House of Orléans-Galliera
| House of Orléans | |
|---|---|
.svg) |
|
| Country | France |
| Parent house | House of Bourbon, descended from the Capetian dynasty |
| Titles |
|
| Founded | 2 February 1660 |
| Founder | Philippe de France, duc d'Orléans |
| Final ruler | Louis-Philippe of France, King of the French from 1830 to 1848. |
| Current head | Henri d'Orléans, Orléanist claimant to the French throne |
| Deposition | 24 February 1848 |
| Cadet branches |
House of Orléans-Braganza House of Orléans-Galliera |
Orléans is the name used by several branches of the Royal House of France, all descended in the legitimate male line from the dynasty's founder, Hugh Capet. It became a tradition during France's ancien régime for the duchy of Orléans to be granted as an appanage to a younger (usually the second surviving) son of the king. While each of the Orléans branches thus descended from a junior prince, they were always among the king's nearest relations in the male line, sometimes aspiring to the throne itself, and sometimes succeeding.
The last cadet branch to hold the ducal title descended from the younger son of Louis XIII of France, and is sometimes known as the "House of Bourbon-Orléans" (Maison de Bourbon-Orléans). From 1709 until the French Revolution, the Orléans dukes were next in the order of succession to the French throne after members of the senior branch of the House of Bourbon, descended from Louis XIV.
Louis XIII's younger brother and younger son were granted the dukedom, successively, in 1626 and 1660. Since they had contemporaneous living descendants, there were two Bourbon-Orléans branches at court during the reign of Louis XIV. The elder of these branches consisted of Gaston, duc d'Orléans, younger son of Henry IV, and the four daughters of his two marriages.
The junior and final House of Orléans descended from Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, Louis XIV's younger brother (who, as such, was known at court simply as Monsieur). Although Louis XIV's direct descendants retained the throne, his brother Philippe's descendants flourished until the end of the French monarchy. They held the Crown from 1830 to 1848, and still exist as pretenders.
...
Wikipedia