Duke of Orléans
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The title of Duke of Orléans (Duc d'Orléans in French) was created by King Philip VI, who granted it, along with the surrounding territory (the Orléanais) elevated to a duchy, as a paragium to his younger son Philip. Philip died in 1375 without male descendants. In 1392, King Charles VI granted the vacated title with the paragium to his younger brother Louis. The latter bequeathed both to his son Charles, also important as a poet, who in turn passed it on to his son Louis. When this 1498 as Louis XII. King of France, the title and duchy fell back to the crown.
In 1626, Louis XIII revived the title and awarded it to his younger brother Jean-Baptiste Gaston. After the latter died in 1660 without an heir, the title was awarded the following year by Louis XIV to his younger brother Philip. The latter bequeathed it to his son Philip II of Orléans (who reigned for the young Louis XV from 1715 to 1723) and founded a collateral line of the House of Bourbon, which still exists today as the House of Orléans and from which, for example, Louis Philip of France emerged, who in 1830 succeeded the abdicated Charles X on the French throne as "Citizen King" (which, however, he in turn lost by abdication in 1848).
From the line of Valois-Orléans, founded by Louis of Orléans around 1400, two other important lines emerged: his legitimate son John founded the line of the Counts of Angoulême, which provided a king of France for the first time with Francis I; his legitimate illegitimate son John became progenitor of the Dukes of Longueville from the House of Orléans-Longueville.
The coat of arms of the Duc d'Orléans: The French lily banner (Fleur-de-Lys) with the emblem of the tournament collar (Lambel); more modern variant
Title Holder
- Philip of Valois (1336-1375), Duke since 1344
From the Valois-Orléans line:
- Louis of Orleans (1372-1407), Duke since 1392
- Charles, Duke of Orléans (1394-1465)
- Louis XII of France (1462-1515)
- Charles (1522-1545), duke since 1540
From the Orléans-Bourbon line
Fourth award 1626
- Jean-Baptiste Gaston, Duke of Orléans (1608-1660), Duke since 1626
Fifth award 1661
- Philippe of France, Duke of Orléans "Monsieur" (1640-1701), Duke since 1661
- Philippe of Orléans, Duke of Orléans, "Regent of France" (1674-1723), Duke 1701-1723, Regent of France 1715-1723
- Louis, Duke of Orléans (1703-1752), Duke since 1723
- Louis Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans (1725-1785)
- Louis Philippe Joseph d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans, "Philippe Égalité" (1747-1793), Duke since 1787, after 1789 also called Philippe Égalité
- Louis Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans, "King of the French" 1830-1848 (1773-1850)
House Orléans
- Prince Ferdinand Philip of France (1810-1842), Duke since 1830
The descendants of Ferdinand are still the French crown pretenders of the House of Orléans.
Questions and Answers
Q: What is the Duke of Orléans?
A: The Duke of Orléans is an old French Dukedom that was typically used by a younger son of a reigning King and passed from father to son.
Q: Who held the title of Duke of Orléans during the reign of Louis XIV of France?
A: The title was held by Louis XIV's only brother, Philippe, who was known as Monsieur.
Q: What happened to the title of Duke of Orléans after Philippe's death in 1701?
A: At the time of Philippe's death, the Dukes only held the rank of Prince of the blood, but they maintained their rank due to being descended from a son of a previous king.
Q: What was the entitled form of address for the holder of the title Duke of Orléans?
A: The holder of the title was entitled to be addressed as Your Serene Highness, but this was only used in writing.
Q: What is the present-day House of Orléans?
A: The present-day House of Orléans is descended from the line of the Duke of Orléans and takes its name from the prestigious title.
Q: Who did the Dukes of Orléans rank above during their time as princes of the blood?
A: The Dukes of Orléans ranked above that of the Princes of Condé, the Princes of Conti, as well as the Count of Soissons.
Q: Where was the Duke of Orléans' main seat and other residences?
A: The Duke of Orléans' main seat was the Palais Royal in Paris, and they also had the lavish Château de Saint Cloud outside the capital as well as countless other residences. Additionally, the Duke and his wife were entitled to their own apartment in the Palace of Versailles.
