Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
On March 12, 1756, Philippe and his sister were amongst the first people in France to be inoculated against smallpox, a decision made by their father against the advice of both their mother and King Louis XV.The procedure was performed by physician Théodore Tronchin, and a few days later, "the Duchess of Orelans, having appeared at the Opera with her two children, was greeted by endless applause and cheers, as if the two princes had miraculously escaped death.It was alleged that Lady Edward FitzGerald, born Stephanie Caroline Anne Syms, also known as Pamela, was a natural daughter of the Duke and the Countess of Genlis.[11] In August 1787 the Duke of Orléans and his secretary Charles-Louis Ducrest, the brother of Madame de Genlis, came up with proposals to improve the financial situation of France.[12] Philippe d'Orléans became a member of the Society of the Friends of the Constitution, and strongly adhered to the principles of Denis Diderot, Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.He later distanced himself from Freemasonry in a letter dated January 1793, and the Grand Orient vacated his position on 13 December 1793 (however, Philippe had already been executed weeks before).As the Parisian police had no authority to enter the Duke's private property, it became a hub for illegal activity, such as trade in stolen goods, suspicious deals, and the spread of revolutionary ideas.Philippe's goal was to create a place where people could meet, which he argued was a crucial part of democracy and a "physical need for civil life.These included his endorsement of a pamphlet outlining the process to be followed in the setting up of local assemblies,[19] the sale of artwork to provide funds for poor relief[20] and an incident during the Reveillon riots where he scattered coins amongst a cheering crowd.The High Court of the Grand Châtelet also accused him of acting as an accomplice to Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau, in an attempt to murder Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, during this period.Marie Antoinette and her ladies barely escaped to the king's bedchamber in front of the violent intruders; the queen was suspicious that d'Orléans had arranged the attempted attack on her.[23] The Marquis de Lafayette, who was very influential in France at the time and a supposed "friend" of d'Orléans, suggested to him to go to the British Isles with the promise that he could potentially become the head of state of Brabant.After spending months in the British Isles d'Orléans returned to France for the Fête de la Fédération; but he never regained the same influence that he enjoyed in 1789 prior to his departure.Upon inheriting the title of Duke of Orléans, Philippe also became the Premier Prince du sang – the most important personage of the kingdom after the king's immediate family.He had agreed among close friends that he would vote against his execution, but surrounded by the Montagnards, a radical faction in the National Convention, he turned on his word, to the surprise of many.Although there was no evidence that convicted Égalité himself of treason, the simple relationship that his son had with Dumouriez, a traitor in the eyes of the Convention, was enough to get him and Louis Charles, Count of Beaujolais arrested on 4 April 1793, and the other members of the Bourbon family still in France on the days after.
First Prince of the BloodDuke of OrléansAntoine-François CalletChâteau de Saint-CloudKingdom of FranceFrench First RepublicLouise Marie Adélaïde de BourbonLouis Philippe I, King of the FrenchAntoine Philippe, Duke of MontpensierAdélaïde d'OrléansLouis Charles, Count of BeaujolaisOrléansLouis Philippe I, Duke of OrléansLouise Henriette de BourbonPrince of the BloodFrench RevolutionLouis Philippe I, Duke of ChartresLouise Henriette de Bourbon-ContiDuke of MontpensierLouis, Duke of OrléansDuke of ChartresSerene HighnessFrenchRevolutionLouis XVIabsolute monarchyconstitutional monarchyguillotinedReign of TerrorLouis PhilippeKing of the FrenchJuly RevolutionOrléanistLouis TocquéLouis Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of ChartresHouse of OrléansHouse of BourbonHouse of Bourbon-ContiHouse of Bourbon-CondéBathilde d'OrléansThéodore Tronchincomte d'ArtoisDuchess of ChartreschapelPalace of VersaillesLouis Jean Marie de Bourbon, Duke of PenthièvrePhilippe II, Duke of OrléansRegentLouis XVlivresCatholicPope Pius VIJacobinlibertinageLouis XIVStéphanie Félicité, comtesse de GenlisMadame de MontessonmorganaticPalais-RoyalGrace ElliottLady Edward FitzGeraldMarguerite Françoise Bouvier de la Mothe de CépoyChef d'EscadreEscadre d'évolution64-gunSolitaireAnglo-French WarLieutenant général des Armées navalesLouis Guillouet, comte d'OrvilliersSaint-EspritBattle of UshantKeppelGrand Orient de FrancefreemasonrySociety of the Friends of the ConstitutionDenis DiderotVoltaireJean-Jacques RousseauEnlightenmentfeudalismGrand MasterContinental FreemasonryRegularUnited Grand Lodge of EnglandSwiss guardsNational AssemblyReveillon riotsEstates General of 1789Crépy-en-ValoisSecond EstateAdrien DuportThird EstateTennis Court OathnobilityWomen's March on VersaillesGrand ChâteletHonoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de MirabeauMarie AntoinetteMarie-ThérèseMarquis de LafayetteBritish IslesBrabantFête de la FédérationParis CommuneSeptember MassacresPrince du sangLouis XVI's executionMontagnardsNational ConventionguillotineFrench Revolutionary ArmyCharles François DumouriezAustriansFort Saint-JeanMarseilleConciergerieRevolutionary TribunalLouis Antoine Philippe d'OrléansSalt HillBuckinghamshireLouise Marie Adélaïde Eugénie d'OrléansLouis Charles d'OrléansFrançoise Marie de BourbonLouis William, Margrave of Baden-BadenAuguste of Baden-BadenSibylle of Saxe-Lauenburg