Orléans, family name of two branches of the French royal line.

The house of Valois-Orléans was founded by Louis, duc d'Orléans (see separate article), whose assassination (1407) caused the civil war between Armagnacs and Burgundians. This house ascended the French throne (1498) in the person of Louis XII, who died without male issue. Gaston, brother of Louis XIII, was made duke of Orléans (see separate article), but died without a male heir.

The modern house of Bourbon-Orléans was founded by Philippe I, duc d'Orléans, 1640-1701, a brother of King Louis XIV. A notorious libertine, Philippe was excluded from participation in state affairs, though he fought in the Dutch War and won the victory of Cassel (1677). He married (1661) Henrietta of England and, after her death, Elizabeth Charlotte of Bavaria (1671).

Philippe I's son, Philippe II, duc d'Orléans, 1674-1723, regent of France (1715-23) during the minority of Louis XV, distinguished himself in the War of the Grand Alliance and in the War of the Spanish Succession. He was known for his cynicism and immorality. The will of King Louis XIV, which made him president of the regency council, severely restricted his authority, but he had the will annulled. His rule was marked by a resurgence of the noble elements subdued by Louis XIV. Councils of state, comprising the higher nobility, were formed, but they failed, and government by ministers, or secretaries of state, was restored.

To deal with the financial crisis, Orléans called on John Law, who established a royal bank, but Law's financial schemes collapsed in 1720. Foreign affairs under the regency were conducted by Guillaume Dubois. Orléans concluded the Quadruple Alliance of 1718 and made war on Spain (1719-20). Social life during his regency reached an apex of licentiousness. The ambitions of the regent and his descendants ultimately brought the house of Orléans into open opposition to the ruling house.

The regent's great-grandson, Louis Philippe Joseph, duc d'Orléans, called Philippe Égalité (see separate article), supported the French Revolution. His adherents, the Orleanists, who sought a compromise between the monarchical and the revolutionary principles, came into power by the July Revolution of 1830 and put Philippe Égalité's son Louis Philippe on the French throne. Representatives of the capitalist upper bourgeoisie, the Orleanists limited their definition of revolutionary liberty to the middle class. After the fall of Louis Philippe (1848), they continued to support the claims of his descendants, the Orleanist pretenders, who returned from exile after the fall of Napoleon III (1871). Their prospects, though high under the presidency of Marshal MacMahon, dwindled steadily, especially after the Third Republic exiled all pretenders in 1886.

Louis Philippe's eldest son, Ferdinand Philippe Louis Charles Henri, duc d'Orléans, 1810-42, took part in the French expedition to Belgium (1831-32) and in the Algerian wars (1835-40). His unfinished Campagnes de l'armée d'Afrique, 1835-39, was published in 1870. He died in a carriage accident.

Ferdinand Philippe's eldest son, Louis Philippe Albert d'Orléans, comte de Paris, 1838-94, went to the United States after his candidacy for the throne had failed in 1848 and fought for the North in the Civil War under General McClellan. Back in France in 1871, he was Orleanist pretender but relinquished his rights to the legitimist pretender, Henri de Chambord (1873). After Chambord's death (1883), he became head of the entire house of Bourbon. In 1886 he was exiled by the law against pretenders. He was the author of History of the Civil War in America (tr., 4 vol., 1875-88) and other works. He died in England.

Louis Philippe Albert's brother, Robert Philippe Louis Eugène Ferdinand d'Orléans, duc de Chartres, 1840-1910, also fought in the American Civil War. In the Franco-Prussian War he served in the French army under the name Robert le Fort. After 1871 he fought in the Algerian wars, but he also was exiled in 1886. Owing to his brother's renunciation of his claims, the duke of Chartres was regarded by many Orleanists as pretender from 1873 to 1883.

Louis Philippe Robert, duc d'Orléans, 1869-1926, succeeded his father, Louis Philippe Albert, comte de Paris, as pretender in 1894. Born and educated in England, he served (1888-89) in the Indian army. An explorer, he left accounts of his wide travels. He died childless, and his claim to the French throne passed to his cousin Jean d'Orléans, duc de Guise, son of the duke of Chartres, and his heirs.

