Biography

Excerpt: "Louis-Philippe-Joseph, duc d'Orléans, descended from the royal Bourbon family, yet became a supporter of popular democracy during the 1789 Revolution. He was the great-great-grandson of Philippe I, duc d'Orléans [1640-1701], younger brother of Louis XIV, and the great-grandson of Philippe II, duc d'Orléans [1674-1703], who as regent for Louis XV endeavored to secure his own secession over that of Philip V of Spain. Louis-Philippe-Joseph's own son Louis-Philippe reigned as King following the July Revolution of 1830. Louis-Philippe-Joseph was Louis XVI's cousin, but lived away from the royal court at Versailles due to his hostility toward the King's wife, Marie-Antoinette. Louis-Philippe-Joseph supported the under priviledged Third Estate and was considered a hero by the revolutionaries; after the fall of the monarchy in August 1792, he renounced his noble title and accepted the name Philippe Égalité. He was elected to the National Convention, and voted for the execution of Louis XVI. Nonetheless, Égalité himself was sent to the guillotine in 1793, accused of conspiring with his son, the future King, and Austrian accomplices.