Louis Auguste, Duke of Maine
Louis Auguste de Bourbon ( * March 31, 1670, † May 14, 1736 ) was Duke of Maine and a biological son of the French king Louis XIV, Madame de Montespan.
Life
Louis Auguste was the favorite son of his father. In 1692 he married Louise Benedicte, the daughter of Henri III. Jules de Condé.
Like almost all the children of King Louis with Madame de Montespan and Louis was legitimized by his father. In the summer of 1714 was Ludwig him and his brother, the Count of Toulouse, ascribe even the right of succession in the case of extinction of the legitimate line. This ruling was controversial from the beginning, but from the situation of the royal family in 1714 of course. After a series of deaths in the direct line of succession and after 1713 forced by the Allies in the War of Succession renunciation of Philip V of Spain to the French throne, there was the little Duke of Anjou, the future Louis XV. , Only a single direct heir to the throne. The next contender to the throne were the Bourbon branch lines Orléans and Condé. Both lines were therefore from the outset against the inclusion of the only legitimate children of the king.
In mid-August 1715 the king's health deteriorated dramatically. On the 22nd of this month he was no longer able to personally conduct a military parade in honor of him, held in the courtyard of the palace of Versailles. As a sign of the rise in rank of the Duke of Maine it has been entrusted with this task on the side of Dauphin. That drew another upset, especially in the House of Orléans.
On September 1, 1715, the king died. According Testament, the Dukes of Orleans and Maine now have in common the regency for the minor Louis XV. should lead. The official regent Philip of Orleans should be responsible, Louis Auguste (since 1674 Colonel Général of the Swiss Guard ) should suzerainty over the court of Louis XV. and exercise the command of the bodyguard. But already on September 2, Philip of Orleans was the will of the king to cancel the Paris Parlement. The Duke of Maine was then switched off and temporarily arrested. With the help of Parlements coup from above Louis Auguste from all his offices was deposed in a kind and later also its legitimacy by Louis XIV was declared invalid. In 1718 he was interned in the Bastille, after he instigated a revolt against the regent, to overthrow and assassinate this.
While Philip now took over the regency and Cardinal Dubois appointed to his Prime Minister, the Duke of Maine was sidelined. He, above all, his wife Benedicte, did not want to put up with this situation. As a result, the Duchess instigated a conspiracy against the regent and the young king. They stood with the Spanish Ambassador Antonio del Giudica and some other influential men in the league. But Cardinal Dubois had learned of the conspiracy and smashed it immediately. A survey of the Bretons in favor of Philip V of Spain also failed. As a result of their conspiracy, the Duchess of Maine to the castle of Dijon, and her husband were sent to Doulans into exile. Thus ending all ambitions of the ducal couple in exile.
Sibling
His siblings were:
- Louise Françoise (1673-1743), married to Louis III. de Bourbon, Prince of Condé
- Françoise Marie (1677-1749), married to the later regent Philippe II de Bourbon, Duke of Orléans
- Alexandre Louis (1678-1737), Count of Toulouse, married to Marie de Noailles.