Robert, Duke of Chartres
Encyclopedia
Prince Robert Philippe Louis Eugène Ferdinand of Orléans, Duke of Chartres (November 9, 1840, Paris – December 5, 1910, Saint Firmin
) was the son of Prince Ferdinand Philippe, Duke of Orléans and thus grandson of King Louis-Philippe of France
. He fought for the Union
in the American Civil War
, and then for France in the 1870 Franco-Prussian War
. In 1863 he married his cousin Princess Françoise of Orléans
in Kingston upon Thames
- she was the daughter of François, Prince of Joinville. In 1886 he was exiled from France.
, and his children. However, the assembly of Ledru-Rollin, Crémieux
and Lamartine, frustrated her plans and instituted the Second French Republic. Helena and her children thus left France for Germany, whilst Louis-Philippe and the rest of the royal family moved to the United Kingdom. There they set up home in Claremont
, property of King Leopold I of Belgium
, himself related to Louis-Philippe. Whilst in England, in 1857 his mother Duchess Helene of Mecklenburg-Schwerin succumbed to influenza, which she passed on to Robert.
Sent to Turin for military training shortly after his mother's death, the duke of Chartres became an officer in the Piedmontese dragoons and fought in the Wars of Italian Unification on the side of France and the House of Savoy
from 1859 onwards. He notably fought at the battle of Palestro
, for which he was decorated by king Victor Emmanuel II. In 1861, Chartres fought at his brother's side in another war : the American Civil War
. As an officer on the staff of the Union commander-in-chief, the young prince also fought the South at Gaines' Mill
. During their stay in the United States, the princes were accompanied by their uncle, the Prince of Joinville, who painted many watercolours of their stay. Returning to Europe, the Duke of Chartres decided to marry but, as an exiled member of a royal house considered illegitimate by most of the reigning dynasties of the continent, found he would be unable to marry a foreign princess. He thus asked for the hand of his first cousin Françoise d'Orléans-Joinville, whom he married on June 11, 1863, in Kingston upon Thames, England. They bought and lived in a house in Ham
, (now the site of the Cassel Hospital
).
Finding himself in Brussels with his uncles Prince François and Prince Henri, Duke of Aumale in 1870 on the declaration of the Franco-Prussian War
, the Duke of Chartres immediately requested Napoleon III's government for authorisation to fight in the conflict. However, the minister of war opposed Robert's participation in the was and he was thus unable to enroll in the French army until after the fall of the Empire. He thus fought in the war under the pseudonym Robert Le Fort and was made head of a squadron in the armée de la Loire
, fighting with such distinction he was made a knight of the Légion d'honneur
once the war was over. The provisional government kept him at that rank and in 1871 sent him to Algeria
to put down a native revolt. In 1881 the Republican regime - more and more hostile to members of the Orléans and Napoléon former French royal families - removed him from his post as colonel of the 19th mounted chasseur
s. Then in 1886 the law of exile allowed the government to remove the prince from the army lists.
Saint-Firmin, Hautes-Alpes
Saint-Firmin is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France.-Population:-References:*...
) was the son of Prince Ferdinand Philippe, Duke of Orléans and thus grandson of King Louis-Philippe of France
Louis-Philippe of France
Louis Philippe I was King of the French from 1830 to 1848 in what was known as the July Monarchy. His father was a duke who supported the French Revolution but was nevertheless guillotined. Louis Philippe fled France as a young man and spent 21 years in exile, including considerable time in the...
. He fought for the Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, and then for France in the 1870 Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
. In 1863 he married his cousin Princess Françoise of Orléans
Princess Françoise of Orléans (1844–1925)
Françoise of Orléans was a member of the House of Orléans and by marriage Duchess of Chartres.-Princess of Orléans:...
in Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the...
- she was the daughter of François, Prince of Joinville. In 1886 he was exiled from France.
Life
Born in 1840, the duke was very soon orphaned - his father died in a cabriolet accident in 1842, and his mother died in 1857. Thus, during their childhood and adolescence, he and his elder brother were mainly looked after by their grandparents, king Louis-Philippe and queen Marie-Amélie of the Bourbon-Siciles. He followed the rest of the Orléans family into exile after the 1848 revolution. Louis-Philippe refused to fire upon the revolutionaries and thus abdicated his crown in favour of Robert's brother on February 24,. As a result Robert's mother Helena presented herself before the chamber of deputies to proclaim her elder son king of the French and to have herself named regent, accompanied by her brother-in-law, the Duke of NemoursDuke of Nemours
In the 12th and 13th centuries the Lordship of Nemours, in the Gatinais, France, was in possession of the house of Villebeon, a member of which, Gautier, was marshal of France in the middle of the 13th century...
, and his children. However, the assembly of Ledru-Rollin, Crémieux
Adolphe Crémieux
Adolphe Crémieux was a French-Jewish lawyer and statesman, and a staunch defender of the human rights of the Jews of France. - Biography :...
and Lamartine, frustrated her plans and instituted the Second French Republic. Helena and her children thus left France for Germany, whilst Louis-Philippe and the rest of the royal family moved to the United Kingdom. There they set up home in Claremont
Claremont (country house)
Claremont, also known historically as 'Clermont', is an 18th-century Palladian mansion situated less than a mile south of Esher in Surrey, England...
