Armand de Bourbon, Prince of Conti

Armand de Bourbon
Prince of Conti
Armand de Bourbon-Conti
Born	(1629-10-11)11 October 1629 Paris, France
Died	26 February 1666(1666-02-26) (aged 36) Grangeau Prés Manor, Pezenas
Spouse	Anne Marie Martinozzi
Issue	Louis Armand, Prince of Conti François Louis, Prince of Conti
Names Armand de Bourbon
House	House of Bourbon
Father	Henri, Prince of Condé
Mother	Charlotte Marguerite de Montmorency
Religion	Roman Catholicism
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Armand de Bourbon, Prince of Conti (11 October 1629 – 26 February 1666) was a French nobleman, the younger son of Henri, Prince of Condé and brother of le Grand Condé and Anne Geneviève, Duchess of Longueville. As a member of the reigning House of Bourbon, he was a Prince du Sang.

Early life

The title of Prince of Conti was revived in his favour in 1629 (his birth). He was destined for the church and studied theology at the university of Bourges, but although he received several benefices, included the abbeys of Cluny and Saint Denis, he did not take orders. He played a conspicuous part in the intrigues and fighting of the Fronde, became in 1648 commander-in-chief of the rebel army, and in 1650 was with his brother (Condé) and brother-in-law (Longueville) imprisoned at Vincennes.

Life in prison

Very mystic and full of strange ideas, Conti turned slightly mad while in prison. Having a secret passion for his sister the Duchess of Longueville, he invented tricks to make her notice him. He tried alchemy and potions for some time and eventually bruised himself with a spatula. This episode was ultimately fortunate for him because he could no longer be refused external help from physicians, some of whom would pass letters and pleas to the outside world which speeded up his eventual release.

Later life

Released when Cardinal Mazarin went into exile, he wished to marry Charlotte-Marie de Lorraine (1627–1652), the second daughter of Madame de Chevreuse, the confidante of the queen, Anne of Austria, but was prevented by his brother, who was now supreme in the state. He was concerned in the Fronde of 1651, but soon afterwards became reconciled with Mazarin, and in 1654 married the cardinal's niece, Anne Marie Martinozzi (1639–1672), and secured the government of Guienne. They had two children, Louis Armand (1661–1685) and François Louis (1664–1709).

He took command of the army which in 1654 invaded Catalonia, where he captured three towns from the Spanish. He afterwards led the French forces in Italy, but after his defeat before Alessandria in 1657 retired to Languedoc, where he devoted himself to study and mysticism until his death.

At Clermont, Conti had been a fellow student of Molière's for whom he secured an introduction to the court of Louis XIV, but afterwards, when writing a treatise against the stage entitled Traité de la comédie et des spectacles selon les traditions de l'Église (Paris, 1667), he charged the dramatist with keeping a school of atheism. Conti also wrote Lettres sur la grâce, and Du devoir des grands et des devoirs des gouverneurs de province.

Issue

1. Louis de Bourbon (1658) died in infancy;
2. Louis Armand de Bourbon, 2nd Prince of Conti (1661–1685) married Marie Anne de Bourbon and died childless;
3. François Louis de Bourbon, 3rd Prince of Conti, "le Grand Conti" (1664–1709) married Marie Thérèse de Bourbon and had issue.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

• 11 October 1629 – 26 February 1666: His Serene Highness The Prince of Conti

References

• This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Conti, Princes of". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.