Maison d'Orfèvre

Coat of Arms

Duc de Grenoble

Duc de Briançon

Duc de Touraine

Duc de Thiers

Prince-Bishop de Vienne †

Prince de Fontaine

Prince de Chambéry

Marquis d'Étoile

Marquis d'Orfèvre

Comte d'Orfèvre

Comte de Compiègne

Comte de Fontaine

Comte d'Oisans †

Baron d'Ordolles

d'Orfèvre-Fontaine

d'Orfèvre-Vienne †

Château de Crussol †

Chateau de Châteaubourg

Château de Bon Repos †

Château de Vizille

Château de Sassenage

Hôtel de Camondo

Hôtel de Saint Fargeau

Hôtel du Châtelet

# **HISTORY**

### Family background

The Orfèvre's are a noble family hailing from the southeast of France who, for hundreds of years, have made a name for themselves within French history, becoming a dominant force in French politics. From their alliances to battles, their name is cemented into the rich culture of France, and their longevity has granted them immeasurable prestige from the Middle Ages to the Ancien Régime and further.

Although the sources of the family's earliest whereabouts are dubious, their earliest recordings are from 790 when the family founder, Palamède, was a goldsmith in the Burgundy area of the Carolingian Empire. The origins of this great family were humble, coming from a lineage of metalworkers who supplied items such as swords and goblets to reigning nobles across the Empire. It was rumoured that Palamède made Charlemagne a number of precious items made from gold when he was coronated in 800 as Emperor. His work was soon recognised across the Continent and he was commissioned by almost every ruler at the time. This is where the family gained masses of wealth due to the sale of their high-demand craftsmanship skills.

From father to son, the family passed on their talent in metalwork for a hundred years. It was somewhere after 900 AD when the family were granted a noble title within the Kingdom of Burgundy; they held onto the title of Baron d'Ordolles and through the matrimonial alliances they garnered from the Counts of Albon, as well as neighbouring nobles, they held much power in Lower Burgundy. It was years after that when the family were noticed for another quality, their militarism. From fighting local rumbles to kingdom wars, the Orfèvre family gained many respected war heroes and battle commanders within their lineage. It was with this they gained a more respectable standing and by 1110 the family were elevated to the title of Comte de Valence. From here the family ventured into many other businesses such as winemaking and manufacturing.

The family lived lavishly for many years, building towns and chateaus for the family to reside in. The family married into many notable European houses, and mixed royal blood into their now blue veins. All was well until 1260 when the family ran into a succession crisis, the cadet and younger branches of the family had died out and the heir to the Orfèvre family had died, leaving only his five-year-old son to succeed to his grandfather, Henri III's, title. Through many years of careful planning, the perfect bride was found, Anne of Viennois, of the Burgundy family, daughter and heir to the Dauphin of Viennois. Upon suitable age, the now grown-up Guillaume d'Orfèvre duelled Humbert, Baron de la Tour-du-Pin, and won, taking Anne's hand. The families agreed on terms and they became a cadet to the Burgundy family; Guillaume became the new Dauphin of Viennois and both families had saved their respective dynasties. For over 100 years the family ruled the lived plentifully, gaining more acclaim to their name.

However, by 1350 Humbert, Dauphin de Viennois was coaxed into giving the title Dauphin to Philip VI of France for land, another title and a special place at the French court. The title was exchanged for a bountiful gift by the King, gaining the family a closer connection to the French Royal family. The family used another one of their important titles — Duc de Grenoble — earned through their powerful persuasion. When the senior Orfèvre-Grenoble branch died out of the family, a third cousin with the Title of Duc de Valence inherited everything. The family continued to flourish through the 13th and 14th centuries. Trouble loomed as the year 1570 reached France. The Orfèvre's, who were strong and devout Catholics, resented King Henry IV of France and his Calvinism ways who supported the Huguenots in France. The trouble it caused led to a fallout between the Duc and the king during the War of Religion and scandal erupted, with it a rumour of the family's participation in an alleged assassination plot; the family were stripped of their titles, only allowing to be known by their lesser title of Comte d'Orfèvre. Although it was humiliating, the family still retained their wealth and prestige, though they were banished from court until Henry's death and the crowning of Louis XIII in 1610. Although accepted back at court, their pleas to reuse their higher titles were declined, however, they were still no less noble and even became close advisors to the King.

During the reign of Louis XIV, the "Sun King", the Orfèvre family were members of the court during the move to Versailles and were trusted members of the king's inner circle. Philippe, Comte d'Orfèvre was born in 1658 and was once quoted as being "One of the most handsome men in France...". This gained him the reputation of being a ladies' man and saw multiple marriage proposals every week, all of which were declined by his mother, the heir to her own father's duchy, and close confidant to Anne of Austria, Dowager Queen of France. Philippe was for some time in the navy, becoming an officer and the family helped to fund the kingdom's shipbuilding. Finally, in 1676 a match was made between Philippe and Lady Olympia Fitzroy, an illegitimate daughter of King Charles II of England with his lover Vittoria Mancini — although the English rose was not French nor relatively popular, she still had royal blood and the Dowager Comtesse d'Orfèvre saw it as an excellent way to improve upon the family status; this helped to make many connection across the channel. When their firstborn child Honoré was born, arrangements were already quickly made. Upon reaching the age of 19, he was betrothed to King Louis XIV's legitimised daughter from Madame de Montespan, Françoise Diane, and in 1697 they had their first child 9 months after a grand wedding. The Dowager Comtesse, now the Duchesse de Touraine (*suo jure) ,* into old age, saw this as the peak of her success, marrying her grandchild to the child of the King. Upon the marriage, Louis granted the family a higher title and elevated them to Marquis d'Orfèvre.

Their child, César, named after the Emperor, was born at Versailles to much excitement. Immediately after his engagement to Angélique de Bourbon, daughter of the Prince de Condé, Louis XIV restored the family's old title of Duc de Valence. The match only produced one son, Xavier, before the Duchesse's tragic death in 1717. His younger brother Charles joined the army and became a high rank, he was sent to govern the french colonial territories in North America where he would become a citizen, reside and start a new branch of the family with his Italian noble bride. When the Duchesse de Touraine passed away in 1720, her title became a subsidiary title. Even from beyond the grave, Xavier's great-great-grandmother had made plans for his wedding since birth; the arrangement followed through until both members were of age; With the help of his godmother, la Duchess of Ventadour, in 1743 he married Princesse Élisabeth Christine de Lorraine, a daughter of the Duc de Lorraine. Whilst this marriage seemed to be a happy one, Xavier died days before the birth of his second son in a shooting accident before he could succeed to his father's title. The heartbroken Dowager Marquise raised her two sons, François and Louis, away from court life and they lived simply in the Château de Lunéville. François inherited the duchy of Valence upon his grandfather's death by which point his brother was granted the title of Duc de Grenoble and started a junior branch of the house of Orfèvre. The brothers grew to dislike each other and were seen as fierce rivals at the court of Louis XV.