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(1 September 1734 – 13 March 1814) was Prince of Conti, succeeding his father Louis François de Bourbon. His mother was Louise Diane d'Orléans, the youngest daughter of Philippe d'Orléans, duc d'Orléans, the Regent of France during the minority of King Louis XV of France. As a member of the reigning House of Bourbon, he was a Prince du Sang.
Biography
Child of the Prince and Princess of Conti, he was born at the Hôtel de Conti in Paris. From birth he was known as the Count of La Marche (formally, Monsieur le Comte de La Marche). He would have very fragile health during his life but despite that, he lived to be 79 years old. His mother Louise Diane d'Orléans died in childbirth on 26 September 1736; the child also died. After Louise Diane's death, the Prince of Conti decided to retire to the château de L'Isle-Adam in order to be away from court and to pursue his love of hunting; later on, his father would have a very distinguished military career; he would also be a great collector and his mistress was the cultured Madame de Boufflers.
The young prince of the Blood was baptised at the Chapelle du château de Versailles on 29 November 1742 in front of the King (Louis XV of France) and his polish wife, Maria Leszczyńska. Eight years later, on 17 May 1750, the Count was made a Knight of the Order of the Holy Spirit[1]. This ceremony was also held at Versailles.
During the Seven Years' War (1756–1763), the young Count took part in the Battle of Hastenbeck on 26 July 1757 as well as the Battle of Krefeld (23 June 1758); in both of these battles, Louis François Joseph held the rank of Field Marshal.
He was married to his first cousin, Marie Fortunée d'Este (1734-1803). Princess Maria Fortunata of Modena was the fourth daughter of Francesco III d'Este, the Duke of Modena, and his wife, Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans, who was his mother's older sister. Through Marie Fortunée, he was the brother-in-law of the Duke of Penthièvre, the richest man in France.
The marriage contract was signed in Milan on 3 January 1759 by the French ambassador to the court of Turin. A wedding by proxy took place in Milan on 7 February of the same year. It was celebrated in person on the 27th of February at Nangis-en-Brie in France. Maria Fortunata's father settled upon her a dowry of one million livres. In addition, upon her arrival in France, her husband was given a gift of 150,000 livres from King Louis XV. The young comtesse de La Marche was presented to the King, the Queen and the rest of the royal family on 5 March 1759 by the Dowager Princess of Conti. The Dowager Princess of Conti was Louis François' paternal grandmother.
The couple did not get along and never had any children. Many at court said this state of affairs was due to the influence of her husband's mistress, Marie Anne Véronèse, known as Mademoiselle Coraline. Véronèse had been a dancer at an Italian theatre. Louis François and his mistress had two illegitimate children together, born in 1761 and 1767.
In 1770, the marriage of the Dauphin of France, the future Louis XVI, and the Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria took place. Marie Fortunée, as she was known in France, and her husband were one of twelve couples invited to dine with the newlyweds in the Opéra of the Palace of Versailles, which had been constructed for the royal wedding.
In 1776, his father died making Louis François the head of the Conti branch of the House of Bourbon. In the next years, the Prince and Princess of Conti decided to separate in despite the scandal it caused at court. The official separation date was 12 June 1777. His "wife" would live quietly at the Château de Triel. After fleeing France during the revolution, she would travel incognito as the comtesse de Triel; She would die in Venice, Italy on 21 September 1803 and was buried at the Convent of the Visitation outside the city.
He took the side of Maupeou in the struggle between the chancellor and the parlements, and in 1788 declared that the integrity of the constitution must be maintained. He emigrated following the French Revolution, but refused to share in the plans for the invasion of France. He returned to his native country in 1790.
Arrested by order of the National Convention in 1793, he was acquitted, but was reduced to poverty by the confiscation of his possessions. He afterwards received a pension. In 1797, however, the Directoire decided to exile the last of the Bourbons still living in France. He was sent in exile to Spain along with his few remaining relatives who still lived in France and had not already been killed in the Revolution, including the Duchess of Bourbon. Relegated to a place near Barcelona, he lived in poverty. Refusing to share in the plots of the Royalists, he lived an isolated existence in Barcelona until his death in 1814, when the House of Bourbon-Conti became extinct.
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