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Philippe of France (1640 - 1701), Duke of Orleans

The Catholic Church has never given up creating new Saints.  Sir Thomas More was canonised on 19 May 1935 by Pope Pius XI.  In 2000 Pope John Paul II declared More the “heavenly patron of statesmen and politicians”, although the prudence of commending to politicians as an example a man who declared his incinerated Protestant opponents to be “well and worthily burned” is open to question.  In 1955 Pope Pius XII established the Feast of “St. Joseph the Worker”, to be celebrated on 1 May. This date coincides with May Day; a union, workers’ and Socialist holiday. This reflects St Joseph’s status as what many Catholics and other Christians consider the “patron of workers” and “model of workers.”  Joseph is a counter-attraction to Karl Marx. I do not suppose that a “heavenly patron of gay men” will be nominated any time soon, but there is a suitable candidate in the person of Philippe, Duke of Orleans, the younger brother of King Louis XIV of France, who is known to have been a very pious and correct Catholic.  Other aspects of his life are more controversial.

Philippe was the younger son of King Louis XIII and his queen-consort Anne of Habsburg. Philippe became Duke of Orleans upon the death of his uncle Gaston, Duke of Orleans. During the reign of his brother he was known simply as Monsieur; the traditional style for the King’s next brother. Unabashedly camp and notoriously homosexual, he nonetheless fulfilled his dynastic duty by marrying twice and begetting numerous legitimate children. He also appears to have fathered some bastards by one or more mistresses. He was the founder of the House of Bourbon-Orleans, a cadet branch of the ruling House of Bourbon, and the direct ancestor of King Louis Philippe I, who ruled France from 1830 until 1848. Through the children of his two marriages, Philippe became an ancestor of most modern-day Roman Catholic, and some Protestant, royalty. His modern descendants include the two Pretenders to the imperial throne of Brazil; and the Comte de Paris and Prince Napoleon, both of whom have an historic claim to the throne of France. Through Prince Albert, he is also an ancestor of the British royal house. He truly earned his nickname of “the grandfather of Europe”. Philippe’s other achievements include his decisive victory as military commander at the Battle of Cassel in 1677.

Philippe had some excuse for the life of decadence for which he is chiefly remembered. His mother, who was a far stronger character than Louis XIII, had decided that the younger son should not be allowed to outshine his elder brother in any respect. Although he showed distinct military gifts, he was not allowed to develop these fully. Instead, he was encouraged to enjoy frivolous pleasures, which included acting and cross-dressing. As a young man Philippe would dress up and attend balls and parties in female attire. His inclination toward homosexuality was not discouraged. According to scandalous gossip Cardinal Mazarin, the Prime Minister, may even have arranged Philippe’s first homosexual contacts with his own nephew.

As the “official out gay” at the French court Philippe became in effect the protector of French gay men in the seventeenth century.  In theory homosexuality was a capital offence. Louis XIV is known to have hated gay men as much as he hated Protestants and would have been happy to “purge” France of them also. However this was too difficult; all the trails led ultimately to the elegant Chateau of St-Cloud, where Philippe lived with his court of painted cavaliers. With all his faults, Louis XIV was fond of his brother and Philippe lived for most of Louis XIV’s long reign. As a result, nothing was done; there was no gay equivalent of the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, which sent Protestants fleeing from France to enrich France’s enemies with their skills, and which brought both the Industrial Revolution (in England) and the French Revolution a step closer.

Philippe, Duke of Orleans was in some respects a caricature camp homosexual; dressed far beyond the height of Parisian fashion and heavily made-up. It should however be remembered that at this period most aristocrats of both sexes were heavily made-up in the evening and often during the day as well. However his intelligence and accomplishments have been underrated.  His vanished Chateau of St-Cloud was considerably more tasteful than Versailles with its threatening magnificence; he was a genuine connoisseur, unlike Louis XIV. Philippe was also deeply pious, always donning his Order of the Holy Ghost (le saint-esprit) before attending Mass or Benediction in the Chapel Royal.

