Meet Louis II de Bourbon-Condé fr. Louis II de Bourbon-Condé, le Grand Condé
4th Prince of Condé, Duke of Enghien
Dates of life: December 26, 1646 - December 11, 1686
Very conflicting opinions
"... During the life of his father, Conde bore the title of Duke of Enghien. He was a prince of the blood, that is, a direct relative of the royal family ... From an early age, the noblest of the noble aristocrats of France was distinguished by impudence, ambition and courage ... The prince began his military career at 17... at 22
the prince had already commanded the French royal troops in the Thirty Years' War with the Spaniards. In that war, on May 19, 1643, Conde won his first victory in the battle near the city of Rocroix ...
In ... 1644, the prince became the head of the French royal army, replacing the experienced viscount de Turenne at this post."
http://interpretive.ru/dictionary/967/word/lui-ii-burbon-konde-velikii-konde
I remind you that the young man was 23 years old.
Further: "... Victories ... strengthened the authority of Louis Conde. The army, inspired by victories over the Spaniards and the Bavarian army, literally idolized Conde. However, now many influential people in France began to seriously fear the increased popularity of Conde, and in the next ten years he I had to put in a lot of effort to pacify them ... "
The following lists and describes multiple battles, the meaning of which I do not really understand ...
The impression is that from the age of 17 to 54, the prince only fought ... As we will see below, the impression is deceptive.
"... Becoming one of the most popular people in France, the prince found himself in the thick of the political struggle. In the war of royal power with the Fronde (this was the name given to the internal unrest in France in 1648-1658), he first took the side of the Italian Cardinal Giulio Mazarin and Queen Anne of Austria, the regent of the son - the young crowned son of Louis .... But between the ambitious and arrogant commander Louis Conde and the power-hungry first minister of France, a clash was inevitable ...
The Prince of Conde led a new Fronde (the so-called Fronde of Princes), intending to overthrow Cardinal Mazarin and even turn his considerable possessions into an independent state. His closest associate was his younger brother, Prince Conti...
Anarchy in the French capital, strife between him and the rest of the leaders of the Fronde, the return to Paris of his enemy Cardinal Mazarin forced the prince to flee his fatherland to the Netherlands and there in 1653 to surrender to the Spaniards, his recent enemies. In 1654, he was sentenced in absentia to death in France for high treason.
Now Conde turned his weapons and military art against the fatherland .... But in this war, the prince rarely had good luck - the French army educated and trained by him fought against him ... The civil war ended in 1659 (38 years - my approx.) the conclusion of peace and the strengthening of royal power. Cardinal Mazarin made peace with Prince Louis II of Conde, to whom Spain decided to give an independent principality near the northern French border. The death sentence in absentia was also canceled for the prince for treason against France and its monarch Louis XIV, who married Maria Teresa, daughter of the Spanish king Philip IV. Conde was restored in all his titles and rights, but remained out of work for 8 years ...
Thanks to his military talent and political influence at the royal court, Prince Conde managed to once again become the commander of the French army ...
At the end of 1675, Conde resigned and spent the last years of his life in his possession of Chantilly. He died at Fontainebleau.
In all the wars in which Prince Louis Condé participated, he demonstrated, above all, high tactical skill. A distinctive feature of the famous French commander was his famous "inspirations". Thanks to this, he more than once defeated opponents who surpassed him in strength. But Conde's contemporaries rightly reproach him for the fact that for the sake of a quick and strong onslaught, he did not spare people. Troops Conde in foreign territory became famous for robberies and violence."
I read about these numerous battles, exile-forgiveness ... you can write a novel. Further - I highlight reviews of the Great Conde in blue. Very conflicting reviews.
Sculptor Cuasevox( September 29, 1640, Lyon - October 10, 1720 ), portrait of Louis II de Bourbon-Condé, Prince de Condé. Bronze bust. (Louvre)
"A real masterpiece was the bronze bust of Prince Condé. A very successful commander, Louis II Conde was distinguished by cruelty, blasphemy, rude behavior, even with his inner circle. He is one of those anti-patriots who turned his weapons against his homeland. Conde is a supporter of the Fronde, who fought against the king and Cardinal Mazarin. He devastated the northern regions of France, he tried to create an independent principality in his lands. He spent his youth stormily, his stay in prison and illness made him unpleasant and antipathetic. Even after a political reconciliation with the king and the cardinal, he was suspended for eight years because he was not trusted. The sculptor faced the difficult task of creating a representative portrait of a patient (he suffered from rheumatism) and an unpleasant but dangerous face. Cuasevox coped with the task with dignity, highlighting Condé's sumptuous attire and brilliant bronze processing tools. This slightly overshadowed the boldly zmalvana, a truthful and indispensable characterization of the image. None of the portraits of Louis II Conde conveys with paint the complexity of the character of the prince's crippled face in its own way.
