Philippe I, Duke of Orleans (21 September 1640-9 June 1701) was the Duke of Orleans from 10 May 1661 to 9 June 1701, preceding Philippe II, Duke of Orleans. He was the brother of King Louis XIV of France, and he also served as a general of the Kingdom of France during the Franco-Dutch War, defeating the Dutch at Cassel in 1677.
Biography[]
The Duke in battle
Philippe was born in the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France on 21 September 1640, the son of King Louis XIII of France and Anne of Austria and the brother of Louis XIV of France. He was styled the Duke of Anjou from birth, and he succeeded his uncle Gaston, Duke of Orleans on his death in 1660. In 1661, he also received the dukedoms of Valois and Chartres. Philippe was married to Henrietta of England until her death in 1670, and he later remarried to Elizabeth Charlotte, Madame Palatine. Philippe was known to be effeminate and openly homosexual, having had a love affair with the Chevalier de Lorraine, who was later imprisoned on the orders of his wife Henrietta.
The Duke of Orleans later distinguished himself as a notable military commander of the French Army during the War of Devolution, fighting at the trenches of Tournai and Douay. In 1676 and 1677, he took part in sieges in Flanders, and he became Louis XIV's second-in-command. In 1677, he fought at the Battle of Cassel, during which he defeated Prince William of Orange's army in battle. His jealous brother proceeded to have Philippe return to a life of pleasure, and he had four children with his wives despite his homosexuality. He was nicknamed "the Grandfather of Europe" for being an ancestor of almost all of Europe's Catholic royals. Philippe died in 1701 at the age of 60.