Nicolas Henri, Duke of Orléans

Nicolas Henri, Duke of Orléans (April 16, 1607 – November 17, 1611) was the second son and fourth child of Henry IV of France and his Italian queen Marie de' Medici. Although he is commonly given the first name Nicolas or Nicolas Henri, he was never solemnly baptized and so never had a Christian name.

Nicolas Henri
Duke of Orleans
A ca. 1610 sketch of the Duke of Orléans.
Duke of Orléans
Reign	1607 - 1611
Predecessor	Catherine de' Medici
Successor	Gaston, Duke of Orléans
Born	(1607-04-16)16 April 1607
Died	17 November 1611(1611-11-17) (aged 4)
Burial	25 November 1611 Basilica of St Denis
House	Bourbon
Father	Henry IV of France
Mother	Marie de' Medici

Biography

The prince was born at the Palace of Fontainebleau on 16 April 1607 and died on 17 November 1611 at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye. He was known as Monsieur d'Orléans or the Prince sans nom (prince without name), as it was customary in the royal house of France to name the children only at the time of their baptism.

His youngest brother, Gaston de France, titled at birth as Duke of Anjou as was customary for the third son, was born in 1608. At a very young age, he had been engaged to Marie de Bourbon, Duchess of Montpensier, heiress of the House of Bourbon-Montpensier. Marie was the greatest heiress of the age and was the future mother of la Grande Mademoiselle.

The Duke of Orléans died at the age of four as a result of an epileptic attack. The title of Duke of Orléans reverted to the crown and was later given to his younger brother Gaston who outlived him for another four decades. His brother would also marry Marie in 1626.

He was buried at the Royal Basilica of Saint Denis, outside Paris.

Ancestors

Ancestors of Nicolas Henri of France

16. Francis, Count of Vendôme[1] 8. Charles, Duke of Vendôme[2] 17. Marie de Luxembourg[1] 4. Antoine of Navarre[3] 18. Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor[4] 9. Françoise of Alençon[2] 19. Maria of Austria[4] 2. Henry IV of France 20. John III of Navarre[5] 10. Henry II of Navarre[6] 21. Catherine of Navarre[5] 5. Jeanne III of Navarre[3] 22. Charles, Count of Angoulême[7] 11. Marguerite of Angoulême[6] 23. Louise of Savoy[7] 1. Nicolas Henri of France 24. Giovanni dalle Bande Nere[8] 12. Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany[8] 25. Maria Salviati[8] 6. Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany[9] 26. Pedro Álvarez de Toledo[10] 13. Eleanor of Toledo[8] 27. Maria Osorio[10] 3. Marie de' Medici 28. Philip I of Castile[11] 14. Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor[12] 29. Joanna of Castile[11] 7. Joanna of Austria[9] 30. Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary[13] 15. Anne of Bohemia and Hungary[12] 31. Anna of Foix-Candale[13]

References

1. Kurth, Godefroid (1911). "Philip II" . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. 12. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
2. Anselme 1726, pp. 328–329.
3. Anselme 1726, pp. 143–144.
4. Wurzbach, Constantin, von, ed. (1860). "Habsburg, Anna von Oesterreich (Königin von Spanien)" . Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire] (in German). 6. p. 151 – via Wikisource.
5. Jiménez, Consuelo Juanto. "Enrique II de Albret". Diccionario biográfico España (in Spanish). Real Academia de la Historia.
6. Anselme 1726, p. 211.
7. Anselme 1726, pp. 210–211.
8. "The Medici Granducal Archive and the Medici Archive Project" (PDF). p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 January 2006.
9. Leonie Frieda (14 March 2006). Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France. HarperCollins. p. 386. ISBN 978-0-06-074493-9. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
10. Cesati, Franco (1999). Medici. Firenze: La Mandragora. p. 75. ISBN 88-85957-36-6.
11. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Joanna" . Encyclopædia Britannica. 15 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
12. Wurzbach, Constantin, von, ed. (1860). "Habsburg, Johanna von Oesterreich (Tochter des Kaisers Ferdinand I.)" . Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire] (in German). 6. p. 290 – via Wikisource.
13. Cazacu, Matei (2017). Reinert, Stephen W. (ed.). Dracula. Brill. p. 204.

Bibliography

• Anselme de Sainte-Marie, Père (1726). Histoire généalogique et chronologique de la maison royale de France [Genealogical and chronological history of the royal house of France] (in French). 1 (3rd ed.). Paris: La compagnie des libraires.

Nicolas Henri, Duke of Orléans House of Orléans Born: 16 April 1607 Died: 17 November 1611
French royalty
Preceded by Louis, Dauphin of France	Heir to the Throne as Heir presumptive 14 May 1610 — 17 November 1611	Succeeded by Gaston, Duke of Orléans
French nobility
Preceded by Alexandre Édouard	Duke of Orléans 1607–1611	Succeeded by Gaston, Duke of Orléans