Undoubtedly, a very expressive portrait.
Another sculptural portrait:
Louis II, 4th Prince of Bourbon and Conde (1621-86), 1817 (plaster), David d "Angers, Pierre Jean 1788-1856 Musee des Beaux-Arts, Angers, Franc. 
Juste d "Egmont Louis II de Bourbon, dit le Grand Condé Huile sur toile. Chantilly, Musée Condé Photo Musée Condé.
"... Contemporaries could love him or hate him, but, despite his political miscalculations and personal characteristics, they still admired him. Perhaps the most striking description was given to him in his memoirs by the famous frondier Paul de Gondi, Cardinal de Retz: "Prince de Conde was born a commander ... Fate, sending him down to a warlike age, let courage unfold in all its splendor; family upbringing... boxed the mind too tight. The prince was not inspired from an early age ... what is called consistency ... Already in his youth he was ahead of the rapid development of great events and the habit of success ... possessing by nature a gentle soul, he committed injustices, with the courage of Alexander ... was not a stranger to weakness, possessing a remarkable mind, acted imprudently, possessing all the virtues ..., did not serve the state as he should have ... He did not manage to rise to his talents, but still he is great, he is beautiful...
François de La Rochefoucauld wrote in his memoirs that the Duke of Enghien "... stately, endowed with a large, clear, penetrating and all-round mind, covered himself with the greatest glory...". And the prosecutor-general of the Dijon Parliament, Pierre Lenet, spoke of him like this: "He satisfied the desires of his subordinates, ignoring many particulars... The prince gained a huge reputation by fighting battles at Rocroix, Freiburg, Nordlingen and Lans, taking Thionville, Philippsburg, reaching the heart of the Rhine - Koblenz, showing courage and generosity at Dunkirk ...
In a speech delivered in Notre Dame Cathedral on March 10, 1687, on the occasion of the death of Prince de Condé, Bishop Meaux, the outstanding historian and educator of the Dauphin Jacques-Benigne Bossuet, not only presented him as an outstanding statesman, but also placed him above another great commander of the century - Henri de Turenne. A distinctive feature of the military genius of the commander, the bishop called the speed of the plan that descended on him in the middle of the battle - his famous "inspirations". And Louis XIV after the death of Conde said: "I lost" the greatest man in my kingdom ...
On the whole, Conde is rightly reproached for the fact that for the sake of a quick and strong onslaught that could lead to victory, he shed torrents of blood, and his army was distinguished by robbery and violence. His style consisted of audacity and aggressive attacks ... At the same time, Condé is called a true military intellectual, gifted and independent.".
The created image makes it possible to feel the scope and passionarity of the personality ... but it is perceived, nevertheless, VERY one-sidedly ... IT'S TIME TO EXPAND THE BORDERS OF THE IMAGE:
Artist Juste d'Egmont (1601-1674), Musée de l'Armée.
Taken from here: http://www.danielbibb.com/content/exhibits/detail1.php?itemID=30006
I really liked the portrait and, in my opinion, it most of all looks like a child. At first I didn’t pay attention - the head is visible behind Conde, there is a character, he is almost invisible (below, I gave this picture in full).
Artwork attributed to the artist Louis Elle Ferdinand
Taken from here: http://www.danielbibb.com/content/exhibits/detail1.php?itemID=30006
This portrait causes great doubts in me, it is not very similar to the painting of that era.
"... Louis II de Bourbon Prince de Conde was born on September 8, 1621 in Paris. His parents were Henri II Bourbon (1588 - 1646), Prince de Conde, and Charlotte-Marguerite de Montmorency (1594 - 1650), Princess de Condé and Godmother of Louis XIV..."
FatherHenri II of Bourbon (1588 - 1646)Prince de Condé:
I was surprised that no more of his portraits came across.
MumCharlotte-Marguerite de Montmorency (1594 - 1650), Princess de Condé:
"... The education of the young Duke of Enghien was traditional for his class. In 1630 - 1636, he studied Latin classics, Aristotle's philosophy, mathematics, Justinian's codes and political history at school Jesuits in Bourges. He was not a particularly diligent student, however, he mastered Latin, rhetoric and philosophy with great success. For a long time he was considered a freethinker on religious matters. His education was completed at the Royal Military Academy in Paris, where he showed excellent results. Already at the age of 17, his father sent Louis to act as governor of Burgundy ... "
"... At the insistence of Henri Conde, on February 9, 1641, the young man married Claire-Clement de Maillet-Brez (1628 - 1694), daughter of Urbain de Maillet, Marquis de Breze, and Nicole du Plessis, Richelieu's niece. However, politically and economically profitable union (the bride brought Louis a dowry of 600 thousand livres and a number of land holdings) was personally unsuccessful.For the sake of him, he had to leave his beloved Mademoiselle du Vizhan (Marthe Poissard, daughter of the royal bedkeeper Francois Poissard, Baron du Vizhan). three children were born - the sons of Henri III Jules (1643-1709), Prince de Conde, Louis (16 52
- 1653
) and the daughter of Mademoiselle de Bourbon (16 57
- 1660
)..."
