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| Les Condé:une
des branches cadettes des Bourbon. Toujours proches du pouvoir, ils n'en
ont pas moins toujours été dans l'opposition. Parfois même,
cette opposition s'est transformée en véritable guerre comme
pendant les guerres de religion où en tant que calvinistes ils furent
à la tête du mouvement.
L'orgueil des Condé, si légendaire, eut pour conséquence que si les hommes conspirèrent pour obtenir le pouvoir, les femmes quant à elles, estimaient que seul un trône était digne d'elles et si cette possibilité ne s'offrait pas, elles se retiraient au convent. Contestataires dans l'âme, ils auront toujours su utiliser leurs passions dévorantes pour arriver à leurs fins: Condé combattra son roi, Turenne trahira, et la France sera plongée dans la guerre civile juste parce qu'ils l'avaient décidé. Le prince de Condé était appelé Monsieur le Prince; le fils aîné, Monsieur le Duc ou duc d'Enghien. Les princes de Condé possédaient d'immenses biens. Leur patrimoine se répartissait en differents grands ensembles dont: au nord de Paris, la plaine de France et l'Oise. Ces posséssions provenaient de l'héritage des Montmorency. Autre ensemble, le Berry, le Bourbonnais et la Bourgogne. Le titre lui-même provient tout autant de Condé sur Escaut que de Condé en Brie, toutes deux possessions de la famille. Les Condé étaient premiers princes
du sang jusqu'à Louis III qui se vit retirer cette faveur au profit
du duc de Chartres.
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The Condés:one
of the Bourbon branches. Always close to power, they were always in opposition.
Sometimes even, this opposition was transformed into real war, like during
the religious disputes where as Calvinists they were at the head of the
move.
The legendary arrogance of the Condé resulting in the men conspiring to get power, and the ladies conspiring to thrones. If this latest didn't come they wouldn't settle for less and retired to a covent. Ever contesting, they always knew how to utilize their devouring passions to reach their goals: Condé will fight against his king, Turenne will betray, and France will be immersed in civil war only because they had it decided. The prince of Condé was called Monsieur the Prince; the oldest son, Monsieur the Duke or Duke of Enghien. The princes of Condé owned huge domains. Their estates were divided into large portions of the central plains around Paris and the Oise region. These came from the Montmorency estates. Other domains included Berry, Bourbon and Burgundy. The title itself, came either from Condé-sur-Escaut or Condé-en-Brie, both possessions of the family. The Condés were, until Louis III, the first princes of the blood. This favour went afterwards to the Orléans branch. Etiquette: the Condés enter the king's
room directly after the Orléans but only one door is opened for
them.
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| Note pratique: les personnages principaux ont une courte description ci-dessous, leur page spécifique peut être consultée en cliquant sur leur portrait ou sur leur nom. Après avoir lu celle-ci, revenez à cette page-ci en cliquant (back) dans la barre d'outils de votre browser. | Practical Note: the principal characters have a short description hereunder, their specific page may be browsed by clicking on their portrait or on their name. After having read it, go back to this page by clicking (back) in the toolbar of your browser. |
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| Louis I(1530-1569)
Prince de Condé, duc d'Enghien His parents: Charles duc de Vendôme and Françoise d'Alençon. His brothers and sisters: Marguerite duchesse de Clèves, Antoine duc de Vendôme, François comte d'Enghien, Charles cardinal de Rouen, Jean duc d'Estouteville, comte de Soissons. Of his first marriage with Eléonore de Roye (1535-1564), he had two sons: Henri duc de Condé and François duc de Conti. From his second marriage with Françoise d'Orléans-Longueville (-1601), had a son: Charles comte de Soissons. |
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| Henri
I (1552-1588)
His parents: Louis I and Eleonore de Roye. His brothers: François,
Charles.
He married Marie de Clèves with whom he had a daughter: Catherine.
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| François(1556-1614)
Duc de Conti, prince de Château-Regnault His parents: Louis I and
Eléonore de Roye
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Charles(1566-1612)
Comte de Soissons.
His parents: Louis I and
Françoise d'Orléans-Longueville
His brothers: Henri I and
François.
His wife Anne de Montafié bore him a son
Louis
ad a daughter Marie-Marguerite.
He was a major figure in the Wars of Religion and in the ultimate succession of Henry IV of Bourbon. His father Louis I de Bourbon, the first prince de Condé, had acquired the countship of Soissons in 1557, and upon his death in 1569 it passed to his youngest son.
Charles fought for Henry of Bourbon
(the future Henry IV) against Henry III of France together with his brother
Henri I of Condé at Coutras (1587), for Henry III against the Holy
League (led by the House of Guise) in Brittany, and finally for Henry IV
against the League in Normandy and against Savoy.
He could not get Henry IV to marry
his sister, Catherine. He protested when, on Henry IV's death in 1610,
the queen mother, Marie de Médicis, was named regent; but he was
appeased with the governorship of Normandy. He died two and a half years
later.
Catherine
(1574-1595)
Melle de Bourbon, Marquise d'Isles.
Ses parents: Henri
I et Marie de Clèves, Marquise d'Isles.
