The House of Orléans (French: Maison d’Orléans), sometimes known as the House of Bourbon-Orléans (Maison de Bourbon-Orléans), is the fourth bearer of a dynastic name historically used by several branches of the French royal family. All of these branches descend in the legitimate male line from Hugh Capet, founder of the Capetian dynasty.
The modern House of Orléans was founded by Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, the younger son of Louis XIII and younger brother of Louis XIV, the “Sun King.” From 1709 until the French Revolution, the dukes of Orléans stood next in the line of succession after the senior Bourbon line descended from Louis XIV. Although Louis XIV’s direct descendants retained the throne, the Orléans branch flourished until the collapse of the monarchy. Members of the House of Orléans ruled France from 1830 to 1848 and continue to claim the throne today.
A cadet branch, the House of Orléans-Braganza, was established through the marriage of Isabel of Braganza, Princess Imperial of Brazil, and Prince Gaston of Orléans, Count of Eu. Though never reigning, this branch has claimed the Brazilian throne since 1921.
Origins and Background
Under France’s ancien régime, it became customary for the Duchy of Orléans to be granted as an appanage to a younger son of the king, typically the second surviving son. As a result, each Orléans line descended from a junior prince closely related to the reigning monarch. These princes were often near the throne in succession and occasionally ascended it.
During the reign of Louis XIV, two Bourbon-Orléans branches existed simultaneously. The elder branch descended from Gaston, Duke of Anjou, younger son of Henry IV, who became Duke of Orléans in 1626. Upon his death in 1660, the duchy reverted to the Crown. Louis XIV subsequently granted the Orléans appanage to his own younger brother, Prince Philippe, who became Duke of Orléans and founder of the modern house.
At court, Gaston was known as Le Grand Monsieur, while Philippe was styled Le Petit Monsieur. Philippe later married Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, a noted writer and observer of court life, and together they established the House of Bourbon-Orléans as it is known today.
Rise to Prominence
Philippe’s son, Philippe II, served as regent of France during the minority of Louis XV following the death of Louis XIV in 1715. The Regency (La Régence) elevated the House of Orléans to a position of exceptional political influence. Philippe II governed France from the Palais-Royal in Paris, while the young king resided nearby in the Louvre.
After Louis XV reached his majority in 1723, Philippe II died later that year, and his son Louis d’Orléans succeeded him as Duke of Orléans and heir presumptive to the throne. From this point onward, the Orléans dukes ranked as premier princes du sang, meaning they stood first in succession should the king’s immediate family fail to produce an heir.
Louis d’Orléans, a deeply devout and withdrawn figure, lived a quiet life and died in religious seclusion. His son, Louis-Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, pursued a military career before retiring to private life.
Revolution and Exile
Under Louis XVI, the Orléans family reached both immense wealth and political peril. Louis-Philippe II d’Orléans, known as Philippe Égalité, openly supported the French Revolution and even voted for the execution of his cousin, the king. This act earned him temporary revolutionary favor but permanent enmity from royalists. He was arrested during the Reign of Terror and guillotined in 1793.
The remainder of the family fled or was imprisoned. Several members died in exile, while others scattered across Europe and the United States. Only Philippe Égalité’s widow remained in France for a time before being banished in 1797.
Restoration and the July Monarchy
Following the Bourbon Restoration in 1814, surviving members of the House of Orléans returned to France and regained their titles and properties. In 1830, the July Revolution deposed Charles X, and the throne passed to Louis-Philippe III d’Orléans, son of Philippe Égalité.
Louis-Philippe ruled as a constitutional monarch under the title “King of the French”, emphasizing popular sovereignty rather than divine right. His reign lasted until the Revolution of 1848, when he abdicated and fled to England.
Later Claims and Legacy
After 1848, France remained republican, but monarchist movements persisted. In the 1870s, Orléanists and Legitimists attempted to unite behind a single claimant, but disagreements—most notably over the national flag—prevented restoration. When the last senior Bourbon claimant died in 1883, many Legitimists recognized the House of Orléans as the rightful heirs, though others shifted allegiance to the Spanish Carlist line.
Today, supporters of the House of Orléans regard its head as the legitimate heir to both the constitutional title of King of the French and the traditional Legitimist title of King of France and Navarre, even though France has not had a monarch since 1848.
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