Wife:
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%BB%D1%8D%D1%80-%D0%9A%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BC%D0%B5% D0%BD%D1%81_%D0%B4%D0%B5_%D0%9C%D0%B0%D0%B9%D0%B5
The Great Condé and his son Henry III of Bourbon Condé:
I did not find a portrait of Mademoiselle du Vizhan.
"...his beloved in 1647 was sent to the Carmelite convent..."
http://svitoc.ru/index.php?showtopic=556
Further: "The great Conde spent the last 11 years of his life in his possession Chantilly 49 km from Paris. The castle was located among dense oak forests and towered on a huge rock surrounded on all sides by water .... it was the Great Conde who commissioned the royal architect Le Nôtre to lay out a magnificent park with fountains around the castle. The king took part in one of the holidays arranged in it, which was recorded in her letters to Madame de Sevigne. The fountains of Chantilly are still among the most beautiful in France. No wonder Louis XIV, during the construction of Versailles, took them as a model. (it turns out :), the Great Conde had good taste and a desire for creation- my comment) Imitating Italian palace architecture, the prince ordered to decorate the facade of the castle with balustrades and columns, and it turned out that it combined elements of the Gothic style (powerful bastion walls, pointed spiers, drains in the form of snake-like monsters) and baroque design of facades. In fact, Chantilly turned from a castle into a luxurious palace and became a symbol of the transition of the aristocracy from military campaigns to festivities, patronage and art collecting. But the entrance to Chantilly, decorated in the Renaissance style and protected by iron bars and pikes, reflected the "profession" of the owner. ..
At generals, ministers, big bourgeois and, of course, the most enlightened minds of France gathered there. Being a fan and patron of the arts, Conde invited famous creative personalities to his castle. Even during his stay out of work after the Peace of the Pyrenees, the prince spent time there in the brilliant company of such geniuses as Molière, Racine, Boileau, La Fontaine, Mansart, Le Nôtre, Bossuet and many others. Once, the poet Vincent Voiture remarked to Condé: "If you would at least once deign to lift some kind of siege, we, your fans, could take a break and recover, as this would add some variety to the course of events." In Chantilly, the first performance of "Tartuffe" by Jean-Baptiste Moliere took place, which the author first read in the salon of Ninon de Lanclos back in 1664. In honor of the guests of Prince Le Nôtre, he laid out the avenue of the Philosophers in the park, which can serve as proof that The great Conde not only followed the aristocratic fashion of that time, but also really appreciated the beautiful..."
So, and how does this agree with the negative characteristics given to him above? Almost nothing.
"... This extraordinary man was exceptionally rich by the standards of the 17th century. His huge fortune was second only to the wealth of Cardinals Mazarin (40 million livres) and Richelieu (20 million livres) and was estimated at 14 million livres. Like other politicians and commanders of that time he collected works of art, old books and manuscripts, concentrated primarily in Chantilly. The Duke of Omalsky, who received in 1830 along with the title and the castle, bequeathed it, along with the richest library and art gallery, to the French Institute. In the Conde Museum, in addition to the personal belongings of the princes of the blood, artistic treasures are also exhibited - hundreds of manuscripts and early printed books (including the Johannes Gutenberg Bible), a rare collection of porcelain and the "Magnificent Hours of the Duke of Berry" - a famous illustrated manuscript of the 15th century, numerous engravings and paintings by Botticelli , Clouet, Poussin. It is there that Raphael's "Three Graces", Poussin's "Massacre of the Innocents", Durer's "Saint Jerome" and other famous paintings are located today. The prince was the owner of one of the most famous diamonds in history, weighing 9.01 carats, which adorned the head of his cane, the "Pink Conde" or "Great Conde", received by him from Louis XIV for military merit ... "
How does this fit in with the specifications above?
"In 1685, the only grandson of the commander, Louis de Bourbon, married Louise-Francoise, Mademoiselle de Nantes, the eldest daughter of the king and Madame de Montespan. In the middle of 1686, Louise-Francoise, while in Fontainebleau, fell ill with smallpox. It was the prince who returned her to life, spending days near her bed and feeding her with a spoon. Louise-Francoise survived and continued the Conde family, giving her husband 10 children, but Conde himself became infected from her ... "
I see the image of a beautiful, indeed, royally gifted person.