1658 appears to have been the year in which Philippe’s sexuality became clarified. Court gossip suggested that Cardinal Mazarin’s nephew, the Duke of Nevers, had been the “first to have corrupted” Philippe with “the Italian vice” – contemporary slang for male homosexuality. This however remains unproven and might reflect Mazarin’s political unpopularity, rather than historical fact. Philippe certainly did make his first contact that year with Philippe de Lorraine, known as the Chevalier de Lorraine; the male lover with whom he would establish the closest emotional attachment throughout his life. The Chevalier’s cousin was the ruling Duke of Lorraine. Around the same time, Philippe met the famously vain, arrogant and handsome Armand de Gramont, comte de Guiche, with whom he fell in love. He also showed an interest in the Duchess of Mercoeur, Mazarin’s niece. She may have become one of his mistresses. Another lover of Philippe at this time was Antoine Coiffier, Marquis d’Effiat. The latter stayed in his household until Philippe’s death.

Philippe’s first wife was Princess Henrietta, or Minette, the daughter of Charles I of England and his French wife, Queen Henrietta Maria.  Unfortunately Henrietta was more enamoured of Louis XIV than of his brother, her husband. Court gossip later suggested that the King was really the father of Henrietta’s first child. Henrietta’s open flirting is said to have caused a jealous Philippe to retaliate by beginning to flaunt his own sexuality more openly; he could get away with it.  Henrietta then allegedly seduced Philippe’s old lover, Armand, comte de Guiche. In 1662 Philippe became a father when Henrietta gave birth to their daughter Marie Louise, a future Queen of Spain. For his part, Philippe would always consider Marie Louise his favourite child. The girl was baptised on 21 May 1662. The ducal couple would not have another child until 1664, when Henrietta gave birth to a son who was given the title Duke of Valois, but who died in infancy.

Henrietta is best known for her part in negotiating the Secret Treaty of Dover; an offensive and defensive treaty between England and France signed at Dover on 1 June 1670. It required England inter alia to assist France in her war against the Dutch Republic. Having returned to France, Henrietta had to endure Philippe’s jealous spite for her secret mission to Dover and her part in the exile of the Chevalier de Lorraine. She travelled to Saint Cloud on 24 June, when she started to complain of pains in her side. On 30 June she collapsed on the terrace of the chateau. She claimed that she had been poisoned. She died on 30 June 1670. The Chevalier de Lorraine and the Marquis d’Effiat were popularly suspected of having poisoned her but an autopsy showed that she had in reality died of a perforated duodenal ulcer.

Louis XIV insisted that Philippe should re-marry. He chose the bride, the Princess Palatine, Elizabeth Charlotte: a tall German grenadier of a woman. Philippe duly married Elizabeth Charlotte, who converted to Roman Catholicism, on 16 November 1671. She was not attractive, as Henrietta had been. When Philippe first saw her, he is said to have remarked “how will I ever be able to sleep with her?” She became renowned for her brusque candour, upright character and lack of vanity. Her letters record how willingly she gave up sharing Philippe’s bed at his request after their children’s births and how she endured the presence of his male favourites in their household.

Elizabeth Charlotte gave birth to a son in June 1673 who was named Alexandre Louis and given the title Duke of Valois. Alexandre Louis would die, however, in 1676. A second son, Philippe, would follow in 1674, and then a daughter, in 1676, after which the Duke and Duchess of Orleans agreed to sleep in separate beds. Philippe’s second son with Elizabeth Charlotte, known as the Duke of Chartres until he inherited the dukedom of Orleans in 1701, would serve as Regent during the minority of Louis XV. He was a man of considerable intellectual gifts, the friend of learned men;   although mainly remembered today for his abandoned (heterosexual) lifestyle and his contempt for conventional religion and morality.

Despite his effeminacy, which was perhaps only skin-deep, Philippe showed definite gifts as a soldier. Having already established himself as a successful military commander during the War of Devolution in 1667, Philippe was eager to return to the field. In 1676 and 1677 he took part in sieges in Flanders and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General. The most impressive victory won under Philippe’s command took place on 11 April 1677: the Battle of Cassel against Netherlands Stadtholder William III of Orange; later King William III of England. William had decided to relieve some besieged towns; from Ypres he marched at the head of an army of 32,000 men through Poperinge and Oxelaere in the Cassel Valley. Philippe, who learned of his plans, arranged to meet William’s forces at Penebeek. Louis XIV sent him 25,000 foot-soldiers and 9,000 cavalry under the command of Marshal de Luxembourg. By nightfall there were 66,000 soldiers ready for battle.

