Louis de Bourbon, comte de Soissons
Encyclopedia
Louis de Bourbon, Count of Soissons
(comte de Soissons), (1 May 1604 – 6 July 1641) was a French nobleman, the son of Charles de Bourbon, Count of Soissons and Anne de Montafié
. He was the second cousin of King Louis XIII of France
and a Prince du Sang
.
Around 1610, he and Marie de Bourbon, Duchess of Montpensier
, were joined in contractual marriage assented to by the Regent of France, the Queen Mother Marie de' Medici
.
Born in Paris
, he was made governor of the Dauphiné
province
(1612), an office inherited at the death of his father, and later governor of the Champagne
province (1631). Around 1612, he was made the Grand Master of France, the head of the royal household.
He set up a conspiracy with his cousin Gaston d'Orléans
(future husband of the duchesse de Montpensier and younger brother of Louis XIII) and the comte de Montrésor
with the intention to murder Cardinal Richelieu and depose the King, but the plot failed (1636). The King's mother, Marie de Medici, had tried as well on numerous occasions to remove the Cardinal as well as once trying to depose the King in favor of her younger son Gaston. For this she was placed under house arrest for the remainder of her life.
Taking refuge in Sedan
with the Duke of Bouillon (prince of the independent principality of Sedan
), he plotted again against Richelieu, and the duc de Bouillon obtained the military support of Spain
.
A French royal army under Gaspard de Coligny, Marshal de Châtillon
was sent to Sedan, but Coligny was routed at the Battle of La Marfée
outside of Sedan on 6 July 1641. Of the King's 11,000 force, 600 were killed, 5500 were taken prisoner, while the Count of Soissons' forces suffered nominal losses. This was due to the late slow arrival of the King's forces through muddy roads and the surprise cavalry attack from their flank from behind a hill. The Count of Soissons, however, was killed after the battle while his officers were surrounding him by one officer whose identity was never ascertained, paid by Cardinal Richelieu.
His son Jean de Bourbon was captured in Turin
, Piedmont
, Italy
. Later, the King would pretend an unrelated boy (Louis Henri) was an illegitimate child but that boy was born in 1646, five years after the death of the Count of Soissons.
He was buried in the Soissons family tomb at the Chartreuse de Bourbon-lez-Gaillon in Gaillon
, in the French province of Normandy
. The county of Soissons was passed onto his only surviving sister Marie de Bourbon
, Princess of Carignano
and wife of Thomas Francis of Savoy
, a famous general.
Count of Soissons
This is a list of those who bore the title Count of Soissons and ruled Soissons and its civitas or diocese as a county in the Middle Ages. The title continued in use into modern times, but without ties to the actual Soissonnais.-Carolingians:...
(comte de Soissons), (1 May 1604 – 6 July 1641) was a French nobleman, the son of Charles de Bourbon, Count of Soissons and Anne de Montafié
Anne de Montafié, Countess of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis
Anne de Montafié, Countess of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis , was a French heiress and the wife of Charles de Bourbon, Count of Soissons, a Prince of the Blood, and military commander during the French Wars of Religion. Following her marriage in 1601, she was styled Countess of Soissons...
. He was the second cousin of King Louis XIII of France
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...
and 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...
.
Biography
The so called House of Bourbon-Soissons was the most senior cadet branch of the Bourbon line, second in line to the throne.Around 1610, he and Marie de Bourbon, Duchess of Montpensier
Marie de Bourbon, Duchess of Montpensier
Marie de Bourbon , Duchess of Montpensier, and Duchess of Orléans by marriage, was a French noblewoman and one of the last members of the House of Bourbon-Montpensier...
, were joined in contractual marriage assented to by the Regent of France, the Queen Mother Marie de' Medici
Marie de' Medici
Marie de Médicis , Italian Maria de' Medici, was queen consort of France, as the second wife of King Henry IV of France, of the House of Bourbon. She herself was a member of the wealthy and powerful House of Medici...
.
Born in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, he was made governor of the Dauphiné
Dauphiné
The Dauphiné or Dauphiné Viennois is a former province in southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of :Isère, :Drôme, and :Hautes-Alpes....
province
Provinces of France
The Kingdom of France was organised into provinces until March 4, 1790, when the establishment of the département system superseded provinces. The provinces of France were roughly equivalent to the historic counties of England...
(1612), an office inherited at the death of his father, and later governor of the Champagne
Champagne (province)
The Champagne wine region is a historic province within the Champagne administrative province in the northeast of France. The area is best known for the production of the sparkling white wine that bears the region's name...
province (1631). Around 1612, he was made the Grand Master of France, the head of the royal household.
He set up a conspiracy with his cousin Gaston d'Orléans
Gaston, Duke of Orléans
Gaston of France, , also known as Gaston d'Orléans, was the third son of King Henry IV of France and his wife Marie de Medici. As a son of the king, he was born a Fils de France. He later acquired the title Duke of Orléans, by which he was generally known during his adulthood...
