Descendants of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans

Who is 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 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 eldest brother, he was invariably referred to at court simply as Monsieur.