Throughout his life, Philippe was open about his preference for male lovers, most notably the Chevalier de Lorraine, and freely acted with effeminacy. He married twice, first to Henrietta of England and then to Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, fathering several children. Philippe was the founder of the House of Orléans, a cadet branch of the ruling House of Bourbon, and thus the direct ancestor of Louis Philippe I, who ruled France from 1830 until 1848 in the July Monarchy.[4] The Duke was military commander at the Battle of Cassel in 1677. Through careful personal administration, he greatly augmented the fortunes of the House of Orléans.
In the autumn of 1647, at age seven, Philippe caught smallpox, but recovered and convalesced at the Palais-Royal. A year later, he was taken from the care of women and, on 11 May 1648 carried out his first official ceremony when he was baptized publicly at the Palais Royal.[17] His godparents were his uncle Gaston and aunt Queen Henrietta Maria of England.[18] Later, he was placed in the care of François de La Mothe Le Vayer and the Abbé de Choisy.[19] He was also educated by the maréchal du Plessis-Praslin. His tutors were chosen by Mazarin, who was created the superintendent of the prince's education by his mother. His education emphasized languages, history, literature, mathematics and dancing.[20] Despite having a household of his own, his behavior was closely watched by his mother and Mazarin, who made sure that Philippe had no meaningful financial freedom from the crown.[21]
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Among the lovers, one man stands out, Philip of Lorraine-Armagnac,[45] the never-married Chevalier de Lorraine, who was described as "insinuating, brutal and devoid of scruple".[40] As a member of the House of Guise, ranking as a prince étranger, Philippe could keep him near while at court and promote him within his own household without initially evoking scandal or offending sensibilities. In January 1670, Philippe's wife prevailed upon the King to imprison the chevalier, first near Lyon, then in the Mediterranean island-fortress of Château d'If. Finally, he was banished to Rome. However, by February, the Duke of Orléans' protests and pleas persuaded the King to restore him to his brother's entourage.[40]
After Louis XIV's marriage to Maria Theresa of Spain on 9 June 1660, Queen Anne turned her attention to the marriage of Philippe.[47] He had previously been encouraged to court his older cousin, Anne Marie Louise d'Orléans, Duchess of Montpensier, eldest daughter of Gaston and his first wife Marie de Bourbon. Known as Mademoiselle at this time,[48] she had an immense private fortune and had previously rejected suitors such as Charles II of England.[49] Born in 1627, she was the sole heiress of her mother, who died in childbirth. Mademoiselle declined the union, complaining that Philippe always stayed near his mother as if he was "like a child".[50] Mademoiselle instead remained unmarried.[51] Philippe would marry instead another first cousin, Princess Henrietta of England, youngest child of King Charles I of England and his wife Henrietta Maria of France,[52] who was Philippe's paternal aunt and had taken refuge at the court of France after the birth of Princess Henrietta in 1644. They lived at the Palais Royal and at the Palais du Louvre.[53] In 1660, after the restoration of the House of Stuart to the throne of England under her brother Charles II, Princess Henrietta returned to England to visit her sister, the Princess of Orange,[54] who later caught smallpox and died. The French court officially asked for Henrietta's hand on behalf of Philippe on 22 November 1660 while she was in England.[55] The couple signed their marriage contract at the Palais Royal on 30 March 1661.[56] The ceremony took place the next day in the same building in front of select members of the court.[57] The dowry promised was a hefty 840,000 livres.[58] Known as Henriette d'Angleterre in France, and Minette to her intimates, she was known officially as Madame and was ever popular with the court. Court gossip later said that the king was the father of Henrietta's first child. Henrietta's very open flirting is said to have caused a jealous Philippe to retaliate by beginning to flaunt his sexuality openly in a less than accepting era.[59] Henrietta's flirting with the king started early in the summer of 1661 while the newlyweds were staying at the Palace of Fontainebleau for the summer. Philippe complained to his mother about the intimacy that Louis and Henrietta displayed, which led Queen Anne to reprimand both son and daughter-in-law.[60] Relations were further strained when Henrietta allegedly seduced Philippe's old lover, the Comte de Guiche.[61]
In 1664, Henrietta gave birth at Fontainebleau to a son who was given the title Duke of Valois.[67] Philippe wrote to his brother-in-law Charles II of England "that your sister was this morning safely delivered of a fine boy. The child seems to be in excellent health."[68] The child nonetheless died of convulsions in 1666, having been baptized Philippe Charles d'Orléans hours before death.[69] The loss of the little Duke of Valois affected Henrietta greatly. Philippe, however, was anxious to maintain the allowance which his son had received from the king.[70] This death only augmented the grief of a court still in mourning for the death of Queen Anne in January.[71] The previous year, the Comte de Guiche has been exiled from court with Philippe reporting to his mother that Henrietta had had private interviews with the dashing nobleman.[72]
In January 1670, Henrietta prevailed upon the king to imprison the Chevalier de Lorraine, first near Lyon, then in the Mediterranean island-fortress of the Château d'If. He was finally banished to Rome after offending the king and Henrietta by boasting that he could get Philippe to divorce her.[76] In retaliation for the Chevalier's treatment, Philippe withdrew to his estate at Villers-Cotterêts, dragging Henrietta with him.[77] By February, Philippe's protests and pleas persuaded the king to restore the Chevalier to his brother's entourage. The couple had their last child in August 1669,[78] a daughter who was baptized Anne Marie at the private chapel of the Palais Royal on 8 April 1670 by Philippe's first chaplain, the bishop of Vabres.
