Who married Henrietta of England?

Henrietta of England (Henrietta Anne Stuart; 16 June 1644 O.S. [26 June 1644 N.S.] – 30 June 1670) was the youngest child of King Charles I of England and his wife, Henrietta Maria of France. She was Duchess of Orléans through her marriage to Philippe I, Duke of Orléans.

Fleeing England with her mother as an infant in the midst of the English Civil War, Henrietta moved to the court of her first cousin King Louis XIV of France, where she was known as Minette. She married her cousin Philippe I, Duke of Orléans and became a fille de France, but their relationship was marked by frequent tensions over common suitors.

Henrietta played an instrumental role in negotiating the Secret Treaty of Dover between France and England against the Dutch Republic in June 1670, the same month as her unexpected death at the age of 26. Jacobite claims to the British throne after Henry Benedict Stuart's death descend from her daughter Anne Marie.

Read more...

Monsieur Philippe I, Duke of Orléans (21 September 1640 – 9 June 1701) was the younger son of King Louis XIII of France and Anne of Austria, and the younger brother of King Louis XIV. He was the founder of the House of Orléans, a cadet branch of the ruling House of Bourbon.

Styled Duke of Anjou from birth, Philippe became Duke of Orléans upon the death of his uncle Gaston in 1660. He was also granted the dukedoms of Valois, Chartres and Nemours. Known as le Petit Monsieur or simply Monsieur, Philippe was a distinguished military commander and took part in the War of Devolution and the Franco-Dutch War, the latter of which saw his victory over William of Orange at the Battle of Cassel. Through careful personal administration, he greatly augmented the fortunes of the House of Orléans, which rivalled that of the Bourbons.

Throughout his life, Philippe was open about his preference for male lovers, most notably the Chevalier de Lorraine, and freely acted with effeminacy. He married twice, first to Henrietta of England and then to Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate. The two daughters of his first marriage, Marie Louise and Anne Marie, became queens consort of Spain and Sardinia, respectively, while his son Philippe II served as regent of France from 1715 to 1723.

Read more...