Henri I d'Orléans, duc de Longueville
Henry I of Orléans-Longueville (1568 – April 8, 1595) was a French aristocrat and military and Grand Chamberlain of France between 1589 and 1595.
He was the eldest son of Léonor d'Orléans, duc de Longueville (1540-1573) and Marie de Bourbon, duchess of Estouteville and countess of Saint-Pol (1539-1601).
He succeeded his father in 1573 as Duke of Longueville, Prince of Neuchâtel, Count of Saint-Pol, Count of Dunois and Tancarville. On 1 March 1588, he married Catherine Gonzaga (1568-1629), daughter of Louis Gonzaga, Duke of Nevers, and had one son, Henry II. He was also governor of Picardië. It was in this function that he was asked by King Henry III of France to lift the siege of Senlis by Charles, Duke of Aumale. He succeeded in defeating the troops of the Catholic League in May 1589.
When Henry III was assassinated later that year, Longueville pledged loyalty to his Protestant successor Henry IV of France and received command over the forces in Picardy and became Grand Chamberlain of France.
Longueville died of wounds received by a musket salvo, celebrating his entry in Dourlers. Some say this was not an accident, but an assassination attempt organised by Gabrielle d'Estrées or a jealous husband.
The funerary monument for him and his son by François Anguier, can be seen in the Louvre Museum.
He was the loose inspiration behind the character of Longueville in William Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost.[1]
References
- ↑ G.R. Hibbard (editor), Love's Labour's Lost (Oxford University Press, 1990), p.49
External links
External list
| Henri I d'Orléans, duc de Longueville Cadet branch of the House of Valois Born: 1568 Died: 8 April 1595 | ||
| French nobility | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Léonor |
Duke of Longueville 7 August 1573 – 8 April 1595 |
Succeeded by Henri II |
| Regnal titles | ||
| Preceded by Léonor |
Prince of Neuchâtel 7 August 1573 – 8 April 1595 |
Succeeded by Henri II |