Henrietta is best known to political historians in France for her part in negotiating the Secret Treaty of Dover, an offensive and defensive treaty between England and France signed at Dover on 1 June 1670.[79] It required France to assist England in her aim to rejoin the Roman Catholic Church and England to assist France in her war of conquest against the Dutch Republic. The Third Anglo-Dutch War was a direct consequence of this treaty. Having returned to France at the end of June 1670, Henrietta had to endure Philippe's blatant spite[80] for her part in the Chevalier's exile and her secret mission to Dover. Despite tense relations, she traveled to Saint Cloud on 24 June, when she started to complain of pains in her side.[81] Relaxing at Saint Cloud on 30 June, she collapsed on the terrace at the palace. Taken inside, she was undressed and started to exclaim that she had been poisoned.[80] She subsequently died between the hours of two and three in the morning of 30 June 1670 at the age of 26.[82] An autopsy was performed which found that Henrietta died of peritonitis caused by a perforated ulcer;[83] however public rumor claimed she had been poisoned by her husband, and, according to Saint-Simon in his Memoirs, even the king suspected it at first, but the inquiry he conducted revealed that it was the Chevalier de Lorraine and the Marquis d'Effiat who had poisoned her.[84][85]
Henrietta was mourned greatly at the court of France, but little by her husband, due to their strained relationship. Louis XIV himself looked for a second wife for Philippe, who was eager to have a male heir to continue the Orléans line.[86] Attention again turned to the duchess of Montpensier, by now known as "la Grande Mademoiselle".[87] Louis himself asked her if she wanted to fill "the vacant place",[88] but she politely declined the offer.[89] Louis rejected many other candidates before settling on the Protestant Princess Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate.[6] Known as Liselotte within her family, she was the only daughter of Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine, and his estranged wife Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel.[90] She was recommended by Anna Gonzaga,[87] a confidante of Philippe's and wife of the bride's uncle, the Prince Palatine Edward. Elizabeth Charlotte had grown up with her aunt Sophia of Hanover due to her parents' bad relationship.[91] Throughout her life she would remain in contact with the Electress Sophia, writing some 50,000 letters that detailed life at the court of France.[92] The Princess Palatine was Henrietta's first cousin once removed, since the latter's father, Charles I of England, was the brother of Elisabeth Charlotte's paternal grandmother, Elizabeth Stuart.
Having already established himself as a successful military commander during the War of Devolution in 1667, Philippe was eager to return to the field. In 1676 and 1677 he took part in sieges in Flanders, and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general, which made him second-in-command to Louis XIV himself.[101]
The most impressive victory won under Philippe's command took place on 11 April 1677: the Battle of Cassel against William III, Prince of Orange,[103] later the king of England and son of Philippe's own first cousin Mary, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange. William decided to relieve some besieged towns; from Ypres he marched with 32,000 men through Poperinge and Oxelaëre in the Cassel Valley. Philippe, who learned of his plans, arranged to meet William's forces at Penebeek between Noordpeene and Zuytpeene. Louis XIV sent him some 25,000 foot-soldiers and 9,000 cavalry from Cambrai under the command of Marshal Luxembourg. By nightfall there were 66,000 soldiers ready for battle. The Dutch attacked the French positions without scouting first. Marshal Luxembourg surprised the Dutch with a cavalry attack that practically destroyed three battalions and routed William's army. In all, casualties on both sides amounted to 4,200 dead and 7,000 wounded. Philippe was hailed for his skill as a military commander, much to the annoyance of his brother, the king.[104] He was presumably jealous of Philippe's growing popularity at court as well as on the battlefield.[6] In honor of his victory at Cassel, Philippe set up a Barnabite College in Paris.[105] The campaign marked the end of his military career; he soon immersed himself once again in a life of pleasure.[103]
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