The Dutch stormed the French positions without first exploring the site. The result was that Marshal de Luxembourg was able to surprise the Dutch with a cavalry attack that practically destroyed three battalions and forced William and his Dutch troops to flee. In all, casualties on both sides amounted to 4200 deaths and 7000 injuries. Philippe was hailed for his skill as a military commander; much to the annoyance of his brother, the King. He was jealous of Philippe’s growing popularity at Court and in Paris, as well as with the Army.

This suggests that, far from wishing to be an effeminate wastrel, Philippe would have preferred a life of action in the Army. His gifts as a strategist are known to military historians of the seventeenth century. However, like a lot of gay soldiers, he was very brave as well.  In fact, he was completely fearless, except that he found his brother the King intimidating.  How he escaped being killed in battle is still a mystery.  He and his regiment were always dressed in resplendent uniforms, which he had designed and which must have made them excellent targets. He was easily recognisable: always hatless, for fear of crushing the curls of his beautiful wig. His idea of fun was to hurl himself into the heart of the battle at the head of a cavalry charge, a sabre in one hand and a pistol in the other. But, at Louis XIV’s insistence, the Cassel campaign marked the end of Philippe’s military career; he soon immersed himself once again in a life of pleasure.  This, and the consolidation and embellishment of his estates, seemed to be the only option available.

Philippe’s very able son, the Duke of Chartres, was denied a position at the front in the War of the Spanish Succession, which began in 1701. This slight was the source of great bitterness on the part of both father and son. The pretext seems to have been the behaviour of Chartres in parading his mistress Mademoiselle de Séry in view of his wife. On 8 June 1701 Louis XIV and Philippe met at the Chateau de Marly to dine together. Louis XIV attacked Philippe about Chartres’s conduct with Mademoiselle de Séry. Philippe responded by tartly reprimanding Louis for his own similar conduct with his mistresses during his marriage to Queen Marie Thérèse, adding that Chartres had still not received the favours promised to him for having married his wife Françoise Marie, a legitimated daughter of Louis XIV by Madame de Montespan, whom he detested. Louis was shocked to be spoken to in such a manner by his brother. The announcement of dinner halted the argument; the brothers sat down to dine.

Philippe angrily returned to Saint Cloud early the same evening to take supper with his son. He collapsed after suffering a fatal stroke on 9 June 1701 at the age of sixty. Louis XIV, upon hearing that his only sibling had died was genuinely distressed. He said “I cannot believe I shall never see my brother again”.The Duchess of Burgundy, his granddaughter, was equally distraught, avowing that she “had loved Monsieur very much”. Philippe’s heart was taken to the Val-de-Grace convent and his body to the Royal Abbey of St Denis, north of Paris, where it remained until the French Revolution. Elizabeth Charlotte burnt all the letters from Philippe’s lovers through the years, lest they fall into the wrong hands, noting that the scent of the perfumed letters had nauseated her. Louis XIV assured the new Duke of Orleans, formerly the Duke of Chartres, that the past was forgotten and that henceforth he was to look on him as his father. The Court was plunged into genuine mourning; Philippe had been better-liked than he had realised.

The Indigo Bird

An Erotic Novel by Max Markham

James Graveney, a young Major in a respectable regiment, is outwardly conventional. In private James is bisexual, with a strong urge for his own sex. Gay sex, however, is illegal in the Army, so he is discreet about this.

James’ world is turned upside-down when he meets Lieutenant Richard Finch. Richard is intelligent, charismatic and exceptionally handsome.  He doesn’t mess around. He gets what he wants, and is completely unscrupulous about how he gets it. Richard will stop at nothing to achieve this, including Machiavellian deception and a cunning and brutal murder.  James starts responding to Richard, cautiously at first, then gets swept along on the great love affair of his life.

The Indigo Bird is a rollercoaster of surprises set against backdrops varying from the jungles of Belize to London, the English countryside, and Ireland, and the scene is set for more shocks and adventures. [Read more...]