Léonor II de Bourbon

"Léonor de Bourbon, Comte de Marle" by the studio of Sir Anthony van Dyck (c. unknown)

## Biography

### Born

19th January 1637 (age 19)Château de La Fère, Picardie, Grandelumière

### Siblings

François Charles de Bourbon, Comte de La Fère
Charlotte Émilie de Bourbon, Mademoiselle d'Enghien

### Religion

Calvinist

**Léonor II de Bourbon** (*Léonor Alexandre*; born 19th January 1637) was a Grandelumière nobleman. The son of François II, Comte d'Enghien and Éléonore d'Orléans-Longueville, he was a scion of the House of Bourbon, a successor to the ancient Capetian dynasty. Léonor was born into the second generation of Bourbons to be deprived of princely status following the Grandelumièrian Wars of Religion. From birth, he was titled **Comte de Marle** and bore the unique distinction of a disinherited prince.

## Biography

### Early life

Léonor Alexandre de Bourbon was born on 19th January 1637 at La Fère, Picardie. He was preceded in birth by a brother, François (b. 1636) and a sister, Émilie (b. 1638), making him the penultimate child of François II de Bourbon and Éléonore d'Orléans-Longueville. He was baptized into the Calvinist faith immediately after birth, whereupon he was conferred the title *Comte de Marle*.

His earliest years were spent at the Château de La Fère. The residence was a favorite of his parents because of its modest and dated nature. Léonor enjoyed a tranquil upbringing there under the care of Calvinist governesses and wetnurses. He forged an unconventionally warm relationship with his siblings due to their close proximity in age and came to depend on both as confidantes and friends as they pursued their education together at La Fère. The Bourbon-Enghien children received a comprehensive education, tutored in reading, writing, arithmetic, theology, philosophy, geography, swordsmanship, equestrianism, drawing, heraldry, and the languages Basque, Castilian, English, and Italian.

### Arrest

The House of Bourbon was disinherited by the Grandelumièrian Crown in 1589 at the conclusion of the Wars of Religion. Formerly princes of the blood imperial and claimants to the Grandelumièrian and Navarrese thrones, the House of Bourbon was ultimately in a consequential position. However, as practicing Calvinists, they were stripped of their succession rights and thus lived in undisturbed irrelevance for decades.

When a mass Huguenot persecution was enacted by the regency of Mathilde de Bourgogne (r. 1654), the staunch Roman Catholic consort of Charles XI, the majority of Bourbon dynasts refused to abandon the Calvinist faith and were thus arrested. The Talleyrand-Blois Conspiracy saw the overthrow of Mathilde de Bourgogne and the Bourbon family was safely sheltered in the Château de Blois for some time. Under constant surveillance, Léonor communicated little with the outside world; he did, however, make the acquaintance his cousins and fellow captives.

Catherine II, Reine de Navarre interfered on behalf of the House of Bourbon and petitioned Henri IV for their release—her plea was granted in June 1655. The Bourbon-Enghien line returned to their beloved Château de La Fère. Stress had taken its toll on his mother and, upon their liberation, Léonor spent his days looking after her while she convalesced.

## Titles and Styles

* 19th January 1637—present: Monsieur le Comte de Marle