Sa soeur: Eléonore.Son
frère: Henri II
Eléonore-Charlotte(1587-1619)
Princesse d'Orange
Her parents: Henri
I and Charlotte de Trémoille.
Her brother: Henri
II
She marries Philip-William of Nassau,
prince d'Orange (1554-1618).
The Prince d'Orange son of the Silent,
when it was student in Leuven (Belgium) was under protection ed from the
new governor of the Netherlands, the duke of Alba. But the exactions of
the governor made the family of Orange flee to Germany. Theyoung
Philip-William then 14 is taken out of university and brought to Spain.
Retained captive by the king Philip II, he guaranteed the attitude of the
princes d' Orange towards Spain that was more and more involved the Netherlands.
But the young prince is not unhappy in Spain, he hunts, dances and gets
an education. Later he even entered the army. But his secret correspondence
with his family is discovered and his living conditions worsened. No more
hunts and an increased monitoring follow..The assassination of his father
in 1584, the makes him prince d'Orange but does not release him . It is
only in 1595 that it can finally leave his prison to go under good escort
his northern estates. This march was in fact a plot of Spain to divide
the house of Orange. Maurice was now the head of family and Maria,
his sister looked after Philip-Wlliam domains during his absence. His return
meant the end of a system and caused not only a drift in the family but
also in Netherlands politics . In 1598, it is the return in Spain where
he asks the new king Philip III to recover his Orange estates. What was
accepted. Now a sovereign prince, he competes against his brother Maurice
who controls the Netherlands. It will not be before 1609 that the king
of France Henri IV will be able to close the gap between them.
Meanwhile, he marries in 1606,
the young Eléonore de Bourbon. She will then follow her husband
during his frequent travels between Brussels and Orange. The marriage was
happy even if it was childless
| Henri II(1588-1646)
His parents: Henri I
and
Charlotte de la Trémoïlle.
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Louise (1603-1637)
Melle de Soissons
Ses parents: Charles
et Anne de Montafié.
Sa soeur: Marie.Son
frère: Louis
Elle épouse en 1617 Henri
II d'Orléans, duc de Longueville qui épousera plus tard en
secondes noces Anne-Geneviève.
Louis(1604-1641)
Comte de Soissons, de Clermont et de Dreux.
His parents: Charles and Anne de Montafié. His sister: Marie
He will refuse the hand of Mme.
d'Aiguillon, one of the nieces of Richelieu. Initially at the service of
Marie de Medicis, he passes on the side of the King to fight the huguenots
in 1622. He plotted with Gaston d'Orleans against Richelieu and had to
take refuge in Sedan. City which became during several years one of the
centers of the rebellion against Richelieu. He was the most savage adversary
of the cardinal. In 1636 it had formed with Monsieur the plot to kill Richelieu
in Amiens, but the plan was not put at excecution. An army of " malcontents
" carried out by the duc de Guise started to be formed. Combined with the
Spaniards, he intrigued with the duc de Bouillon and invades the French
territory with the head of an army with which he wins gains the battle
of Mafrée against Gaspard de Coligny. Louis perishes after the combat,
perhaps assassinated when he washit by a bullet when he raises its visor.
The princes having lost their herald, they did not have any other alternative
and had to ask for mercy. The King had then the project to bring a lawsuit
for lese-majesty to the body of the late Soissons. He had been a courageous
but irresolute man. He was not made to carry out a faction in a so complex
civil war where each one had changed camp many times. Without a legitimate
heir, with him the branch of Soissons dies out. He had nevertheless a natural
son, Louis-Henri, Chevalier de Soissons (1646-1703).
Marie-Marguerite
(1606-1692)
Melle de Soissons.
Ses parents: Charles
et Anne de Montafié.
Son frère: Louis
Desitinée à l'eglise,
elle quitte le voile pour épouser en 1625 Thomas-François
de Savoie, prince de Carignan (-1656), dont elle aura trois fils: Maurice-Eugène
de Savoie-Carignan (1633-1673) qui sera le père du célèbre
prince Eugène. Emanuel-Philibert (?-1709) qui sera à l'origine
de la famille royale italienne, et Joseph-Emanuel (?-1656).
Son frère étant mort
sans héritiers, le comté de Soissons passe ainsi dans la
maison de Savoie, et ceci, bien sûr, est une autre histoire...
| Anne-Geneviève(1619-1679)
Duchesse de Longueville. Her parents: Henri II
and Charlotte de Montmorency
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| Louis II(1621-1686)
Duc d'Enghien, Le Grand Condé. His parents: Henri II and Charlotte de Montmorency. His sister and his brother: Anne-Geneviève et Armand. Against his will he was married to a niece of Cardinal de Richelieu, Claire-Clémence de Maillé-Brézé with whom he had one son, Henri-Jules. He tried but in vain to break this union. He wanted all his live to marry his long time mistress: Marthe de Vigean. |
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Nicolas (1629-1648)
Bâtard de Conti, prieur de
Gramont
Fils naturel de François
de Conti.
Abbé de la Couture au diocèse
du Mans
| Armand
(1629-1666)
Prince de Conti. His parents: Henri II and
Charlotte de Montmorency
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| Henri-Jules
(1643-1709)
His parents: Louis II,
the Great Condé and Claire-Clémence de Maillé-Brézé
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