Philippe de Lorraine is best known under his title of Chevalier de Lorraine, the life-long passion of Philippe, Duc d'Orléans. The chevalier was a controversial figure even in his own time - as beautiful and charming as he could be, he was equally unscrupulous, manipulating and even brutal. His open relationship with the Duc d'Orléans in a time when homosexuality usually led to a death sentence was in itself enough to cause a stir. However, given the willingness shown by Louis XIV to turn a blind eye to his brother's escapades, the Chevalier might have gone unscathed through life if he had been wise enough to stay under the radar - yet, that was not in his nature.
During his lifetime, Philippe would find himself exiled from court - and the Duc d'Orléans - twice. The first exile came in January 1670 when Philippe was 27 years old and had been the Duc's lover for twelve years. After such a long time as the favourite of the king's beloved brother, the Chevalier might have considered himself somewhat untouchable. However, when the king's men barged into the Chevalier's chambers in the early hours of 30th January 1670, that illusion shattered.
By this point, several factors had led to the forcibly removal of the Chevalier de Lorraine. The most important one has historically been attributed to none other than the Duchesse d'Orléans. Henriette of England, first wife of Monsieur, found her marriage increasingly crowded. While she might have expected her husband to take a mistress, she certainly could not have expected him to flaunt his lover in such a open manner. As the two Philippes became ever closer, it soon became clear that the Chevalier de Lorraine held complete sway over the Duc d'Orléans - and he was scrupulous enough to take advantage of it. Hitherto, his influence had been on the increase but this development was considered problematic on two accounts.
First, Henriette had become a dear companion to the king who haboured a genuine affection for his sister-in-law. Whereas she had previously been welcomed as a new addition to the family, the king now considered her to be a valued companion. Secondly, Louis XIV was seeking an alliance with Charles II of England who happened to be Henriette's brother. It would not do to attempt an alliance while the English king's most beloved sister was subjected to various humiliations in her own house by her husband's lover. Thus, it became a matter of urgency to have the Chevalier removed, at least temporarily.
Yet, Olivier Lefèvre d'Ormesson's diary gives another hint as to why the king chose that moment to strike against his brother. The Bishop of Langres has recently died and as his diocese was located within the territory belonging to the Duc d'Orléans, he had thought himself free to bestow it as he saw fit. According to Ormesson, the Duc d'Orléans had promptly promised two abbeys in the diocese - and their incomes - to the Chevalier de Lorraine . Yet, Louis XIV refused to ratify the gift which had caused Philippe to angrily leave his brother's presence making his intentions of removing himself entirely from court obvious. He chose to retreat to the rather remote Villers-Cotterets.
As the Chevalier de Lorraine was known to dictate his lover's actions, it is not unlikely that the king considered this anger partially due to the slighted Chevalier.
Whichever - if not all - was the reason behind the disgrace, Philippe de Lorraine found himself on the road to Lyons which would serve as his initial place of imprisonment. Here he would be held under guard at the Pierre-Encise.
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| Presumed to be the Chevalier de Lorraine |
Back at court, Monsieur was furious with his brother. He bombarded the king with in turn threats, tantrums and pleas but the Duc d'Orléans himself remained away from court. Not only had he removed himself from court, but he had also used his legal prerogative as a husband to force his wife to accompany him. Perhaps that was why the king decided to have the Chevalier de Lorraine moved from Lyons into the notorious Château d'If located in the Mediterranean. If the king truly did move the Chevalier de Lorraine as a means of pressuring his brother, it worked. On 24th February - almost a month after his lover's arrest - Philippe returned reluctantly to court.
As for Philippe de Lorraine, he was released from his gloomy prison but was not welcomed back to court. Instead, it was made abundantly clear that he was to remove himself to Rome. There he would arrive in the spring of 1670 - and there he would learn of the unexpected death of Henriette. Immediately, there were those at court who insisted that he must have sent poison from Rome to be administered to his rival - after all, Italy was infamous for overflowing with poisons.
Although he certainly did not appreciate it, Philippe de Lorraine ought to have counted himself lucky. Amongst his many titles was that of Knight of Malta and Louis XIV had allegedly been inclined to force him into fulfilling his duties as such - undoubtedly, Philippe would not have appreciated swapping his luxurious and comfortable lifestyle for one of harsher military service far removed from any semblance of influence.
While the court mourned the loss of Henriette, the Chevalier de Lorraine was sulking in Rome where he was bound to spend two whole years before finally being recalled to the French court. Once he had returned, he found a new Madame to contest with: Elizabeth-Charlotte of the Palatinate.
As it happens, it has been suggested that the Duc d'Orléans - knowing full well that his house had no male heir - made the return of the Chevalier de Lorraine a bargaining point for agreeing to remarry. Whether true or not can be guessed at but it is a remarkable coincidence that the Chevalier de Lorraine was given his permission to return on the same day that the German princess arrived in Strasbourg...
For several years, life at the Palais-Royal marched on as it had before Philippe's first exile. His relationship with the Duc d'Orléans was as brazen as ever, as was Philippe's imposing attitude towards his lover's wife. An entire decade would elapse before Philippe once more found himself in hot water with the king - and this time it was not instigated by the king's sister-in-law, but by his own son.
Versailles had recently become the fixed residence of the fixed court in 1682 when the court was rocked by a scandal. The scandal included several young men of the finest families who were revealed to be using the gardens for their "unnatural meetings" - amongst them was the king's own son, the Comte de Vermandois. Having been born of Louise de La Vallière, the Comte de Vermandois was the king's first illegitimate son to be recognised at court. When he was implicated in the scandals, he was immediately hauled before his august father whose intense questioning finally broke the 15-year old. Vermandois confessed to having been "debauched" by a long list of high-ranking men, including the Prince de Conti - and the Chevalier de Lorraine.
Louis XIV could not public exile the Prince de Conti, a prince of the blood, without causing international scandal. However, the Chevalier de Lorraine was a different matter entirely. Probably further angered by Vermandois' claims that Lorraine had been amongst those who had attempted to entice the dauphin himself into the Italian vice, the king decided to once more made his fury known.
This time, the king chose not to send Philippe into outright exile. Instead, he informed his brother's lover that it would be in his best interest not to be seen at court too often. One could hardly be clearer.
Yet, once the storm had passed, it did not take long for the Chevalier de Lorraine to find his place at court once more - and the king refrained from commenting on it. It is not clear exactly whether the Chevalier de Lorraine actually had "debauched" the young prince; he certainly was a part of a so-called brotherhood but it is not unthinkable that the Comte de Vermandois mentioned him when pressured by his father, the king. It would certainly seem very odd if Louis XIV should permit Philippe de Lorraine to return to court so shortly after the scandal had been exposed, if he had indeed been the driving force behind it.
While it would certainly not be the last scandal of the Chevalier de Lorraine, he would not find himself exiled again. Until his death in 1702 he remained a constant companion of Philippe - and thus continued to be a shadow that undoubtedly irritated both Philippe's brother and wife.
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