(future husband of the duchesse de Montpensier and younger brother of Louis XIII) and the comte de Montrésor
Claude de Bourdeille, comte de Montrésor
Claude de Bourdeille, comte de Montrésor was a French aristocrat and Count of Montrésor, who played a role in the intrigues of the first half of the 17th century, and was also a memoir-writer....
with the intention to murder Cardinal Richelieu and depose the King, but the plot failed (1636). The King's mother, Marie de Medici, had tried as well on numerous occasions to remove the Cardinal as well as once trying to depose the King in favor of her younger son Gaston. For this she was placed under house arrest for the remainder of her life.
Taking refuge in Sedan
Sedan, France
Sedan is a commune in France, a sub-prefecture of the Ardennes department in northern France.-Geography:The historic centre is built on a peninsula formed by an arc of the Meuse River. It is around from the Belgian border.-History:...
with the Duke of Bouillon (prince of the independent principality of Sedan
Foreign Prince
Foreign Prince is the English translation of prince étranger, a high, though somewhat ambiguous, rank at the French royal court of the ancien régime.-Terminology:...
), he plotted again against Richelieu, and the duc de Bouillon obtained the military support of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
A French royal army under Gaspard de Coligny, Marshal de Châtillon
Gaspard III de Coligny
Gaspard III de Coligny, Maréchal de Châtillon, of the House of Coligny , comte de Coligny and seigneur de Châtillon-sur-Loing, then duc de Coligny, marquis d'Andelot, Peer of France, Marshal of France , was a French Protestant general.He was the son of François de Coligny and his wife Marguerite...
was sent to Sedan, but Coligny was routed at the Battle of La Marfée
Battle of La Marfée
The Battle of La Marfée was a battle of the Thirty Years' War near Sedan, France on 6 July 1641, between the troops of Louis XIII under Marshall Gaspard III de Coligny and those of the Holy Roman Empire under Prince Louis de Bourbon, the Count of Soissons and Dreux & Duke Frédéric Maurice de La...
outside of Sedan on 6 July 1641. Of the King's 11,000 force, 600 were killed, 5500 were taken prisoner, while the Count of Soissons' forces suffered nominal losses. This was due to the late slow arrival of the King's forces through muddy roads and the surprise cavalry attack from their flank from behind a hill. The Count of Soissons, however, was killed after the battle while his officers were surrounding him by one officer whose identity was never ascertained, paid by Cardinal Richelieu.
His son Jean de Bourbon was captured in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Later, the King would pretend an unrelated boy (Louis Henri) was an illegitimate child but that boy was born in 1646, five years after the death of the Count of Soissons.
He was buried in the Soissons family tomb at the Chartreuse de Bourbon-lez-Gaillon in Gaillon
Gaillon
Gaillon is a commune in the Eure department in northern France.-History:The origins of Gaillon are not really known. In 892, Rollo, a Viking chief, might have ravaged Gaillon and the region, before he became the first prince of the Normans and count of Rouen in 911.The Gaillon history did begin,...
, in the French province of Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
. The county of Soissons was passed onto his only surviving sister Marie de Bourbon
Marie de Bourbon, Countess of Soissons
Marie de Bourbon, Countess of Soissons was the wife of Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano.-Biography:Marie Marguerite de Bourbon was born at the Hôtel de Soissons in Paris, was the second daughter and youngest child of Charles de Bourbon, comte de Soissons and his wife Anne de Montafié...
, Princess of Carignano
Princess of Carignano
The Princess of Carignano was a woman married to the Prince of Carignano of the House of Savoy. The list ends with Charles Albert, in 1831, after he became King of Sardinia...
and wife of Thomas Francis of Savoy
Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano
Thomas Francis of Savoy was an Italian military commander, the founder of the Savoy-Carignano branch of the House of Savoy which reigned as kings of Sardinia from 1831 to 1861, and as kings of Italy from 1861 until the...
, a famous general.
Issue
- Louis Henri de Bourbon, bâtard de Soissons, Count of Noyers and of Dunois, Prince of Neuchâtel (August 1640 – 8 February 1703) illegitimate son of Louis and Élisabeth des Hayes. Line continues in the Dukes of LuynesDukes of LuynesThe Duke of Luynes is a territorial name belonging to the noble French house of Albert. Luynes is, today, a commune of the Indre-et-Loire département in France . The family of Albert, which sprang from Thomas Alberti The Duke of Luynes is a territorial name belonging to the noble French house of...
family. Married Angelique Cunegonde de Montmorency-Luxembourg, daughter of François Henri de Montmorency and had issue;
Ancestors
Titles and styles
- 1 May 1604 – 6 July 1641 His Serene Highness the Count of Soissons