restoration
The Bourbon Restoration is the name given to the period following the successive events of the French Revolution , the end of the First Republic , and then the forcible end of the First French Empire under Napoleon – when a coalition of European powers restored by arms the monarchy to the...
in 1815, the duc brought her to Paris and arranged a marriage for her to Baron Adrien Victor de Feucheres, an officer in the royal guard. This was done to allow Sophia entry into French society. However, in the course of setting up her marriage license, Sophia lied on several particulars. Feucheres, who became an aide to the duc, believed for several years that Sophia was a natural daughter of Louis Henri II. When he discovered the truth, he separated from his wife, and informed King Louis XVIII of the real relationship between Louis Henri and Sophia. The king banned Sophia from court.
In revenge, Sophia approached the head of the house of Orléans
House of Orleans
Orléans is the name used by several branches of the Royal House of France, all descended in the legitimate male line from the dynasty's founder, Hugh Capet. It became a tradition during France's ancien régime for the duchy of Orléans to be granted as an appanage to a younger son of the king...
, Louis Philippe
Louis Philippe
Louis Philippe may refer to:*Louis-Philippe I, King of the French, last King of France*Prince Philippe, Count of Paris, called King Louis Philippe II by some factions*Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans*Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans...
and through him made a new entry into society. In return, she agreed to use her influence on the aging Louis Henri II to have him set up a will making the son of Louis Philippe, Henri d'Orléans, duc d'Aumale
Henri d'Orléans, duc d'Aumale
-Bibliophile:He was a noted collector of old manuscripts and books. His library remains at Chantilly.-Death:By his will of the June 3, 1884, however, he had bequeathed to the Institute of France his Chantilly estate, including the Château de Chantilly, with all the art-collection he had collected...
, the old prince's main heir. Sophia was given two million francs for her services in the matter. The new Bourbon king, Charles X, eventually accepted her back at court. She was again considered acceptable by polite French society. She was even able to arrange the marriage of a niece to a nephew of Talleyrand.
By now, Louis Henri was trying to get away from the mistress who had taken over his life. In the summer of 1830, he returned to his home at St. Leu. There, he heard of the July Revolution
July Revolution
The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution or in French, saw the overthrow of King Charles X of France, the French Bourbon monarch, and the ascent of his cousin Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans, who himself, after 18 precarious years on the throne, would in turn be overthrown...
. Sophia immediately set about to get him to recognize the new Orléans monarchy. On 27 August 1830, the Prince de Condé was found hanging in his bedroom by two handkerchiefs knotted to a window handle. Despite evidence against her from the servants, Sophia was cleared of any wrongdoing by a judicial enquiry set up by the new king. Despite this fact, the terms of the prince's will were still disputed. While Sophia did receive much of the money earmarked by the prince for her, she was refused some property. As a result of the scandal, her reputation was in tatters. She died in 1840 in London.
There are some aspects of the relationship between Sophia and the prince that William Thackeray may have had in mind in the novel Vanity Fair regarding Becky Sharp possibly killing Joseph Sedley. The prince's lands and wealth passed to his godson, the duc d'Aumale. His father, Louis Philippe, was the feudal-law heir to Conti and Condé, being the grandson of Louise Henriette de Bourbon, a daughter of Louise Élisabeth de Bourbon, who was sister of Louis Henri II's grandfather.
Ancestry
NOTE:The above Anne Julie Adélaïde de Melun was the younger sister of Louis de Melun, Duke of Joyeuse; he was the ecret husband of Louise Adélaïde's great aunt Marie Anne de Bourbon (1697–1741); Louis de Melun's wife was Armande de La Tour d'Auvergne - the eldest grand daughter of Marie Anne Mancini
Marie Anne Mancini
Marie Anne Mancini, duchesse de Bouillon , was the youngest of the five famous Mancini sisters, who along with two of their female Martinozzi cousins, were known at the court of King Louis XIV of France as the Mazarinettes because their uncle was the king's chief minister, Cardinal...
;
Titles and styles
- 13 April 1756 – 13 May 1818 His Serene Highness the Duke of Bourbon
- 13 May 1818 – 30 August 1830 His Serene Highness the Prince of Condé