Descendants of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans

Philippe de France, Duke of Orléans was the brother of Louis XIV of France and the younger son of Louis XIII of France and Anne of Austria.

A member of the House of Bourbon, he is the founder of the current House of Orléans. His heirs formed a junior collateral branch of the royal dynasty. They include the second duke, who governed France during the minority of Louis XV in the Regency era; one French monarch, Louis Philippe I; and the Orléanist pretenders to the French throne still flourishing in the 21st century. The accumulation of the vast wealth which the House of Orléans would possess and use to influence both politics and court life (until it was confiscated during the French Revolution) began with Philippe, a lifelong beneficiary of his brother's largesse.

He was originally known by the title "Duke of Anjou". In 1660, his paternal uncle, Gaston, Duke of Orléans, died. The dukedom of Orléans was an appanage traditionally conferred upon the younger brother of the French king whenever available. Philippe exchanged Anjou for Orléans. As a son of a French king, Philippe ranked as a fils de France, and as the king's younger brother, he was invariably referred to at court simply as Monsieur.

On 31 March 1661, he married his first cousin, Princess Henrietta of England, daughter of King Charles I of England, in the chapel of the Palais-Royal in Paris. Both were grandchildren of Henry IV of France and Marie de' Medici. She was known at court as Madame, Henriette d'Angleterre (Henrietta of England) or affectionately as Minette" and was a famed beauty. Philippe was said to have doted on Henriette for the first year of their marriage, but their relationship soon turned sour when she allegedly began an affair with the Count of Guiche and went on to seek comfort from others. Philippe openly paraded his mignons in front of his wife and the whole court. Among them were Armand de Gramont, Count of Guiche, known for his arrogance and good looks, the marquis de Châtillon, and his first lover Philip Julian Mancini. Meanwhile, Henriette proved to be very popular at court as a pretty, good-natured princess, much to Philippe's annoyance.

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