Louis Philippe I

Louis Philippe I (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848 as the leader of the Orléanist party. His father Philippe Egalité had supported the Revolution of 1789 but was nevertheless guillotined during the Reign of Terror. Louis Philippe fled France and spent 21 years in exile. He was proclaimed king in 1830 after Charles X, of the senior Bourbon line, was forced to abdicate. His reign, known as the July Monarchy, was dominated by wealthy elite and numerous former Napoleonic officials. He followed conservative policies especially under the influence of François Guizot in 1840–48. He promoted friendship with Britain and sponsored colonial expansion, notably the conquest of Algeria. His popularity faded and he was forced to abdicate in 1848; he lived out his life in exile in Great Britain.

Before the Revolution (1773–1789)

Early life

Louis Philippe d'Orléans was born in the Palais Royal, the Orléans family residence in Paris, to Louis Philippe, Duke of Chartres, who became Louis Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans (also known as "Philippe Égalité" during the French Revolution), and Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon. As a member of the reigning House of Bourbon, he was a prince du sang, which entitled his to the use of the style Serene Highness. His mother was an extremely wealthy heiress who was an illegitimate descendant of Louis XIV of France.