Many thanks to Hatamoto: http://svitoc.ru/index.php?showtopic=556
and the author of the article: Ivonina Lyudmila Ivanovna - Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor of Smolensk State University.
P.S. Looked at the artist - found! 
Portrait du Grand Condé devant le champ de bataille de Rocroi (May 19, 1643)
I can't understand - what is it on the right, something red, curved...?
Here the head is not visible to the left of Condé. And yet ... almost all military men of the 17-18 and even the 19th century hold a strange stick in their hand. At first I thought it was a spyglass. But it's too thin, I think it's something else.
The last French prince of Condé is a unique representative of royal blood, who died not from poison added to wine, not from an infection in early childhood, and not even from a conspirator's dagger, but during a perverted sexual act, and even at an advanced age.
According to a version that was not proven at the time, but still has not been refuted, Prince Conde was helped to die by his mistress, Baroness Sophie Dawes, who at the same time snatched off a considerable part of his fortune.
Maid Career
Who knows what would have been the fate of the daughter of the fisherman and smuggler Dows named Sophie, who from birth, despite her beauty, was destined for the fate of a servant or a cheap prostitute, if not for that fateful meeting with the prince.
At the age of 15, Sophie left her native Portsmouth in search of a better life and went to London. She wanted to become a comedian, but her acting career did not work out. I had to look for some work. Without recommendations, it was unrealistic to get a job as a maid in a decent house, and the girl was content with working in a brothel in Piccadilly - she served prostitutes and their wealthy clients.
There, in 1811, she was seen by the 55-year-old Louis-Henri, Duke de Bourbon, the last prince of the French family of Conde, who lived in exile in Great Britain. A beautiful young maid immediately became the object of his desire, and the girl quickly realized that she had a chance to become a well-to-do kept woman of this sexually horny, middle-aged and wealthy nobleman. In a word, the interests coincided, Sophie gave herself to the prince without hesitation and did not lose! For her, it was a gift of fate - Sophie had previously tried to find a rich permanent lover, using her youth and beauty, but to no avail.
So, our Sophie settled in the luxurious mansion of the Prince of Condé. A capable girl successfully mastered the rules of conduct and good manners, learned foreign languages - she already dreamed of shining at the royal court! But her main task was to please the prince, to give him all kinds of sexual pleasures - the more perverted, the better. Sophie immediately realized that the aging Louis-Henri was obsessed with sex and this was her only way to stay with him and live in abundance. Being depraved by nature, she not only pleased the prince herself in every possible way in bed, but also arranged group orgies for him with the help of prostitutes from the brothel where she worked before. These orgies were essentially mini-performances entirely of pornographic content, in which the main roles always went to the prince. For example, in the "Loving Dog" divertissement, the naked prince portrayed a dog that rejoices at the arrival of its mistress. He jumped on the floor, feigning joy, licking the naked bodies of Sophie and her assistants. And it was still the most modest scenario. In the divertissement "Bees Gathering Honey", naked Louis-Henri played the role of a rosebud, from which, to the sounds of a music box, six naked women "gathered honey". Sophie picked up a whole library of pornographic prints and books for the prince. You can even say that she corrupted the already dissolute middle-aged man even more. Naturally, Conde could no longer live an hour without Sophie and the pleasures she brought.
Baroness de Fescher
It seems that the prince himself was aware of the perniciousness of this passion of his, and during the years of the Restoration secretly left London for France, hoping to break with Sophie. But it was not there! Two weeks later she appeared in Paris. The annoyed prince delicately explained that her presence in Paris was fraught with scandal and trouble. To which Sophie replied: “And you say that I am your illegitimate daughter!”
And the prince gave in. He yearned for her perverted caresses. True, in order to stay in Paris, Sophie had to get married. The prince himself found her a husband - the commander of the battalion of the royal guard Adrian de Fecher, to whom King Louis XVIII immediately granted the title of baron. And the Prince of Condé took the newly minted baron into his service.
De Fescher did not have time to rejoice at his luck, as he was whispered that Sophie was not the daughter, but the prince's mistress and, in general, a very depraved woman. The prince reassured him: they say, they envy your position and your beautiful wife, so they chat about anything. But de Fescher did not believe him, soon broke up with Sophie, and she openly began to cohabit with the 65-year-old prince.
Here, the Baroness already had a bare calculation, which was justified: in 1824, Prince Condé made a will, signing Sophia the luxurious possessions of Boissy and Saint-Li. True, she had to work hard to persuade the prince to make this will. The blackmail was massive: both the threat to leave him, and hot caresses - everything went into action.
