Armand de Bourbon, Prince of Conti (11 October 162926 February 1666), was a French nobleman, the younger son of Henri II, Prince of Condé and

Charlotte Marguerite de Montmorency Charlotte Marguerite de Montmorency (11 May 1594 – 2 December 1650) was an heiress of one of France's leading ducal families, and Princess de Condé by her marriage to Henri de Bourbon. She almost became a mistress of Henry IV of France, b ...

, daughter of Henri I, Duke of Montmorency. He was the brother of '' le Grand Condé'' and Anne Geneviève, Duchess of Longueville. As a member of the reigning

House of Bourbon The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a European dynasty of French origin, a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Spani ...

, he was a '' Prince du Sang''.

Early life

Blason Armand, prince de Conti (1626 † 1666)

The title of Prince of Conti was revived in his favor at the time of his birth in 1629. With the title, Armand also inherited the

Château de L'Isle-Adam The Château de L'Isle-Adam, now destroyed, could be found in the town of L'Isle-Adam in the department of Val-d'Oise; it was built on an island called the ''Île du Prieuré'' The building was connected with many illustrious families; the Lord ...

and its estate, which had been passed down to his mother Charlotte Marguerite after the death of her brother,

Henri II de Montmorency Henri II de Montmorency (1595 – 30 October 1632) was a French nobleman and military commander. Biography Born at Chantilly, Oise, Henri was the son of Henri I de Montmorency and Louise de Budos. He was the godson of Henri IV and was constant ...

. He was destined for a clerical career and studied

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

at the university of Bourges, but although he received several

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

s, included the abbeys of

Cluny Cluny () is a commune in the eastern French department of Saône-et-Loire, in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. It is northwest of Mâcon. The town grew up around the Benedictine Abbey of Cluny, founded by Duke William I of Aquitaine in ...

and Saint Denis, he did not take

orders Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...

. He played a conspicuous part in the intrigues and fighting of the

Fronde The Fronde () was a series of civil wars in France between 1648 and 1653, occurring in the midst of the Franco-Spanish War, which had begun in 1635. King Louis XIV confronted the combined opposition of the princes, the nobility, the law cour ...

, became in 1648 commander-in-chief of the rebel army, and in 1650 was with his brother (Condé) and brother-in-law ( Longueville) imprisoned at

Vincennes Vincennes (, ) is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. It is next to but does not include the Château de Vincennes and Bois de Vincennes, which are attache ...

Life in prison

Said to be "mystic" and "full of strange ideas", Conti turned slightly mad while in prison. Having a secret passion for his sister the Duchess of Longueville, he invented tricks to make her notice him. He tried

alchemy Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim wo ...

and potions for some time and eventually bruised himself with a

spatula A spatula is a broad, flat, flexible blade used to mix, spread and lift material including foods, drugs, plaster and paints. In medical applications, "spatula" may also be used synonymously with tongue depressor. The word ''spatula'' derives f ...

. This episode was ultimately fortunate for him because he could no longer be refused external help from physicians, some of whom would pass letters and pleas to the outside world which speeded up his eventual release.

Later life

Released when

Cardinal Mazarin Cardinal Jules Mazarin (, also , , ; 14 July 1602 – 9 March 1661), born Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino () or Mazarini, was an Italian cardinal, diplomat and politician who served as the chief minister to the Kings of France Louis XIII and Louis X ...

went into exile, he wished to marry Charlotte-Marie de Lorraine (1627–1652), the second daughter of Madame de Chevreuse, the confidante of the queen,

Anne of Austria Anne of Austria (french: Anne d'Autriche, italic=no, es, Ana María Mauricia, italic=no; 22 September 1601 – 20 January 1666) was an infanta of Spain who became Queen of France as the wife of King Louis XIII from their marriage in 1615 unt ...

(wife of King

Louis XIII of France Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crow ...

), but was prevented from doing so by his brother Condé, who was now supreme in the state. He was concerned in the

of 1651, but soon afterwards became reconciled with Cardinal Mazarin, and in 1654, married the cardinal's niece,

Anne Marie Martinozzi Anne Marie Martinozzi, Princess of Conti (1637 – 4 February 1672) was a French aristocrat and court official. She was a niece of King Louis XIV of France's chief minister Cardinal Mazarin, and the wife of Armand de Bourbon, Prince of Conti ...

