Prince of Conti (French: ''prince de Conti'') was a French noble title, assumed by a

cadet branch A cadet branch consists of the male-line descendants of a monarch's or patriarch's younger sons ( cadets). In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets (realm, titles, fiefs, property and incom ...

of the princely house of Bourbon-Condé.

History

The title derives its name from

Conty Conty () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Origin of the name Conty comes from ''cond'' (confluence) (of the rivers and streams in the valley). The Princes of Conti, a minor branch of French royalty, to ...

, a small town in northern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, c. 35 km southwest of

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; , or ) is a city and Communes of France, commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in the region ...

, which came into the Bourbon-Condé family by the marriage of Louis de Bourbon, first Prince of Condé, with

Eleanor de Roye Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal dialect, Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It was the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages. ...

in 1551. François de Bourbon (1558–1614), the third son of this marriage, was given the title of ''marquis de Conti'' and was later elevated to the rank of ''prince de Conti''. He died in 1614 and the title lapsed, since his only child had predeceased him in 1610. In 1629, the title of Prince of Conti was revived in favor of Armand de Bourbon (1629–1666), second son of Henry II, Prince of Condé, and brother of Louis, the ''Grand Condé''. During the time that the

House of Bourbon The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a dynasty that originated in the Kingdom of France as a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Kingdom of Navarre, Navarre in the 16th century. A br ...

ruled France, from the reign of King

Henry IV of France Henry IV (; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (''le Bon Roi Henri'') or Henry the Great (''Henri le Grand''), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 16 ...

to the reign of King Louis-Philippe of the French, the Princes of Conti were considered to be ''princes du sang'' in the

Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the Middle Ages, medieval and Early modern France, early modern period. It was one of the most powerful states in Europe from th ...

. The holders of this title used the style of

Serene Highness His/Her Serene Highness (abbreviation: HSH, second person address: Your Serene Highness) is a style (manner of address), style used today by the reigning families of Liechtenstein, Monaco and Thailand. Until 1918, it was also associated with the p ...

Marquis and Princes of Conti

* 1558-1614:

marquis A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or wido ...

, then from 1581 onwards 1st prince François de Bourbon At his death, the title was not passed on, for want of direct descendants. The title was bestowed in 1629 upon: * 1629-1666 : 2nd prince Armand * 1666-1685 : 3rd prince Louis Armand I * 1685-1709 : 4th prince François Louis * 1709-1727 : 5th prince Louis Armand II * 1727-1776 : 6th prince Louis François I * 1776-1814 : 7th prince Louis François II At his death, the title was not passed on, for want of legitimate descendants.

Family tree

References

* {{Princes of Conti Conti, Prince of Conti, Prince of 1814 disestablishments in France

History

Marquis and Princes of Conti

Family tree

See also

References