And then it remains only to wait for the death of the prince. However, it was hard to wait, and you can grow old yourself ...
One August morning in 1830, the 74-year-old Prince of Condé was found hanging from a window bolt in a loop of two handkerchiefs in his bedroom. No one believed in suicide, and above all the personal doctor of the prince, Dr. Bonn. While he was examining the body, Sophie de Fescher, sitting in a chair, wringing her hands theatrically, issued the phrase: “Oh, what a blessing that the prince died just like that. If he died in his own bed, everyone would immediately begin to say that I poisoned him!
The king ordered an investigation into the death of Louis-Henri, but in the end, the deliberative chamber of the court issued a conclusion that it was suicide, and the case was closed. Although the first version was murder, and Sophie de Fesher was suspected.
Sensational details were announced only in 1848 in a brochure by Victor Bouton. According to him, King Louis Philippe of France was involved in the case! This version - an ideally organized murder - we will consider in the future.
Traces of voluptuousness
Back in 1827, fearing that the prince's will after his death would be challenged by the direct heirs and she would be left with nothing, Baroness de Fescher pulled off a cunning political combination. With the help of her patron, ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs Talleyrand, she met Louis Philippe, Duke of Orleans - the future King of France. And she offered him a deal: Sophie would persuade the Prince of Condé to bequeath his main property to the son of Louis Philippe, and the king, in gratitude, would recognize as legal what would be bequeathed to her. Louis-Philippe was delighted with this proposal - after all, according to such a will, he would inherit 60 million gold francs!
However, Prince Condé, because of his family and political predilections, refused to sign the will. The author of the pamphlet wrote that the baroness even beat the prince, forcing him to sign a paper. And Conde gave in, fearing to lose forever the one who gave him the highest pleasure. He himself was already incompetent as a man.
After the July Revolution of 1830, when Louis Philippe ascended the throne, the Prince of Condé was about to leave the country and secretly go to Switzerland, where Charles X lived in exile, who asked him to change his will in favor of his young son. Sophie immediately reported this to the king and heard from him: “We must at all costs prevent him from leaving!” It was a death sentence for the Prince of Condé.
It wasn't the first time Sophie practiced sadism during lovemaking with the prince - he could only get aroused and orgasm during a light strangulation. That night, Sophie simply kicked aside the stool on which the annoying old lover stood, and the prince was gone. A young gendarmerie officer, Sophie's lover, helped her make the murder look like a suicide. And then Sophie de Fesher demanded from the king that the investigation not particularly delve into the details of the incident. The king was forced to agree.
Victor Buton, describing the details of the murder, referred to the archives of the police prefecture - protocols of interrogation of the servants of Prince Condé. The servants, as it turned out, were aware of what the depraved aging prince was doing with the young baroness. And they described in detail during interrogations all these love joys in the style of BDSM. There was also a protocol on ascertaining the death of the prince, signed by a justice of the peace. The protocol recorded that "traces of radiant voluptuousness" are still preserved at the feet of the deceased prince.
After the verdict of acquittal, Sophie de Fescher entered into inheritance rights and demolished the castle of Saint-Li, in which the murder of the prince was committed. His relatives tried to challenge the will in court, but lost the case. True, they were able to significantly tarnish the reputation of the king. Sophie de Fesher herself had to leave France for London. She returned there as a wealthy lady and died a natural death in 1840. The last refuge of the great courtesan was the cemetery of Kensal Green.
Princes of Condé (named after Condé-en-Brie, now the department of Aisne) is a historic French aristocratic title originally held in the mid-16th century by the French Protestant leader, Louis of Bourbon (1530-1569), uncle of King Henry IV of France , his title was carried by his descendants. As a junior branch of the French royal dynasty, the Princes of Condé played an important role in the politics and social life of the kingdom until their "disappearance" in 1830.
The Duchy of Condé, as such, never existed, they were neither vassals nor sovereigns. The name of the locality simply served as the territorial source of the name of the title adopted by Louis, who inherited from his father, Charles IV de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme (1489-1537), master of the Conde-en-Brie in Champagne, consisting of the chateau of Condé and a village approximately fifty miles east of Paris. He inherited these lands from the parents of Mr. Evesne, the Counts of St. Paul - sur - Ternoy. When Marie de Luxembourg married François, Count of Vendôme (1470-1495) in 1487, Condé-en-Brie became part of the Bourbon-Vendôme inheritance.
After the disappearance in 1527 of the Dukes of Bourbon, François's son Charles (1489-1537) became head of the House of Bourbon, which traces its male line to Robert, Count of Clemont (1256-1318), younger son of the Holy King of France, Louis IX of France. Of the sons of Charles of Vendôme, the eldest, Antoine, became King Consort of Navarre. The youngest son, Louis, inherited the estates of Meo, Nogé, Condé and Sossan. Louis was named Prince of Condé in a parliamentary document of January 15, 1557, and became Prince Without Lands, that is, it was a title for Princes of the Blood, Royal Family, and for the next three centuries the title passed to the Princes of the Blood.
