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A consistent theme in queer history is the role of social and economic privilege, especially when examining the lives of historical LGBTQIA+ persons who lived openly, and authentically, in otherwise hostile cultural contexts. This is a theme that I also explored in another recent blog post on the infamous bisexual opera singer, Julie d’Aubigny. But privilege plays a fundamental role in understanding the life of the man in the figurative shadow of the Sun King, Louis XIV – his younger brother, Philippe, the Duke d’Orleans.
There are no “iron masks” or dramatic coups in Philippe’s story – nor closets, either. Philippe was arguably the figurehead of a dynamic community of queer men who surrounded the Court of Versailles throughout the 17th and early 18th centuries. Historian Chad Denton writes that “the well-documented and uniquely claustrophobic environment of Versailles provides a unique opportunity for examining pre-modern, non-normative sexuality.”[1] Philippe himself was hardly discreet about his own “non-normative” gender identity and sexual desires; he was openly homosexual, and possibly gender non-binary, throughout his long and well-documented life.
Early Life: The Heir, and the Spare
Philippe was born in 1640 to King Louis XIII of France and Anne of Austria, just two years after the birth of his now famous older brother, the future Louis XIV. Philippe was thus “the spare heir” and treated accordingly throughout this childhood. Whereas his older brother Louis XIV was the presumptive heir to the throne and trained accordingly in statecraft, Philippe was raised to have the skills and courtly bearing of a royal duke. The younger prince was intended as part of the extensive supporting cast for his older brother’s eventual reign, but never to overshadow him. Philippe was reportedly cossetted by his mother Anne, who called him “my little girl” and may have encouraged his noticeably effeminate behavior in early childhood.[2]
Adulthood and Relationships
Despite his sexuality, Philippe was forced into two political marriages (through which he ultimately fathered several children), the first to English princess Henrietta Anne Stuart in 1661.[3] He disregarded her almost immediately after their marriage commenced in favor of a succession of male lovers. A close friend of the princess admitted, “[t]he miracle of inflaming the heart of this prince was reserved for no woman in this world.”[4] By the time of his first marriage, Philippe was already known as an avid enthusiast for “the Italian vice”, or male homosexual desire, in the parlance of the era. His first lover, the Duke of Nevers, was said to have first seduced Philippe in 1658 well before his marriage to Henrietta. This affair was soon followed by arguably the most enduring and passionate relationship of his life with Philip of Lorraine-Armagnac, the Chevalier de Lorraine. Philippe all but flaunted his homosexual relationships throughout his time at the French court, although such activity was theoretically a capital offense and the subject of extreme official censure. His second wife, Elisabeth Charlotte, would note in his later years that “Monsieur [the Duke d’Orleans] is still the same as he was in his youth” and complained bitterly of his financial expenditure on his young male lovers.[5]
Philippe’s queerness, however, was evident not only in his sexual orientation, as it appears that he defied both cisgender normativity as well as heteronormativity. One source notes that Philippe was “[a] great fan of effeminate clothing and extravagant outfits”.[6] As a youth, Philippe engaged in regular cross-dressing, and often attended public balls and entertainments dressed as a woman.[7] Transvestism was relatively common in early modern Europe, and was one of the key ways in which transgender and gender non-binary persons could safely express their identity before gender reassignment and confirmation options were available.
his absolutist monarchy centered at the Palace of Versailles
Although his older brother, King Louis XIV, did not condone his brother’s homosexual relationships and flaunting of gender norms, he seems to have tacitly accepted his brother’s identity. One source notes that “[Philippe’s] relationship with his brother had always been a complex one, but they shared a deep fraternal affection.”[8] Importantly, Philippe represented no threat to his brother’s throne and remained steadfastly loyal throughout their lives. The most important aspect of their relationship was their ability to cooperate for the interests of the French crown; in that sense, they were resoundingly successful. Philippe was a gifted soldier and military strategist, and ably led his brother’s troops during the War of Devolution (1667 – 68) and the Dutch War (1672 – 78).[9] Louis XIV recognized that his brother, whatever he felt privately about his sexual and gender orientation, was an asset to his reign and broader vision for France.
Legacy
By the time of his death in 1701, Philippe had been one of the most influential figures of the Sun King’s court for a half-century. His influence persisted well after his death as his daughters went on to become queens at other courts, while his son Philippe II, Duke d’Orleans, would serve as regent for Louis XV.[10] Philippe’s queer sexuality, and likely gender identity, never constituted a threat to his person, his financial welfare or his social rank at any point during his lifetime. All of his behavior was well known and widely acknowledged, but Philippe was never at risk of any serious consequences for his choice to live authentically to himself even in an officially conservative, Catholic, Counter-Reformation France.
Philippe’s story throws the importance of power, and its proximity to societal privilege, into sharp relief; whatever his choices, Philippe was always a leading light at his brother’s court and Parisian society, a royal prince with the wealth and property to match. He, and most of the high-ranking noblemen who were among his lovers, were effectively above reproach. His brother, Louis XIV, famously declared “L’état, c’est moi,” or “I am the state” in the definitive statement of absolute monarchy. Surrounded by his brother’s lifelong protection, Philippe was untouchable regardless of who his behavior might have offended. It was hardly so for the vast majority of French society in the Baroque era, and queer persons who lacked similar societal privileges were likely forced to tread much more carefully for fear of harsher social and legal repercussions. It is these stories that have been lost to us today – or are perhaps waiting yet to be uncovered.
Regardless, we can (and should) be grateful that Philippe was empowered to live his life as he chose; his is among the many rich and fascinating biographies of openly queer people available to us from the early modern era of Europe. While it is easy to assume that these centuries were defined by unrelenting oppression of queer people throughout Western society, Philippe’s story is one of many which demonstrates that this was not always the case. Queer people could, and did, thrive in a wide range of historical contexts. Philippe’s story is thus one of many in the ever-growing pantheon of noteworthy queer figures in world history.
[1] Chad Denton, The Brotherhood : Male Same-Sex Love Among the Early Modern Court Nobility, Paris, Cour de France.fr, 2014, Article inédit mis en ligne le 1er juin 2014, https://cour-de-france.fr/article3332.html
[2] Louis Crompton, Homosexuality & Civilization, Harvard University Press, 2006, pg. 342.
[3] Amy Tikkanen, “Philippe I de France, duc d’Orléans,” Encyclopedia Britannica, June 5, 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Philippe-I-de-France-duc-dOrleans.
[4] Marie-Madeleine Pioche de La Vergne, comtesse de La Fayette, Histoire de Madame Henriette d’Angleterre, ed. Gilbert Sigaux, 1982, pg. 36.
[5] Denton, ibid.
[6] Chateau de Versailles, “Philippe I, Duke of Orleans,” https://en.chateauversailles.fr/discover/history/great-characters/philippe-i-duke-orleans.
[7] Compton, pg. 341.
[8] The Chateau de Versailles, ibid.
[9] Tikkanen, ibid.
[10] Ibid.