Louis de Bourbon (October 1612 – 6 August 1669), was

Duke of Mercœur The Seigneurs and Dukes of Mercœur were a line of powerful lords deriving their name from the estate of Mercœur in Auvergne (province), Auvergne, France. The line became extinct in the 14th century, and passed by inheritance to the Dauphin of Auv ...

and later the second

Duke of Vendôme Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...

, and the grandson of

Henry IV of France Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarc ...

and

Gabrielle d'Estrées Gabrielle d'Estrées, Duchess of Beaufort and Verneuil, Marchioness of Monceaux (; 157310 April 1599) was a mistress, confidante and adviser of Henry IV of France. She persuaded Henry to renounce Protestantism in favour of Catholicism in 1593. La ...

. He became Duke of Vendôme in 1665, after the death of his father.

Biography

Louis was the son of César de Bourbon, ''Légitimé de France'', Duke of Vendôme and Françoise de Lorraine (1592–1669), daughter of

Philippe Emmanuel, Duke of Mercœur Philippe is a masculine sometimes feminin given name, cognate to Philip. It may refer to: * Philippe of Belgium (born 1960), King of the Belgians (2013–present) * Philippe (footballer) (born 2000), Brazilian footballer * Prince Philippe, Count ...

(d. 1602). Louis had a military career and was

Governor of Provence The land of Provence has a history quite separate from that of any of the larger nations of Europe. Its independent existence has its origins in the frontier nature of the dukedom in Merovingian Gaul. In this position, influenced and affected by ...

from 1653 to 1669. After the death of his wife in 1657, he entered the church and became a cardinal and

legate Legate may refer to: *Legatus, a higher ranking general officer of the Roman army drawn from among the senatorial class :*Legatus Augusti pro praetore, a provincial governor in the Roman Imperial period *A member of a legation *A representative, ...

of France. As a cardinal, he was styled as the ''cardinal de Vendôme''.

Marriage and issue

Louis married

Laura Mancini Laura Mancini (6 May 1636 – 8 February 1657) was a niece of Cardinal Mazarin. She was the eldest of the five famous Mancini sisters, who along with two of their female Martinozzi cousins, were known at the court of Louis XIV of France as the ''M ...

, niece of

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 ...

, on 4 February 1651. Their children: * Louis Joseph de Bourbon (1654–1712), Duke of Vendôme and

Marshal of France Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1 ...

; married Marie Anne de Bourbon no issue; * Philippe de Bourbon (1655–1727), called ''le prieur de Vendôme'', last Duke of Vendôme; never married; no issue. *Jules César de Bourbon (1657–1660) died in infancy.

Ancestry

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Louis, Duke Of Vendome 1612 births 1669 deaths House of Bourbon-Vendôme Dukes of Vendôme House of Bourbon Clergy from Paris 17th-century French cardinals Dukes of Étampes Dukes of Beaufort (France) Governors of Provence Date of birth unknown

Biography

Marriage and issue

Ancestry

See also

References

Sources