Louis-Philippe-Joseph d’Orléans, duc d’Orléans
Date of Birth
April 13, 1747
Date of Death
November 6, 1793
About
One of France’s richest princes, Louis-Philippe-Joseph d’Orléans had opposed royal policy before 1789 and supported constitutional reform. The commercial galleries he developed around the Palais-Royal became a major centre of print, debate and political mobilisation, although claims that he directed the agitation remain unproven. Elected to the Convention for Paris in 1792, he adopted the surname Égalité and voted for Louis XVI’s death. After his eldest son joined Dumouriez’s defection, he was arrested with other Bourbons, convicted on charges of conspiracy and aspiring to royal power, and executed on 6 November 1793. His eldest son, Louis-Philippe, became king of the French in 1830.