, property of King Leopold I of Belgium
Leopold I of Belgium
Leopold I was from 21 July 1831 the first King of the Belgians, following Belgium's independence from the Netherlands. He was the founder of the Belgian line of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha...
, himself related to Louis-Philippe. Whilst in England, in 1857 his mother Duchess Helene of Mecklenburg-Schwerin succumbed to influenza, which she passed on to Robert.
Sent to Turin for military training shortly after his mother's death, the duke of Chartres became an officer in the Piedmontese dragoons and fought in the Wars of Italian Unification on the side of France and the House of Savoy
House of Savoy
The House of Savoy was formed in the early 11th century in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, it grew from ruling a small county in that region to eventually rule the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 until the end of World War II, king of Croatia and King of Armenia...
from 1859 onwards. He notably fought at the battle of Palestro
Battle of Palestro
The Battle of Palestro was fought on 30/31 May 1859 between the Austrian Empire and the combined forces of the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont and France. The Franco-Piedmontese forces were victorious...
, for which he was decorated by king Victor Emmanuel II. In 1861, Chartres fought at his brother's side in another war : the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. As an officer on the staff of the Union commander-in-chief, the young prince also fought the South at Gaines' Mill
Battle of Gaines' Mill
The Battle of Gaines's Mill, sometimes known as the First Battle of Cold Harbor or the Battle of Chickahominy River, took place on June 27, 1862, in Hanover County, Virginia, as the third of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War...
. During their stay in the United States, the princes were accompanied by their uncle, the Prince of Joinville, who painted many watercolours of their stay. Returning to Europe, the Duke of Chartres decided to marry but, as an exiled member of a royal house considered illegitimate by most of the reigning dynasties of the continent, found he would be unable to marry a foreign princess. He thus asked for the hand of his first cousin Françoise d'Orléans-Joinville, whom he married on June 11, 1863, in Kingston upon Thames, England. They bought and lived in a house in Ham
Ham, London
Ham is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the River Thames.- Location :Its name derives from the Old English word Hamme meaning place in the bend in the river. Together with Petersham, Ham lies to the east of the bend in the river south of Richmond and north of Kingston...
, (now the site of the Cassel Hospital
Cassel Hospital
The Cassel Hospital was founded and endowed by Ernest Cassel in England in 1919. It was initially for the treatment of "shell shock" victims. Originally in Penshurst, Kent, it moved to Stoke-on-Trent during World War II. In 1948 it relocated to its present site at No...
).
Finding himself in Brussels with his uncles Prince François and Prince Henri, Duke of Aumale in 1870 on the declaration of the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
, the Duke of Chartres immediately requested Napoleon III's government for authorisation to fight in the conflict. However, the minister of war opposed Robert's participation in the was and he was thus unable to enroll in the French army until after the fall of the Empire. He thus fought in the war under the pseudonym Robert Le Fort and was made head of a squadron in the armée de la Loire
Armée de la Loire
The Armée de la Loire was a French army of the Franco-Prussian War. It was formed in October 1870 by Léon Gambetta, interior minister and minister for war in the Government of National Defence, then taking refuge in Tours after the French defeat at Sedan on 2 September 1870...
, fighting with such distinction he was made a knight of the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
once the war was over. The provisional government kept him at that rank and in 1871 sent him to Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
to put down a native revolt. In 1881 the Republican regime - more and more hostile to members of the Orléans and Napoléon former French royal families - removed him from his post as colonel of the 19th mounted chasseur
Chasseur
Chasseur [sha-sur; Fr. sha-sœr] is the designation given to certain regiments of French light infantry or light cavalry troops, trained for rapid action.-History:...
s. Then in 1886 the law of exile allowed the government to remove the prince from the army lists.
Issue
Robert and Françoise had 5 children:- Princess Marie of Orléans (1865–1909), who in 1885 married Prince Valdemar of DenmarkPrince Valdemar of DenmarkPrince Valdemar of Denmark, GCTE was a member of the Danish Royal Family, the youngest son of Christian IX of Denmark and his wife Luise of Hesse-Kassel...
, son of King Christian IX of DenmarkChristian IX of DenmarkChristian IX was King of Denmark from 16 November 1863 to 29 January 1906.Growing up as a prince of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, a junior branch of the House of Oldenburg which had ruled Denmark since 1448, Christian was originally not in the immediate line of succession to the Danish...
. - Prince Robert d'Orléans (1866–1885).
- Prince Henri of Orléans (1867–1901).
- Princess Marguerite d'Orléans (1869–1940), who in 1896 married Marie-Armand-Patrice de Mac-Mahon, 2nd Duke of Magenta, son of Patrice de Mac-Mahon, 1st Duke of Magenta.
- Prince Jean d'Orléans, "Duke of Guise" and Orléanist pretender to the throne of France as "Jean III", who in 1899 married his first cousin Princess Isabelle d'Orléans (1878–1961), daughter of Prince Philippe, Count of Paris.