by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Gaston, Duke of Orléans could be considered the black sheep of his family. Twice he had to leave France for conspiring against the government of his brother King Louis XIII. When his brother refused to grant permission for Gaston to marry Marguerite of Lorraine after the death of his first wife, Gaston married her anyway and kept the marriage secret. Because of his participation against the government in a series of civil wars, Gaston was exiled to one of his homes for the last seven years of his life.

Gaston, Duke of Orléans was born on April 24, 1608, at the Château de Fontainebleau in Fontainebleau, France. He was the third but the second surviving of the three sons and the fifth of the six children of Henri IV, King of France and his second wife Marie de’ Medici. At birth, he was given the title of Duke of Anjou. During the reign of his brother King Louis XIII, Gaston was known as Monsieur, the title used by the eldest living brother of the King of France. Gaston was raised with his siblings by the royal governess Françoise de Montglat at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye outside of Paris.

Gaston had five siblings:

• King Louis XIII of France (1601 – 1643), married Anne of Austria. Infanta of Spain, had two surviving sons including King Louis XIV of France
• Elisabeth of France (1602 – 1644) married Felipe IV, King of Spain, had one surviving daughter Marie Theresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain who married her first cousin King Louis XIV of France
• Christine of France (1606 – 1663), married Vittoria Amadeo I, Duke of Savoy, had seven children
• Nicolas Henri, Duke of Orléans (1607 – 1611), died in childhood
• Henrietta Maria of France (1609 – 1669), married King Charles I of England, had four surviving children including King Charles II of England and King James II of England

On May 14, 1610, when Gaston was two-years-old, her father King Henri IV of France was assassinated. While traveling through Paris, Henri’s carriage was stopped on the Rue de Ferronnerie. A Catholic zealot, François Ravaillac, took the opportunity to rush up to the carriage and stab the king twice in the chest. Quickly subdued, Ravaillac was taken into custody and later executed. The king was taken to the Palais du Louvre where he died. Christine’s nine-year-old brother ascended the French throne as King Louis XIII. The widowed Queen, Marie de’ Medici was appointed Regent for her son.

After the death in 1611 of his elder brother Nicolas Henri, Gaston became the heir presumptive to the French throne. King Louis XIII, Gaston’s brother, and his wife Queen Anne produced only four stillborn children during the first twenty-three years of their marriage. In 1638, the King and Queen finally had a son who would become King Louis XIV. Because Gaston was the heir to the throne for so long, ambitious nobles repeatedly involved him in their rebellions against his brother’s prime ministers Cardinal Richelieu and Cardinal Mazarin.

On August 6, 1626, when he was eighteen-years-old, Gaston was married against his will to the immensely wealthy Marie de Bourbon, Duchess of Montpensier in her own right. At the time of his marriage, Gaston was created Duke of Orléans. Marie was the only child of Henri de Bourbon, Duke of Montpensier and Henriette Catherine de Joyeuse, Duchess of Joyeuse in her own right. Despite Gaston’s aversion to the marriage, King Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu were determined that the marriage should take place because of the Duchess of Montpensier’s fortune. The marriage lasted less than a year. On May 29, 1627, Marie gave birth to a daughter and then died a few days later, on June 4, 1627, at the Palais du Louvre in Paris at the age of twenty-one. Her infant daughter Anne Marie Louise inherited her fortune and titles. Anne Marie Louise never married and when she died in 1693, her fortune was handed over to Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, King Louis XIV’s only sibling.

Gaston and Marie had one daughter:

• Anne Marie Louise of Orléans, Duchess of Montpensier, later called the Grande Mademoiselle (1627 – 1693), unmarried

In 1631, Gaston was living in the Duchy of Lorraine, escaping from the wrath of Cardinal Richelieu. There he fell in love with Marguerite of Lorraine, daughter of François II, Duke of Lorraine and Christina of Salm. At the time, Marguerite’s brother Charles IV was the Duke of Lorraine. The Kingdom of France and the Duchy of Lorraine were enemies and King Louis XIII refused to grant his brother permission to marry Marguerite. Despite this, Gaston and Marguerite were married in a secret ceremony in the presence of her family on January 2, 1632.

Later in 1632, the marriage was revealed to King Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu by Henri II, Duke of Montmorency, a former ally of Gaston, shortly before his execution. Gaston’s marriage was declared void by a French court in September 1634, and an assembly of the French clergy agreed with the court’s decision on the grounds that a Prince of the Blood, especially an heir to the throne, could only marry with the permission of the king. Gaston had no choice but to accept the annulment of his marriage.