Louis, the first prince, actually gave the lands of Condé to his youngest son, Charles (1566-1612), Count of Soissons. Charles's only son Louis (1604-1641) left Conde and Soissons to heirs in 1624, who were married to representatives of the Savoy and Orléans dynasties.
Following the accession to the throne of France by Henry IV de Bourbon in 1589, his first cousin, the Prince of Condé (1588-1646), was the possible heir to the French crown until 1601. Although Henry's own descendants thereafter held senior positions within the Dauphin royal family, the Fils de France, and the line of Junior Princes of the Blood, from 1589 until 1709 the Princes of Condé also held a number of positions at court in combination - for example, Grand Prince of the Royal Blood, for whom income was also attached, he had his own audience and ceremonial privilege (such as the sole right of address - Your Highness the Prince). However, the position of Grand Prince was transferred to the Dukes of Orléans in 1710, as the seventh prince, Louis III (1668-1710) refused to use that title, preferring instead to be known by his hereditary peerage title, Duke of Bourbon. Subsequent heirs similarly preferred a ducal title to a royal one.
The eldest sons of the Princes of Condé used the title Duke of Engoulême and were addressed as Monsignor Duke (Monsieur le Duc). The Princes of Condé were also the male ancestors of the branches of the Princes of Conti, who flourished 1629-1818, and the Counts of Soissons, 1566-1641. Although the sons and daughters of these branches of the House of Bourbon were considered princes and princesses of the blood, there was never a tradition use the title prince or princess for them in France, prefixed to their name by the titles duke/duchess or count/countess.
Princes of Condé
- Louis I of Bourbon-Condé (died 1569)
- Henry I of Bourbon-Condé (1569-1588)
- Henry II of Bourbon-Condé (1588-1646)
- Louis II of Bourbon-Condé Grand Condé (1646-1686)
- Henry III Jules Bourbon-Condé (1686-1709)
- Louis III of Bourbon-Condé (1709-1710)
- Louis IV Henry of Bourbon-Condé (1710-1740)
- Louis V José Bourbon-Condé (1740-1818)
- Louis VI Henry of Bourbon-Condé (1818-1830)
The only legitimate son of Louis VI Henry, Louis Antoine Heinrich of Bourbon-Condé, Duke of Engoulême, was executed at Vincennes in 1804, on the orders of Napoleon Bonaparte. With no other sons, brothers or cousins, the Bourbon-Condé line ended with the death of Louis VI Henry in 1830.
Fate linked the lives of the Russian Emperor Paul I and the French Prince Louis-Joseph Condé for many years. It is interesting to trace the history of their relationship in the light of the political events of those years and at the same time show how it affected the formation of the artistic image of "old Gatchina".Paul I and Prince Conde met in the early 1780s. in France in Chantilly, the residence of the Prince of Conde, and parted in the late 1790s. in Russia in St. Petersburg. The life of the Prince of Conde cannot be separated from his family estate in Chantilly, just like the life of Paul I from his beloved residence in Gatchina. The suburb of the French capital is located 40 km north of Paris, almost the same distance as Gatchina from St. Petersburg. The history of the estate, documented, begins in the 10th century, with the construction of a small medieval castle with gardens and forest land on the Nonet River. At the end of the XIV century. the castle was rebuilt by Pierre d "Orgemin and already in the 16th century became the property of the Montmorency family.
The most famous in this family was the constable Anne de Montmorency (1493-1567). He participated in all the battles of the royal army and received the highest military rank solely for the outstanding talents of a military leader and politician under King Francis I. Even death overtook Anne de Montmorency in the battle of Saint-Denis.
A born warrior, "a man of rough appearance, with a stern, sinister look," the constable, however, "had a very delicate taste." According to Gustave Macon, curator of the Chantilly Museum at the beginning of the 20th century, Anne de Montmorency "not only built beautiful castles, but was also a passionate collector of furniture, antiques, manuscripts, books." In Chantilly, Anne de Montmorency carried out the first major reconstruction: the castle was rebuilt in the Renaissance style according to the project of Jean Bulland, a park was laid out around it, and behind it hunting grounds stretched over a vast territory. There the owner with his numerous guests "drove deer and wild boar." At the same time, the well-known Constable Square appeared in front of the castle. Three centuries later, in Russia, at the behest of Emperor Paul I, similar squares would also be built in front of the Gatchina and Mikhailovsky castles.