Orléans, Charles, duc d', 1391-1465, French prince and poet; nephew of King Charles VI. After the assassination of his father, Louis d'Orléans, he became (1407) titular head of the Armagnacs (see Armagnacs and Burgundians). After the English invasion of France in 1415, Charles was captured at the battle of Agincourt and remained in captivity in England until 1440, when he was ransomed.

In retirement at Blois, he devoted the rest of his life to writing verse and to the society of literary men. Among his poems, which are remarkable for their polish and charm, is the rondeau, "Le temps a laissié son manteau" [the season has shed its cloak]. There are translations of his poems by Andrew Lang, W. E. Henley, and Ezra Pound. Charles's son was King Louis XII.

Orléans, Gaston, duc d', 1608-60, son of King Henry IV and Marie de' Medici, younger brother of Louis XIII. He took part in many of the conspiracies of the great nobles against Louis XIII's minister, Cardinal Richelieu, and several times fled from France. Although Gaston was pardoned after each revolt, his associates did not fare so well; the younger Henri de Montmorency and the marquis de Cinq Mars were executed. After the death (1643) of Louis XIII, Gaston became lieutenant general of France and successfully campaigned against the Spanish. For his leading part in the Fronde he was exiled (1652) to Blois. Gaston was the father of Mlle de Montpensier.

Orléans, Henrietta Anne, duchesse d': see Henrietta of England.

Orléans, Henri Philippe Marie, prince d', 1867-1901, French explorer and author, b. England; son of Robert, duke of Chartres. After a journey (1889) from Siberia to Siam, by way of Tibet, and a visit (1892) to SE Africa, he left (1895) Hanoi to complete the earlier work of M. J. F. Garnier on the Mekong River in Indochina. He traveled as far as the Brahmaputra, established the fact that the Thanlwin (Salween) originates in Tibet (now in China), and also discovered the source of the Ayeyarwady. His accounts of his travels include Around Tonkin and Siam (1894, tr. 1894) and From Tonkin to India (1897, tr. 1898).

Orléans, Louis, duc d', 1372-1407, brother of King Charles VI of France, whose chief counselor he was from 1388 to 1392. After 1392, when Charles VI suffered his first attack of insanity, Louis became involved in a long struggle for control with his uncle, Philip the Bold of Burgundy, and with Philip's successor, John the Fearless. Unpopular because of his extravagance, he was treacherously murdered by John's order in 1407. His death precipitated the civil war between Armagnacs and Burgundians.

Orléans, Louis Philippe Joseph, duc d', known as Philippe Égalité, 1747-93, French revolutionist; great-grandson of Philippe II, duc d'Orléans (see Orléans, family) and great-great-great-grandson of King Louis XIII. First duke of Montpensier and then duke of Chartres, he succeeded his father as duke of Orléans in 1785. A libertine, he squandered his immense wealth, then, to recoup his fortune, lined the gardens of his Palais Royal with shops. The gardens became a gathering point for the popular elements of Paris. He became a leader of the discontented faction in the Assembly of the Notables (1787), and he was briefly exiled for protesting the king's attempt to force the Parlement of Paris to consent to taxation. As a deputy to the States-General (1789), he was one of the liberal nobles who joined the third estate (June 25, 1789). After incurring blame for disturbances in the capital, he accepted a mission (Oct., 1789-July, 1790) to England. His liberal views were suspected of cloaking an ambition to become constitutional monarch, and as the revolution progressed he lost the confidence of both republicans and royalists. After exchanging his title for the name Citizen Égalité, he was elected to the National Convention (Sept., 1792), where he joined the Mountain and voted for the execution of King Louis XVI. When his eldest son deserted to the enemy with General Dumouriez, Philippe Égalité was arrested (Apr., 1793). He was guillotined (November) during the Reign of Terror. His son became King Louis Philippe.

