Goods of the House of Orléans

Under the Ancien Régime, the goods of the House of Orléans (biens de la maison d'Orléans) comprised two distinct parts : the apanage and the "biens patrimoniaux".

Ancien Regime

The Apanage d'Orléans

The apanage of Orléans was originally formed by Louis XIII for his brother Gaston who died without male heirs in 1660. The apanage then reverted to the French crown. In 1661 Louis XIV ceded it to his brother Philippe. Originally it comprised the duchies of Orléans, Valois and Chartres, as well as the seigneurie of Montargis. Over time it expanded to include the following territories

  • In 1672, Louis XIV added the Duchy of Nemours, the counties of Dourdan and Romorantin, and the marquisats of Coucy and Folembray.
  • In 1692, the Palais-Royal was incorporated into the apanage in protest of the clause in Cardinal Richelieu’s will bequeathing it solely for the king's use.
  • In 1740, Louis XV added the hôtel de Grand-Ferrare in Fontainebleau.
  • In 1751, the county of Soissons was added.
  • In 1766, La Fère, Marle, Ham, Saint-Gobain, canal de l'Ourcq, and Résidence Châtillon in Paris were included

The "biens patrimoniaux"

The "biens patrimoniaux" had varied origins:

Purchases

Revenue earned from the apanages, the "biens patrimoniaux", as well as the monies raised in the roles and offices taken by members of the house of Orléans, allowed them to purchase more land and châteaux :

The Goods under the July Monarchy

The act of donation-partage of 7 August 1830

Louis-Philippe of France

On 7 August 1830, two days before his accession to the throne, Louis-Philippe d'Orléans passed, in the presence of his notary, Jean-Antoine-Philippe Dentend,[1] an act of "donation-partage" of his "biens patrimoniaux" was drawn up to avoid their being reunited with the crown lands upon his accession, in accordance with ancient law. Thus only the apanage d'Orléans was apportioned to crown lands in 1830.

In 1826, when he coveted the throne of Greece, Louis-Philippe envisioned making a "donation-partage", a project taken up and completed in 1830. By this act, the duke of Orléans transferred to his children the "nue-propriété" of his personal property, all the while reserving his use of it.

Acquisitions under the July monarchy

Pictures

French Republic

After King Louis Philippe I died while in exile in Claremont House, Surrey, in 1850, his property in the French Second Republic was meted out to his numerous children and grandchildren. All male members of the House of Orléans were exiled from France by law between 1886 and 1950. When Henri, Count of Paris (1908–1999), returned in 1950, he found little property left, except for a few castles which didn't produce income. Divorced with eleven children in 1974, he transferred key family assets to the family foundation, Fondation du Saint-Louis, in order to exempt them from future distribution through inheritance and taxes.[2] The respective head of the House of Orléans is the honorary chairman of the foundation whose assets included the Château d'Amboise (family museum), the Château de Bourbon-l'Archambault and the Château de Dreux (private residence), with the Chapelle royale de Dreux, the necropolis of the Orléans royal family. When he sold further property he faced legal action from his sons. At the time of his death in 1999 he remained heavily in debt.

References

  1. Dentend was an illegitimate child of a younger brother of Louis-Philippe, Antoine d'Orléans (1775-1807), duc de Montpensier.
  2. Website Fondation Saint-Louis (fr.)
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