A new page in the fascinating history of Chantilly is the life and work of Prince Louis II of Bourbon, who is better known as the Great Conde (Grand Conde, 1621-1686). Like the previous owner of the constable Anne de Montmorency, Louis II of Bourbon gained fame on the battlefield. The Princes of Condé belonged to the sideline of the Bourbons, who were descended from King Henry IV's uncle Louis Condé. The great Condé received Chantilly from his mother Charlotte-Marie Montmorency, wife of Henri II Condé. The marriage of his parents united two famous families - Montmorency and Condé. Since then, the Chantilly estate has served as a residence for the princes of Condé for two centuries.
During the time of the Great Conde, the scale of construction work in Chantilly was not inferior to the royal one in Versailles. The prince worked with such famous architects as Francine, Sauveur, Mansart and the unsurpassed master of landscape architecture Andre Le Nôtre, who was called "the royal gardener and the king of gardeners." It is no coincidence that Chantilly began to be called the "Versailles of Condé".
The great Condé was "an outstanding patron of the arts", a collector, the main defender of Molière, a close friend of Boileau, Racine, Bossuet, Madame Sevigne, Lafayette, Labrouère and La Fontaine. His salon in Chantilly brought together the leading contemporary luminaries of the musical and literary world, with whom "he could communicate as an equal with equals."
Endless palace intrigues forced the great commander to fight not only on the battlefield, but also at court for the favor of Louis XIV. In this struggle, the Grand Conde successfully used talented people, huge funds and the beauties of Chantilly: a magnificent castle, a magnificent park with a canal, “the most beautiful in France”, alleys and parterres among mirrored ponds, cascades and fountains that “did not remain silent for a day , nor at night. Condé turned Chantilly into a "theater of magnificent celebrations" interrupted only by military campaigns or the king's temporary disgrace.
The fabulously magnificent, luxurious, wasteful receptions that were arranged for Louis XIV are widely known. For example, a memorable royal reception in Chantilly on April 23, 1671, which was attended by more than five thousand people, 60 tables were served for 80 couverts each three times a day. It was then that the tragedy happened, which Madame Sevigne mentions in her Letters, with the maître d' Conde. Chef Vatel committed suicide due to a delay in fish at the royal table, "corresponding to the exquisite set of dishes that was presented there."
The aim of life for the next owner, Louis-Henri-Bourbon-Condé (1692-1740) or Monseigneur Leduc, minister of Louis XV, was also to further decorate Chantilly. Through his efforts, the castle was turned "into an even more expressive phenomenon than it was in the days of the Great Condé, and the park into" a living scenery for continuous festivities. Thanks to Monseigneur Leduc, well-known manufactories for the production of soft porcelain and painted fabrics were founded in Chantilly, and the famous Great Stables were built according to the design of Jean Aubert. The stables have been called "a triumph of Regency architecture". As you know, in Gatchina, the building of the former Cuirassier barracks is a somewhat modified copy of the Great Chantilly Stables.
Louis II, Louis de Bourbon was born on September 8, 1621 in Paris. He came from an old family of Bourbons, who were kings of France in 1589-1792, 1814-1830. He became so famous that his contemporaries called him Conde the Great.
He married quite early in those days - at the age of twenty. His wife was the niece of the all-powerful Cardinal Richelieu.
The first period of the reign of Louis fell on the time of the planned flourishing of the economy and politics, the time of the bright splendor of the royal court, the time of unprecedented festivities and entertainment.
Military career
The military talent of the Prince of Condé manifested itself even then, at the very beginning of his adult life. At the age of twenty-two, the prince, surrounded by musketeers, is already entering the city of Rocroix he has taken. The banners of the defeated enemy bowed at the feet of the victor. This battle immediately entered the history of military art as an example of military leadership talent. And from this battle, the Prince of Condé was recognized as great. At twenty-two!
In the same year, 1643, Prince Condé ended the military campaign of the year with the capture of Thionville and a number of other cities. And Conde began the next military campaign as the commander of all French troops in Germany and won a resounding victory in the battle of Freiburg, defeating the army of the Bavarian general Mercy. For this victory, the French king Louis XIV awarded the prince the title of generalissimo.
Conde justified his high military rank in the military campaign of 1645, when, without much loss and effort, he took Mainz, Philippsburg, won the battle of Nördlingen, and once again won the bloody battle of Freiburg.
In 1646, after a series of successful military operations, Condé captured Dunkirchen. Then the king transferred him to Catalonia. But here Conde was waiting for an unsuccessful siege of the fortress of Lleida. Well, even the great ones fail.
A year later, the Spaniards tried to take revenge in the Netherlands for the victories of the French troops under the command of the Prince of Condé. But this attempt also ended for them with another defeat from Conde, who won a very impressive victory in the battle of Lance. The victory was so serious that it and the entry of the Fronde led to the conclusion of peace in 1648.
"Parliamentary" period in the history of the Fronde
The history of the Fronde is divided into two stages - the "parliamentary" (1648-1649) and the "Princes' Fronde" (1650-1653).
The Paris Parliament was against the financial burden of the nobility, and before their eyes there was an example of England, so the Parliament spoke on May 13, 1648 against the financial edicts of Cardinal Mazarin, who replaced Cardinal Richelieu as the first person of France. Thus began the first Fronde.
Parliament at that time was only a judicial institution, having only the right to register new laws. Therefore, the parliament chose the only possible solution within its powers - it refused to register these edicts.
Also, the parliament decided to expand its own powers by carrying out a number of reforms: new taxes are introduced only with the approval of parliament, a ban on arrest, persecution without approval, and the abolition of quartermasters.
In response, Mazarin, taking advantage of the rise in government authority after the victory of the Prince of Condé at the Battle of Lens, decided to attack the Fronde and ordered the detention of the two most influential members of parliament. The Parisian population responded with barricades. Soon the Peace of Westphalia was signed, then the government and the court had no choice but to flee from Paris.
When Conde the Great returned to Paris, he immediately began the siege of the rebellious city. Parliament and Parisians prepared to fight to the end. The war requires money, then the parliament seized the property of the supporters of the court and, with the proceeds, capuited weapons for the defenders of the city. The Parisians were able to hold out for three whole months against the trained and experienced troops of the Prince of Condé.
During the siege, class differences arose between ordinary Parisians and the bourgeoisie. The poor peasants demanded drastic measures against the grain speculators, and by this they seriously frightened the bourgeoisie. In Paris, there was a smell of revolution "according to the English model." Therefore, the bourgeoisie considered it best to conclude a truce and the royal court again entered Paris.
Period of the "Fronde of Princes"
In 1650, the second period began - the "Fronde of Princes". High-ranking nobles decided, out of personal selfish motives, to take advantage of popular discontent, offended by Cardinal Mazarin. The Prince of Condé also joined the Fronde and paid for the fighting against Paris. Mazarin responded by arresting him.
The people stood up for the rebellious generalissimo and released him. Frightened, Mazarin fled the capital for the second time, and parliament, following him, under pressure from the people, declared the royal court outlaws.
Unrest began again in many provinces of France. And again, worried about the scope of the performances, the nobles rushed to bow to Mazarin. Together they were able to drown the unrest in the blood, and on October 12, 1652, Mazarin returned to Paris again. Nevertheless, he had to satisfy the demands of the Fronde.
However, the Prince of Condé was not satisfied and decided to continue the fight. Then Mazarin threw against him the army of Marshal Tyureny, loyal to the king, and in 1653 the prince's troops were defeated, and he himself had to flee to Spain. But he had no luck here. He began to serve the Spanish king and fought against his homeland. In this Franco-Spanish war of 1655-1659, France defeated Spain, and along with the latter, the Prince of Condé was also defeated.
After the defeat of the second Fronde, Conde the Great reconciled with the French king Louis XIV solemnly and sincerely. And he was forgiven. But if the king forgave, then his courtiers harbored enmity.
Election of Condé the Great to the Polish Throne
Conde the Great returned to military service. France at that time was shaken by a number of serious peasant unrest - in 1664 in Gascony, in 1666 in Roussillon, in 1670 in Languedoc ... Conde participated in the suppression of some of them.
During the War of Devolution, the Prince of Condé conquered Franche-Comté in two weeks in 1668. At the same time, he achieved his election to the Polish throne, in which the French court was extremely interested. Moreover, there was a tradition - in 1573, the first French generalissimo, Henri of Anjou, was the king of Poland.
After Conde the Great received the Polish crown, he approved the so-called "Heinrich Article". This article established a procedure that allowed the participation of the entire Polish gentry in the election of kings.
The king was obliged to regularly convene the diet, without the consent of the diet he could not declare war or conclude a peace treaty. However, Conde miscalculated: he was unpopular among the gentry and the Polish people. As a result, in 1674 another king occupied the Polish throne, from the Poles - Jan Sobieski, and Condé returned to the royal military service in France.
Return of Condé to France
In 1672 - 1675, Generalissimo Conde successfully led the fighting of the French troops in the Netherlands and Alsace. His victories ensured the power of France in Europe.
In 1675, the generalissimo retired, leaving an opinion in the history of military art about himself as a brilliant tactician and strategist. He spent the last years of his life in the Chantilly estate, surrounded by the most enlightened minds of France. Conde the Great died on December 11, 1686 at Fontainebleau.