Orléans, city (1990 pop. 107,965), capital of Loiret dept., N central France, on the Loire River. A commercial and transportation center, it has food-processing, tobacco, machine-building, electrical, pharmaceutical, chemical, and textile industries. The old city is surrounded by sprawling modern suburbs. Orléans was first known as Genabum, a commercial city of the Carnutes, a Celtic tribe. The city revolted against Julius Caesar (52 B.C.), was burned, and was rebuilt and called Aurelianum. Unsuccessfully attacked by Attila the Hun (451), it was taken by Clovis I (498), after which it became (511) the capital of the Frankish kingdom of Orléans. The kingdom was united with Neustria in the 7th cent. Under the Capetians, the first kings of France, the city became (10th cent.), after Paris, the principal residence of the French kings. Orléans, with the surrounding province, the Orléanais, constituted part of the small nucleus of the royal domain, and it was several times given in appanage as a duchy to the eldest brother of the king of France and to his descendants (see Orléans, family). The siege of Orléans (1428-29) by the English threatened to bring all of France under England's rule, and its lifting by Joan of Arc (the "Maid of Orléans") turned the tide of the Hundred Years War (1337-1453). In the Wars of Religion (16th cent.) the city was briefly the headquarters of the Huguenots and was besieged in 1563 by Catholic forces. Orléans remained in Catholic hands until the Edict of Nantes (1598). During the 17th and 18th cent. the city was a prosperous industrial and commercial center, and its university (founded 14th cent.) was famous throughout Europe. The advent of railroads in the 19th cent. somewhat reduced the city's importance as a trade center dependent on the Loire River port. Orléans was severely damaged during the German invasion of France in 1940, and many irreplaceable historic buildings were destroyed. Several fine structures remain, including the Cathedral of Sainte-Croix, rebuilt (17th-19th cent.) after its destruction by the Huguenots in 1568; and the Renaissance town hall, where Francis II died in 1560. The feast of Joan of Arc is celebrated in Orléans with particular splendor each May.

Orléans, Île d', or Orléans Island, 20 mi (32 km) long and 5 mi (8 km) wide, S Que., Canada, in the St. Lawrence NE of Quebec. It is connected with the mainland by a highway bridge. Settled (1651) by the French, it was the site of one of Wolfe's camps in his attack on Quebec in 1759. It is a popular tourist attraction and a residential community for Quebec City. Potatoes, strawberries, cheese, and poultry are the chief products of the island.

Île d'Orléans is located in the Saint Lawrence River about 20 km to the east of Quebec City's downtown, Quebec, Canada. It is 34 km long and 8 km wide. It was originally called Minigo by the Huron. The French explorer Jacques Cartier first set foot on the island in 1535 near what is now the village of Saint-François. He called it Île de Bacchus because of the abundance of wild grapes growing on the island. The name was later changed to Île d'Orléans in honour of the King of France. The island was one of the first parts of the province to be settled by the French, and a large percentage of French Canadians can trace their ancestry to the island.

The Île d'Orléans is 75 km in circumference. It was granted the status of National Historic District in 1970. Since 1940 access to the island has been by the Pont de l'Île bridge. The crossing connects to the Chemin Royal (Royal Road) which encircles the island. At the village of Sainte-Pétronille toward the western end of the island there is a viewpoint from which one can see the impressive Chute Montmorency (Montmorency Falls) as well as a panorama of the St. Lawrence River and Quebec City. The Manoir Mauvide-Genest was constructed in 1734 for Jean Mauvide, a surgeon for the King of France. The manoir was occupied by General Wolfe when the island was occupied by the British forces in 1759 shortly before the Battle of the Plains of Abraham.

Today the island is a mix of suburban communities and farms, and is a popular destination for daytrippers and bicyclists. The island is still a very rural place famous locally for its produce, especially its strawberries, apples, potatoes and wineries. There are also sugar maple stands producing maple syrup and other products. There is even a buffalo farm.

The island comprises the towns of Sainte-Famille, Saint-François-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, Saint-Jean-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, Saint-Laurent-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, Sainte-Pétronille, and Saint-Pierre-de-l'Île-d'Orléans

It may be reached from the mainland by ferry from St. Michel and Québec city or by bridge from Québec City.

• Pictures of Orleans Island - "Tour de l'Île"