, as well as secured the government of

Guienne Guyenne or Guienne (, ; oc, Guiana ) was an old French province which corresponded roughly to the Roman province of ''Aquitania Secunda'' and the archdiocese of Bordeaux. The name "Guyenne" comes from ''Aguyenne'', a popular transformation of ...

. They had two sons,

Louis Armand Louis François Armand (17 January 1905 – 30 August 1971) was a French engineer and senior civil servant who managed several public companies, as well as had a significant role in World War II as an officer in the Resistance. He became the f ...

and François Louis. He took command of the army, which in 1654, invaded

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

through

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the no ...

, where he captured three towns from the Spanish. He afterwards led the French forces in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, but after his defeat before

Alessandria Alessandria (; pms, Lissandria ) is a city and ''comune'' in Piedmont, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Alessandria. The city is sited on the alluvial plain between the Tanaro and the Bormida rivers, about east of Turin. Alessandri ...

in 1657, he retired to

Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately ...

, where he devoted himself to study and

mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in ...

until his death. At Clermont, Conti had been a fellow student of

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...

's, from whom he secured an introduction to the court of King

Louis XIV Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...

, but afterwards, when writing a treatise against the stage entitled, ''Traité de la comédie et des spectacles selon les traditions de l'Église'' (Paris, 1667), he charged the dramatist with keeping a school of

atheism Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no d ...

. Conti also wrote ''Lettres sur la grâce'', and ''Du devoir des grands et des devoirs des gouverneurs de province''. Conti died on 26 February 1666 at

Pézenas Pézenas (; Languedocien: ''Pesenàs'') is a commune in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region in southern France. Name The name "Pézenas" is derived from the older name ''Piscenae'', probably from the Latin word ''piscenis'', meanin ...

in Languedoc, France.

Issue

Armand married

, the daughter of Girolamo Martinozzi and

Laura Margherita Mazzarini Laura Margherita Mazzarini (1608–9 June 1685) was the daughter of Pietro Mazzarini and Ortensia Buffalini. Life and career On 9 July 1634 she was married to Count Girolamo Martinozzi (b. 1610). They had two daughters: Anna Maria (Rome, 1637 - ...

, elder sister of Cardinal Mazarin. They had the following children: #Louis de Bourbon (1658), died in infancy. # Louis Armand I, Prince of Conti (1661–1685), married

Marie Anne de Bourbon Marie Anne de Bourbon, ''Légitimée de France','' born Marie Anne de La Blaume Le Blanc, by her marriage Princess of Conti then Princess Dowager of Conti, '' suo jure'' Duchess of La Vallière and of Vaujours (2 October 1666 – 3 May 1739) ...

, the eldest legitimised daughter of King Louis XIV and his mistress,

Louise de La Vallière Françoise ''Louise'' de La Vallière, Duchess of La Vallière and Vaujours, born Françoise Louise de La Baume Le Blanc de La Vallière, Mademoiselle de La Vallière (6 August 1644 – 7 June 1710) was a French noblewoman and the first mistress ...

, and died childless. # François Louis, Prince of Conti (1664–1709), known as "''le Grand Conti''", married

Marie Thérèse de Bourbon Marie Thérèse de Bourbon (1 February 1666 – 22 February 1732) was the titular Queen consort of Poland in 1697. She was the daughter of the Prince of Condé. As a member of France's reigning House of Bourbon, she was a '' princesse du sang''. ...

, daughter of

Henri Jules, Prince of Condé Henri Jules de Bourbon (29 July 1643, in Paris – 1 April 1709, in Paris, also ''Henri III de Bourbon'') was '' prince de Condé'', from 1686 to his death. At the end of his life he suffered from clinical lycanthropy and was considered insane. B ...

(Armand's nephew), and had issue.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bourbon, Armand de, prince de Conti Conti, Armand de Bourbon, prince de Conti, Armand de Bourbon, prince de 17th-century French military personnel 17th-century French writers 17th-century male writers Grand Masters of France Armand Jansenists Nobility from Paris Armand de Bourbon, prince de French male writers 17th-century peers of France People of the Fronde Royal reburials