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Philippe Egalite

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Royalty

The Resume

    (April 13, 1747-November 6, 1793)
    Born in Château de Saint Cloud, Saint-Cloud, France
    Head of the elite House of Orléans (1785-1793)
    Born into the House of Bourbon, the French ruling dynasty
    Birth name was Louis Philippe Joseph d'Orléans
    Known as Louis-Philippe II, Duc d'Orléans to the French aristocracy (or simply as 'Philippe' in some cases)
    Inherited the title of Premier Prince du Sang, as well as Duke of Chartres (1769) and Nemours (1785)
    Adopted the name Philippe Égalité after the French Revolution
    Member of the National Assembly (1789), the National Constituent Assembly (1789-1791), and the Legislative Assembly (1791-1793)
    Was guillotined at the height of the Reign of Terror (1793)
    Cousin to King Louis XVI, son of Louis-Philippe I, Duke of Orleans and father to King Louis Philippe of France

Why he might be annoying:

    He was banished from Versailles for expressing anti-Royalist sentiment.
    He was accused of plotting against King Louis XVI (as Prince du Sang, he would have been next in line for the throne).
    He voted in favor of the death sentence for his own cousin, shocking even some of the more radical Jacobins.
    He shared a mutual antagonism with Marie Antoinette (she saw him as corrupt, he saw her as extravagant).
    His feud with the Queen factored into his eventual discharge from the French Royal Navy, although his cowardice and incompetency allegedly factored into the decision as well.
    His son was so disgusted over his vote for King Louis' execution that he abandoned him and defected from France, taking his brother and sister with him.
    He was accused of using the Palais-Royal as grounds for recruiting, financing, and encouraging riots & rebellious activity.
    He is strongly believed to have instigated the October march on Versailles by deliberately withholding grain from the starving peasants, and by paying people to march on the Palace at Versailles.
    He claimed to have been in Paris at the time of the march, although witnesses claimed to have seen him lead the angry mob chanting 'long live our King d'Orleans' to the Queen's bedroom. Some accounts also claim he was dressed as a woman.
    He was a sadist who, when the Princess Lamballe's head was brought to his window on a pike, merely stood up, looked at it, and sat back down to his supper.
    Whatever ambitions he had to seize power went unrealized when he was arrested and executed by Revolutionaries along with the remaining Bourbons under suspicion (*cough* karma *cough*) .

Why he might not be annoying:

    Marie Antoinette supposedly had plans to have him assassinated.
    He is the namesake for the pro-Constitutional monarchy term, 'Orleanist.'
    He was envied by the Marquis de Lafayette.
    His role in the Revolution was probably exaggerated by political rivals.
    He was portrayed by the criminally underrated character actor, Joseph Schildkraut.
    He was denied his last meal before being guillotined.
    As he was being led to the scaffold, the crowd sarcastically jeered 'I vote for death!'
    His son became King in the aftermath of the July Revolution of 1830 (which could also be construed as a negative...)
    He risked his life to save several members of the aristocracy from execution (some of whom he didn't even like).
    The Palais-Royal was given to him as a gift by his father, Louis Philippe I, as reconciliation for the rift between them over his remarriage after his mother's death.

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 11 Votes: 81.82% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 30 Votes: 36.67% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 30 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 30 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 14 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 21 Votes: 47.62% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying