Louis Alexandre, Count of Toulouse

Louis Alexandre de Bourbon
légitimé de France Count of Toulouse
Toulouse by Hyacinthe Rigaud
Born	6 June 1678 Versailles, France
Died	1 December 1737 (aged 59) Château de Rambouillet, France
Burial	25 November 1783 Chapelle royale de Dreux, France
Spouse	Marie Victoire de Noailles
Issue Detail	Louis Jean Marie, Duke of Penthièvre
Full name Louis Alexandre de Bourbon, Count of Toulouse
House	House of Bourbon
Father	Louis XIV of France
Mother	Athénaïs de Montespan
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Louis Alexandre de Bourbon, comte de Toulouse (1681), duc de Penthièvre (1697), (1711), (6 June 1678 – 1 December 1737), a legitimated prince of the blood royal, was the son of Louis XIV and of his mistress Françoise-Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan. At the age of five, he became grand admiral of France^[1] (Grand Admiral of France).

Biography

Born at the Château de Clagny in Versailles, Louis Alexandre de Bourbon was the third son and youngest child of Louis XIV born out-of-wedlock with Madame de Montespan. At birth, he was put in the care of Madame de Monchevreuil along with his older sister Françoise-Marie de Bourbon.

Louis Alexandre was created Count of Toulouse in 1681 at the time of his legitimation, and, in 1683, at the age of five, grand admiral. In February 1684, he became colonel of an infantry regiment named after him and in 1693 mestre de camp of a cavalry regiment. During the War of Spanish Succession, he was given the task of defending Sicily. In January 1689, he was named governor of Guyenne, a title which he exchanged for that of governor of Brittany six years later. On 3 January 1696, he was created a marshal of France, becoming commander of the royal armies the following year. During the War of the Spanish Succession he commanded the French fleet at the Battle of Vélez-Málaga in 1704.^[2]

Though his father had legitimated him and his three surviving siblings, and even declared his two sons by Madame de Montespan fit to eventually succeed him to the throne of France, this was not to be, as immediately after Louis XIV's death the Parlement of Paris reversed the king's will.

Unlike his brother, Louis Auguste, Duke of Maine, who was barred from the regency council, Toulouse was not kept from a political role, and soon after, he was named (minister of the Navy), inheriting a seasoned staff headed by Joseph Pellerin. He remained in this capacity until being succeeded by Joseph Fleuriau d'Armenonville in 1722, the same Fleuriau d'Armenonville who had sold him the castle of Rambouillet in 1706.^[3]

The proposal of his marriage to Charlotte de Lorraine, Mademoiselle d'Armagnac, member of a cadet branch of the House of Guise had met with the categorical refusal of Louis XIV.^[4]

Marriage

On 2 February 1723, the comte de Toulouse married Marie Victoire de Noailles, a daughter of the Anne Jules, duc de Noailles, in a private ceremony in Paris.^[5] She was the widow of Louis de Pardaillan de Gondrin (1688-1712), his nephew, son of his half-brother Louis Antoine de Pardaillan de Gondrin, whose mother was Madame de Montespan. The marriage was kept secret until the death of the regent. The couple had one son:

• Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon, Duke of Penthièvre (1725–1793).

Court

He and his sisters tried to avoid the court and the intrigues^[6] of their brother, the duc du Maine, and his wife Anne Louise Bénédicte de Bourbon, the duchess, at the Château de Sceaux.

Shortly before his death in 1715, Louis XIV added a codicil to his will stating that if all legitimate members of the House of Bourbon, both those descended from Louis and more distant kinsmen, died out, the throne of France could be inherited by the duc du Maine and the comte de Toulouse. The decision was reversed after the death of Louis XIV when Louis Alexandre's cousin, Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, as the new regent, had the Parlement de Paris void that portion of the will.

The comte de Toulouse died at the Château de Rambouillet on 1 December 1737. He was buried in the village 12th century Saint-Lubin church. On 30 September 1766, the countess died at the Hôtel de Toulouse, the Parisian mansion not far from the Louvre which the count had bought from Phélypeaux, marquis de La Vrillière, in 1712.^[7] She too was buried in the family crypt in the Rambouillet church.

Upon the count's death, the duc de Penthièvre, succeeded his father in his posts and titles. Because of the marriage of Mademoisellle de Penthièvre to Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, the comte de Toulouse is an ancestor of the modern House of Orléans, which also descends from Toulouse's two surviving full sisters.

Siblings and Family

Name Birth Death Notes Full siblings - by Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, marquise de Montespan (5 October 1641 - 27 May 1707) Louise Françoise de Bourbon at the end of March, 1669 23 February 1672 Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, duc du Maine 31 March 1670 14 May 1736 Legitimised on 20 December 1673. Held numerous offices, of which: Colonel-Général des Suisses et des Grisons, Governor of Languedoc, Général des Galères, and Grand-Maître de l'Artillerie. He was also duc d'Aumale, comte d'Eu and prince de Dombes. He had issue with Anne Louise Bénédicte de Bourbon. Louis-César de Bourbon, comte de Vexin, abbé de Saint-Denis et de Saint-Germain-des-Prés 20 June 1672 10 January 1683 Legitimated on 20 December 1673. Louise-Françoise de Bourbon, Mademoiselle de Nantes, duchesse de Bourbon, princesse de Condé 1 June 1673 16 June 1743 Legitimised on 20 December 1673. Married Louis de Bourbon, duc d'Enghien, (later duc de Bourbon, and then prince de Condé). Had issue. Louise Marie Anne de Bourbon, Mlle de Tours 12 November 1674 15 September 1681 Legitimised in January 1676. Françoise-Marie de Bourbon, Mlle de Blois, duchesse d'Orléans 9 February 1677 1 February 1749 Legitimised in November 1681. Married Philippe d'Orléans, duc de Chartres, (later duc d'Orléans), the Regent of France under Louis XV. Had issue. Louis-Alexandre de Bourbon, comte de Toulouse 6 June 1678 1 December 1737 Legitimised on 22 November 1681. Held numerous offices, of which: Admiral of France, Governor of Guyenne, Governor of Brittany, and Grand-Veneur de France. Was also duc de Damville, de Rambouillet et de Penthièvre. Had issue. Founder of the House of Bourbon-Toulouse. Paternal legitimate half-siblings - by Marie-Thérèse d'Autriche, Infanta of Spain, Queen of France and of Navarre (20 September 1638 - 30 July 1683) Louis de France, le Grand Dauphin 1 November 1661 14 April 1711 Fils de France. Dauphin of France (1661–1711). Had issue. Father of Louis, duc de Bourgogne (later Dauphin of France), Philippe, duc d'Anjou (later King of Spain) and Charles, duc de Berry. Grandfather of Louis, duc d'Anjou (later Dauphin, and then King of France) Anne-Élisabeth de France 18 November 1662 30 December 1662 Fille de France. Died in infancy. Marie-Anne de Francee 16 November 1664 26 December 1664 (?) Fille de France. Died in infancy or became Louise Marie-Therese (The Black Nun of Moret). Princess Marie-Therèse of France, Madame Royale 2 January 1667 1 March 1672 Fille de France. Known as Madame Royale and la Petite Madame Philippe-Charles de France duc d'Anjou 5 August 1668 10 July 1671 Fils de France. Louis-François of France, duc d'Anjou 14 June 1672 4 November 1672 Fils de France. Died in infancy. Paternal illegitimate half-siblings - by Louise-Françoise de La Baume Le Blanc, duchesse de La Vallière et de Vaujours (6 August 1644 - 6 June 1710) Charles de Bourbon 19 December 1663 15 July 1665 Not legitimised. Philippe de Bourbon 7 January 1665 1666 Not legitimised. Marie Anne de Bourbon, Mlle de Blois, duchesse de La Vallière, princesse de Conti 2 October 1666 3 May 1739 Legitimised on 14 May 1667. Married Louis Armand de Bourbon, prince de Conti. Louis de Bourbon, comte de Vermandois, 3 October 1667 18 November 1683 Legitimated on 20 February 1669. Held the office of Admiral of France. Paternal illegitimate half-siblings - by Claude de Vin, Mademoiselle des Œillets (c. 1637 - 18 May 1687) Louise de Maisonblanche 1676 12 September 1718 In 1696 she married Bernard de Prez, Baron de La Queue. by Angélique de Fontanges (1661 - 28 June 1681) son 1681 1681 Maternal legitimate half-siblings - by Louis Henri de Pardaillan de Gondrin, Marquis de Montespan (1640 - 1 December 1691) Marie-Christine de Pardaillan de Gondrin 1663 1675 died in childhood. Louis Antoine de Pardaillan de Gondrin, marquis d'Antin, later duc d'Antin Paris, 5 September 1665 Paris, 2 November 1736 married Julie Françoise de Crussol d'Uzès and had issue.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Louis Alexandre, Count of Toulouse

