The French History Podcast · Evergreen Podcasts

The Tragic Marriage of Philippe d’Orléans and Henrietta-Anne of England

·38 min·2 clips

Henrietta Anne died after mysterious stomach pains and a court autopsy ruled out poisoning.

1. The French History Podcast episode “The Tragic Marriage of Philippe d’Orléans and Henrietta-Anne of England” follows the short marriage of Philippe d’Orléans and Henrietta Anne through court intrigue and diplomacy. 2. Lance Hederson, a PhD student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, introduces the episode and says his research focuses on queer sexuality and gender transgression in France and its colonial empire from 1660 to 1815. 3. The episode asks what happened in the marriage of Philippe and Henrietta Anne that later made Elizabeth Charlotte von der Falls believe rumors about poisoning. 4. Philippe was born on September 21, 1640, at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, and his early life was shaped by Louis XIII’s death in 1643 and the Fronde from 1648 to 1653. 5. Henrietta Anne was born on June 16, 1644, at Bedford House in Exeter, and she was taken to the French court in 1646 before Charles I was executed in 1649. 6. The episode argues that Philippe and Henrietta Anne grew up around the same court culture, but their marriage was arranged to serve the interests of Louis XIV and Charles II. 7. Philippe first attracted attention for his relationship with Armand de Gremont, the Comte de Guiche, whom Anne-Marie-Louise d’Orléans, the Grand Mademoiselle, described as being met in secret. 8. After Gaston d’Orléans died on February 2, 1660, Philippe became the Duke of Orléans, Chartres, and Valois and was known simply as Monsieur. 9. Louis XIV initially considered marrying Philippe to the Grand Mademoiselle, but she wrote that she loved him “very much as my cousin” and would never have loved him as her husband. 10. The marriage to Henrietta Anne on March 31, 1661, was also tied to the restoration of the English monarchy in May 1660 and hopes of preserving the Franco-English alliance. 11. Charles II’s 1662 letter says Monsieur was furious when he learned Henrietta Anne was menstruating on their wedding night. 12. The episode repeatedly returns to the affair with the Comte de Guiche, including Daniel de Connac’s account of suppressing pamphlets and withdrawing 1,800 printed copies in Paris. 13. The Chevalier de Lorraine becomes the central favorite in Philippe’s life, and Connac describes Philippe neglecting military duties before the siege of Lille in August 1667. 14. The episode places Philippe and Henrietta Anne within a wider 17th-century world of arranged marriages, female infidelity, and male same-sex relationships at Louis XIV’s court. 15. It names other court figures such as Jean-Baptiste Lully, the Duc de Vendôme, Julie d’Aubigny, and the Abbé de Choisy to show that queer desire and gender nonconformity were widely discussed. 16. Molière appears as a shared cultural patronage project, with Philippe supporting him from 1658 and Henrietta Anne also backing his work, along with Jean Racine and Marie-Madeleine Pioche, Comtesse de Lafayette. 17. Henrietta Anne’s life is also presented through her dancing, including her role in designing and dancing the lead in The Birth of Venus in 1665. 18. The episode’s tone is explanatory and archival, with letters, memoirs, pamphlets, and diplomatic claims used as evidence throughout. 19. Listeners interested in Louis XIV’s court scandals, queer history, and royal diplomacy will likely want this episode. 20. Listeners looking for a short, purely chronological royal biography may skip it.

As heard by us

A royal marriage becomes a case study in desire, rumor, and court power.

Philippe d'Orleans and Henrietta Anne of England anchor a short, eventful court marriage, and the episode uses it to look at intimacy, politics, and rumor without trying to smooth over the mess.

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If you want Philippe and Henrietta Anne framed as more than court gossip, start here.

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