When King Louis XIII was on his deathbed in May 1643, he forgave Gaston and permitted him to marry Marguerite. In July 1643, Gaston and Marguerite were married by Jean-François de Gondi, Archbishop of Paris, and the Duke and Duchess of Orléans were finally received at court. When Gaston’s mother died in 1642, she bequeathed to him the Luxembourg Palace that she had purchased for her residence after her husband was assassinated.  This became the couple’s residence in Paris.

Gaston and Marguerite had five children, all born after their 1643 marriage. Only three daughters survived childhood:

• Marguerite Louise of Orléans (1645 – 1721) married Cosimo III de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, had three children whose marriages were all childless
• Élisabeth Marguerite of Orléans (1646 – 1696) married Louis Joseph of Lorraine, Duke of Guise, had one son who died in childhood
• Françoise Madeleine of Orléans (1648 – 1664) married her maternal first cousin Carlo Emanuele II, Duke of Savoy, no children
• Jean Gaston of Orléans, Duke of Valois (1650 – 1652) died in early childhood
• Marie Anne of Orléans (1652 – 1656) died in early childhood

From 1628 – 1653, a series of civil wars, called The Fronde, occurred in France. During these civil wars, there was a rebellion against the government by members of the nobility and discontented citizens of Paris. Eventually, the government of King Louis XIV triumphed. Gaston had moved indecisively from one side to the other during the wars and after The Fronde was over, he was exiled to one of his homes, the Château de Blois, where he remained for the rest of his life.

Gaston, Duke of Orléans died February 2, 1660, at the Château de Blois at the age of 51. He was buried at the Basilica of St. Denis, the traditional burial place of the French royals, in St. Denis, a suburb of Paris.  Gaston’s wife Marguerite survived her husband by twelve years, dying April 13, 1672, at the age of 56, and was also buried at the Basilica of St. Denis.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Gaston de Bourbon, duc d’Orléans. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaston_de_Bourbon,_duc_d%E2%80%99Orl%C3%A9ans [Accessed 28 Oct. 2018].
• En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Gaston, Duke of Orléans. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaston,_Duke_of_Orl%C3%A9ans [Accessed 28 Oct. 2018].
• https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaston_de_France

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Tragically, on April 15, 2019, the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris (Our Lady of Paris) caught on fire and sustained significant damage, including the destruction of the spire and much of the roof. French President Emmanuel Macron announced that Notre-Dame will be rebuilt, stating “It’s part of the fate, the destiny of France, and our common project over the coming years. And I am committed to it.”

The Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Part of Paris, Banks of the Seine. Construction of the cathedral began in 1163 with the laying of the cornerstone in the presence of King Louis VII of France and Pope Alexander III. The high altar was consecrated in 1189, the 223 foot-high towers were built between 1210 and 1250, and the church was officially completed in 1345.

• Official Website: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris

The Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris does not have as many royal connections as Westminster Abbey in London, England. Coronations of Kings of France were traditionally held at Reims Cathedral in Reims, France. The Basilica of Saint-Denis in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis is the burial place of the Kings of France. The remains of all but three monarchs of France from the 10th century until 1789 are interred at Saint-Denis.

• Unofficial Royalty: French Royal Burial Sites – House of Bourbon, House of Bonaparte, House of Orléans

However, several significant royal events have occurred at the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris. The information has been compiled from articles at Unofficial Royalty.

December 16, 1431: Nine-year-old King Henry VI of England is crowned King of France

King Charles VI of France suffered from some kind of mental illness (he thought he was made of glass) and his son was not a great prospect as king, and so the old dynastic claim to the throne of France, first pursued by King Edward III of England, was renewed. King Henry V of England, the father of King Henry VI of England, demanded the complete restoration of the Angevin Empire, including Normandy, to England, part of the Hundred Year’s War. When the English army reached the walls of Paris, negotiations for peace were started. This resulted in the Treaty of Troyes, an agreement that King Henry V of England and his heirs would inherit the throne of France upon the death of King Charles VI of France. The treaty also arranged for the marriage of Charles VI’s daughter Catherine of Valois to Henry V and the disinheritance of the Dauphin of France (the future King Charles VII of France) from the French succession.

