ORLEANS, LOUIS PHILIPPE JOSEPH, DUKE OF (1747-1793), called PHILIPPE EGALITi, son of Louis Philippe, duke of Orleans, and of Louise Henriette of Bourbon-Conti, was born at St. Cloud on April 13, 1747. Having borne the title of duke of Montpensier until his grandfather's death in 1752, he be came duke of Chartres, and in 1769 married Louise Marie Ad elaide de Bourbon-Penthievre, daughter and heiress of the duke of Penthievre, grand admiral of France. Her wealth made him the richest man in France, and he determined to play a part equal to that of his great-grandfather, the regent, whom he resembled in character and debauchery. As duke of Chartres he opposed the plans of Maupeou in 1771, and was exiled to his country estate of Villers-Cotterets (Aisne). When Louis XVI. came to the throne in 1774 Chartres still found himself looked on coldly at court. In 1778 he served in the squadron of D'Orvilliers, but the Queen obtained his removal from the navy and he was given the honorary post of colonel-general of hussars. He then abandoned himself to pleasure; he often visited London, becoming an inti mate friend of the prince of Wales (afterwards George IV.). He made himself very popular in Paris by his gifts to the poor in time of famine, and by throwing open the gardens of the Palais Royal to the people. Before the meeting of the notables in 1787 he had succeeded his father as duke of Orleans, and advertised his liberalism so boldly that he was believed to be aiming at be coming constitutional king of France. In November he was again exiled to Villers-Cotterets. He was elected to the States-General and led the minority of 47 noblemen who seceded from their own estate (June 1789) and joined the Tiers Etat. The part he played during the summer of 1789 is one of the most debated points in the history of the Revolution. The court accused him of being at the bottom of every popular movement, and saw the "gold of Orleans" as the cause of the Reveillon riot and the tak ing of the Bastille. The best testimony for his behaviour during this summer is that of an English lady, Mrs. Grace Dalrymple Elliott, who shared his affections with the comtesse de Buffon; her statement shows that at the time of the riot of July 12 he was on a fishing excursion, and was rudely treated by the king on the next day when going to offer him his services. La Fayette per
suaded the king to send the duke to England on a mission and he remained in England from Oct. 1789 to July 1790. On July 7, he took his seat in the Assembly, and on Oct. 2, both he and Mira beau were declared by the Assembly entirely free of any com plicity in the events of October. He now tried to avoid politics, but the court suspected him, and his friends talked about his being king. He made no attempt to get himself made king, regent or lieutenant-general of the kingdom at the time of the flight to Varennes in June 1791, but again tried in vain to make his peace with the court in Jan. 1792. In the summer of that year he was present for a short time with the army of the north, but had returned to Paris before Aug. Io. After that day he ran great risks in saving fugitives ; in particular, he saved the life of the count of Champcenetz, the governor of the Tuileries, his personal enemy, at the request of Mrs. Elliott. After accepting the title of Citoyen Egalite, conferred on him by the commune of Paris, he was elected 2oth and last deputy for Paris to the Convention. In that body he sat as quietly as in the National Assembly, but at the king's trial he had to speak, and then only to give his vote for the death of Louis. Nevertheless when the news of the desertion of his eldest son, the duke of Chartres with Dumouriez became known in Paris all the Bourbons remaining in France, including Egalite, were arrested April 5. He remained in prison until Octo ber, when the Reign of Terror began, and was decreed "of accusa tion" on Oct. 3. He was tried on Nov. 6, and guillotined on the same day. Personally Orleans possessed the charming manners of a polished grand seigneur; he was debauched and cynical, but never rude or cruel, full of gentle consideration for all about him but selfish in his pursuit of pleasure.