16. Antoine de Bourbon, duc de Vendôme               8. Henry IV of France                       17. Jeanne III of Navarre               4. Louis XIII of France                             18. Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany               9. Marie de' Medici                       19. Johanna of Austria               2. Louis XIV of France                                   20. Philip II of Spain               10. Philip III of Spain                       21. Anna of Austria               5. Anne of Austria                             22. Charles II of Austria               11. Margaret of Austria                       23. Maria Anna of Bavaria               1. Louis-Alexandre de Bourbon, Count of Toulouse                                         24. René de Rochechouart, Seigneur de Mortemart               12. Gaspard de Rochechouart, Marquis de Mortemart                       25. Jeanne de Saulx de Tavannes               6. Gabriel de Rochechouart                             26. Charles, Count of Maure               13. Louise de Maure, Countess of Maure                       27. Diane de Pérusse des Cars, princesse de Carency               3. Françoise-Athénaïs, Marquise de Montespan                                   28. Pierre de Grandseigne, seigneur de La Flotte               14. Jean de Grandseigne, Marquis de Marsillac                       29. Françoise Baillard               7. Diane de Grandseigne                             30. François de La Béraudière, seigneur de Villechèze               15. Catherine de La Béraudière, Lady of Villenon                       31. Anne Adrienne Frotier

Notes

1. De Requeleyne, Bernard, Baron de Longepierre (1659-1721), in Bulletin du bibliophile et du bibliothécaire, Paris, 1903, p. 592.
2. Chisholm 1911.
3. Lenotre, G., Le Château de Rambouillet : six siècles d'histoire, Calmann-Lévy, collection « Châteaux : décors de l'histoire », Paris, 1930, p. 256; Réédition : Denoël, Paris, 1984, p. 215.
4. De Requeleyne, Bernard, Baron de Longepierre (1659-1721), p. 598.
5. Marie Victoire Sophie de Noailles, comtesse de Toulouse
6. see the Cellamare conspiracy  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Maine, Anne Louise Bénédicte de Bourbon, Duchesse du". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press..
7. The mansion had been built in 1635 by the royal architect François Mansart. It is now the seat of the Banque de France.

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Toulouse, Louis Alexandre de Bourbon, Count of". Encyclopædia Britannica 27 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
• Lenotre, G., Le Château de Rambouillet : six siècles d'histoire, Calmann-Lévy, collection « Châteaux : décors de l'histoire », Paris, 1930, 256 p. Réédition : Denoël, Paris, 1984, 215 p. (ISBN 2-207-23023-6).
• http://radiointensite.free.fr/articles.php?lng=fr&pg=863 - Scroll down to 41st paragraph to sentence beginning « Le mardi 25 novembre 1783, S.A.S. Mgr Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon, duc de Penthièvre, prince d’Anet et comte de Dreux, a fait transporter de l’église de Rambouillet dans la collégiale de Saint-Etienne de cette ville le cercueil de S.A.S. Mgr le comte de Toulouse, son père...»