On June 2, 1420, King Henry V married Catherine of Valois in Troyes, France. Two years later, King Henry V succumbed to dysentery, a disease that killed more soldiers than battle, leaving a nine-month-old son to inherit his throne. King Charles VI of France died a couple of months after Henry V, making the young Henry VI King of England and King of France. Henry VI was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey on November 6, 1429. Two years later, he was crowned King of France at Notre Dame de Paris in a ritual similar to that established by his great-grandfather King Charles V of France. This was an attempt to counter the coronation of Henry VI’s uncle and rival, Charles VII of France, who had been crowned at Reims Cathedral in 1429. Before Henry VI came of age, English rule in France had begun a steady decline with Joan of Arc‘s campaign in support of Dauphin of France, later King Charles VII of France. By 1453, only Calais remained of Henry V’s French conquests.

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January 1, 1537: James V, King of Scots is married to Madeleine of Valois

After the Battle of Flodden in 1514, where James IV, King of Scots led an invading army into England, was defeated and died in the battle, Scotland wanted to strengthen their alliance with France. The Treaty of Rouen was signed in 1517 and one of the provisions was for James V, King of Scots to marry a French princess.  James V was the son of James IV and Margaret Tudor, the daughter of King Henry VII of England and the sister of King Henry VIII of England. When  James V reached a marriageable age, talks began regarding marriage with Madeleine of Valois, the daughter of King François I of France and his first wife Claude, Duchess of Brittany. However, Madeleine’s ill health was an issue and another French bride, Mary of Bourbon, was offered as a substitute. When James V came to France to meet Mary of Bourbon, he met Madeleine and decided to marry her. Because of his daughter’s health issues, François I was reluctant to agree to the marriage, but eventually, he did so. Madeleine of Valois and James V, King of Scots were married on January 1, 1537, at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

The couple arrived in Scotland on May 19, 1537, after months of celebrations in France, with Madeleine’s health having further deteriorated. Madeleine wrote a letter to her father on June 8, 1537, saying that she was feeling better and that her symptoms had subsided. Despite this, on July 7, 1537, Madeleine died in her husband’s arms, a month short of her seventeenth birthday.

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April 24, 1558: Mary, Queen of Scots is married to François, Dauphin of France

James V, King of Scots had died in 1542 leaving his six-day-old daughter Mary to succeed him as Queen of Scots. In 1548, because of English hostilities, and fearful for Mary’s safety, the Scots appealed to France for help. Henri II, King of France proposed to unite France and Scotland by marrying the young Queen of Scots to his three-year-old son and heir to the French throne François. In July 1548, the Scottish Parliament approved Mary’s marriage to François, Dauphin of France. On August 7, 1548, five-year-old Mary, Queen of Scots set sail for France where she would be raised with her future husband. She would not return to Scotland for thirteen years.

On April 24, 1558, 15-year-old Mary married 14-year-old François, Dauphin of France outside Notre-Dame de Paris. It was a marriage that could have given the future kings of France the throne of Scotland and also a claim to the throne of England through Mary’s great-grandfather, King Henry VII of England. A little more than a year after the wedding, a great tragedy occurred in France, when François’s father King Henri IV was killed in a tournament and his son succeeded him as King François II of France.

After only a 17-month reign, François II, King of France, aged 16, died in great pain on December 5, 1560, possibly from mastoiditis, meningitis, or otitis which turned into an abscess. Left a childless widow, Mary decided to return to Scotland, where she married two more times, lost her throne, and was eventually beheaded after being held captive in England for 18 years.

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August 18, 1572: King Henri III of Navarre is married to Marguerite of Valois

Henri, who was the first French king of the House of Bourbon, was the son of Queen Jeanne III of Navarre and Antoine de Bourbon, Duke de Vendôme. Although he was baptized in the Catholic Church, he was raised as a Protestant. Upon his mother’s death on June 9, 1572, Henri took the throne as King Henri III of Navarre. Just months later, on August 18, 1572, at Notre Dame de Paris, Henri married Marguerite of Valois, the daughter of King Henri II of France and Catherine de’ Medici. As Henri was a Protestant Huguenot, he was not permitted inside the cathedral so the ceremony was held just outside of the building.

Days later, the Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre took place, in which thousands of Protestant Huguenots were killed. Henri narrowly escaped death, mostly thanks to his new Catholic wife, and his promise to convert to Catholicism. In 1584, Henri became the heir-presumptive to the French throne, as the last heir to King Henri III of France had died. Henri, Marguerite’s husband, was the most senior agnatic descendant of King Louis IX, and therefore the rightful heir. In 1589, King Henri III of France, brother of Marguerite, was assassinated, and Henri succeeded as King Henri IV of France.

In a loveless and childless marriage, and knowing that he needed an heir, Henri IV had begun negotiations to end his first marriage to Marguerite of Valois. He hoped to marry his mistress but those plans were squelched by his ministers. Instead, he married Marie de’ Medici and the couple had six children. Marguerite, who never remarried, remained a favorite at court and maintained a remarkably close relationship with her former husband and his new wife. Henri IV was assassinated in 1610.

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December 2, 1804: Coronation of Napoléon I, Emperor of the French and his first wife Joséphine

Napoléon I, Emperor of the French was born Napoleone di Buonaparte on the island of Corsica, then part of France and now part of Italy. When he was in his twenties, he adopted the more French-sounding Napoléon Bonaparte. Napoléon joined the French army and quickly advanced. During the latter part of the French Revolution, he rose to prominence and by the age of 30 was the First Consul of France. Napoléon was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815.

Napoléon married Joséphine de Beauharnais (born Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie on the island of Martinique in the Caribbean) in 1796. Through her first marriage to Alexandre de Beauharnais (who was guillotined during the French Revolution), Joséphine is the ancestor of the royal families of Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Norway, and Luxembourg.

Napoléon and Joséphine were crowned Emperor and Empress of the French in an extremely elaborate ceremony presided over by Pope Pius VII. Napoléon was anointed by Pope Pius VII who was then about to crown him. However, Napoléon went to the altar, took the crown and placed it upon his own head. He then replaced the crown with a laurel wreath of gold made in the ancient Roman style and crowned his wife, who knelt before him.

Joséphine and Napoléon’s marriage was childless and in 1809, Napoléon decided to divorce his wife so he could marry again and his new wife produce an heir. Desperately upset upon first hearing the news about the divorce, Joséphine ultimately agreed. After their divorce, Napoléon insisted that Joséphine retain the title of Empress. Joséphine received a pension of 5 million francs per year and several residences.

Napoléon married Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria, the eldest child of Emperor Franz I of Austria and his second wife, Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily. Marie Louise gave birth to a son Napoléon François Charles Joseph Bonaparte in 1811. Young Napoléon died of tuberculosis at the age of 21. Regarding Marie Louise, Napoléon said that he had married a womb.

Napoléon’s various invasions throughout Europe resulted in the collapse of his empire and his defeat by a coalition of European nations. He was exiled to the island of Elba off the coast of Tuscany but escaped and took control of France once again. He was soon defeated at the Battle of Waterloo and exiled to the remote island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, where he died six years later. Napoléon’s last words were, “France, army, head of the army, Joséphine.”

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January 30, 1853 – Napoléon III, Emperor of the French is married to Eugénie de Montijo

Napoléon III, Emperor of the French, was the last monarch of France, reigning from 1852 until 1870. He was born Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte (but typically known as Louis-Napoléon). His parents were Louis Bonaparte, King of Holland (younger brother of Napoléon I, Emperor of the French) and Hortense de Beauharnais, the daughter of Emperor Napoléon’s first wife, Joséphine de Beauharnais).

The French Revolution of 1848 led to the abdication of King Louis-Philippe, and the declaration of the Second Republic. In September 1848, Louis-Napoléon was elected to the French National Assembly. He immediately threw his hat into the ring to become President of the French Republic and on December 20, 1848, was declared the winner of the election. Taking the title Prince-President, Louis-Napoléon took up residence at the Élysée Palace.

Not content being simply a Prince-President, he arranged for the Senate to schedule a referendum to decide if he should be declared Emperor. On December 2, 1852, following an overwhelming vote in his favor, the Second Republic ended and the Second French Empire was declared. Louis-Napoléon took the throne as Napoléon III, Emperor of the French. He quickly made the Tuileries Palace his official residence.

After being turned down by several European princesses, Napoléon III found his future bride, Spanish-born Doña María Eugenia Ignacia Agustina de Palafox y Kirkpatrick on May 5, 1826, in Granada, Spain. Known as Eugénie de Montijo, she was the daughter of Spanish nobleman Cipriano de Palafox y Portocarrero and María Manuela Enriqueta Kirkpatrick de Closbourn y de Grevigné.

Napoléon III and Eugénie were married in a civil ceremony on January 29, 1853, at the Tuileries Palace in Paris The following day, a much grander religious ceremony was held at Notre Dame de Paris. The couple had one son Napoléon, Prince Imperial who died fighting in the Zulu War in South Africa in 1879.

In July 1870, France entered the Franco-Prussian War. Without significant allied support, and with unprepared and limited forces, the French army was quickly defeated. Emperor Napoléon III was captured at the Battle of Sedan and quickly surrendered. As word reached Paris, the Third Republic was declared on September 4, 1870, ending – for the last time – the French monarchy.

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This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Empress Eugénie of the French was the wife of Emperor Napoleon III, the last French monarch. She was born Doña María Eugenia Ignacia Agustina de Palafox y Kirkpatrick on May 5, 1826, in Granada, Spain. Her parents were Cipriano de Palafox y Portocarrero,8th Count of Montijo  and María Manuela Enriqueta Kirkpatrick de Closbourn y de Grevigné, and she had one older sister:

• María Francisca de Sales Portocarrero, 16th Duchess of Peñaranda (1825-1860) – married Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart, Duke of Alba, had issue

At six years old, she left Spain for Paris where she attended the Convent of the Sacré Coeur and the Gymnase Normal, Civil et Orthosomatique. In 1837, she left for a boarding school in the United Kingdom, with her sister, to learn English. In addition to her formal schooling, she also received an extensive education at home, under two English governesses. When her father died in 1839, the sisters returned to their mother in Madrid. Because of her mother’s position in Spanish society, Eugenie met Queen Isabella II of Spain and took several trips in Europe to find an appropriate husband.

Eugénie first met Prince Louis Napoléon in April 1849. At the time, he was president of the Second Republic. His attempts to seduce her failed, as she insisted on marriage before any physical relationship. Louis Napoleon became Emperor Napoleon III in December 1852, and the following month, on January 22, 1853, he announced his engagement to Eugénie. Following a civil ceremony at the Tuileries Palace, the couple married at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris on January 29, 1853. They had one son:

• Louis Napoléon, Prince Imperial (1856 – 1879), unmarried, died fighting in the Zulu War in South Africa in 1879

Despite initial reservations about her less-than-royal background, Eugénie quickly became beloved by the French people. She traveled extensively, representing the Emperor – including the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 – and served as Regent during his absences from the country. She also became a close advisor to her husband, who often consulted her on important issues.

In 1854, they had a large summer villa – Villa Eugénie – built in Biarritz, where Eugénie often hosted Queen Victoria and other foreign royals. At the time, a small sleepy town, Biarritz quickly became a very popular destination for many of Europe’s royal and noble families. Today, the villa is known as the Hôtel du Palais, one of the most exclusive resorts in the area.

During the Franco-Prussian War, Eugénie served as Regent while her husband and son served on the German front. After several losses, she took it upon herself to name a new government and argued against her husband’s plan to return to Paris. A month later, the French forces were defeated at the Battle of Sedan, and the Emperor surrendered. As rioting began in Paris, the Empress quickly fled the city, making her way to England. By the time she set sail, the Second Empire had come to an end.

Eventually joined by her husband, the couple settled in Chislehurst in Kent, England. Widowed in 1873, she also lost her only son in 1879. She had developed a close friendship with Queen Victoria and spent several months at Osborne House after her son’s death. A few years later, in 1887, she was named godmother of Queen Victoria’s granddaughter Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (later Queen of Spain). By then, she was living at Farnborough Hill in Hampshire, England. A few years later, in 1892, she had a Villa Cyrnos built in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin on the French Riviera, where she often hosted visits from Queen Victoria and other European royals, including Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia in 1909.

Very active during World War I, Eugénie supported several hospitals in France and funded a military hospital at Farnborough Hill. She also donated her yacht to the British Navy. For her contributions to the war effort, she was made a Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire in 1919 by King George V.

Empress Eugénie died on July 11, 1920, while visiting relatives at the Liria Palace in Madrid. She is buried in the Imperial Crypt at St. Michael’s Abbey in Farnborough, Hampshire, England with her husband and son.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

France Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Kingdom of France/French Empire Index
• French Burial Sites – House of Bourbon, House of Bonaparte, House of Orléans