Louis-Joseph-Xavier-François de France

## Comte de Champagne

"The Disciple of Pallas" — 1775.

**Louis-Joseph-Xavier-François de France** (13 September 1758 — present), was born a French *Fils de France*, as the last surviving son of Louis, Dauphin of France and Marie-Josephe de Saxe— both members of the reigning Maison de Bourbon. He was styled *Comte de Champagne*. He was born 3rd-in-line to the throne of France.

Louis-Joseph was a pupil of the Swedish-hailing Count Christoffer B. Zibet, himself a first-hand witness of the Age of Liberty and the weak reign of Adolf Frederick of Sweden, the instability and squabbles of the Riksdag of the Estates and the *Decemberkrisen*. He would prove to be Louis-Joseph's closest aide and confidante, providing him with guidance from experience as a citizen of one of Europe's most rickety monarchies, sculpting the Fils de France from a would-be extravaganza afficionado in true Bourbon fashion, into one of the royal family's most capable.

During the assasination of Louis XV, and the subsequent aftermath, it was revealed in the former's will that Louis-Joseph was written in as heir to all French realms, a decision quickly snubbed by his brother, Louis XVI. He was thrown in confinement and stripped of all his positions. He was later liberated and led the pacification of Grenoble and the suppression of the Assembly of Vizille in 1777. Joseph went onto become Governor of Brittany in 1777 and envisaged a moneymaking overhaul of the system that was, against all odds, approved by the Estates-General of Brittany in 1778.

## Childhood

Louis-Joseph, the Comte de Toulouse, was born on the 13th of September, 1758. The birth of an outstandingly healthy boy proved to be fortuitous news to the Dauphine, whose luck with children was in shambles by the time of his birth, and several early deaths had already plagued her. Affectionately, the little fair-haired boy with grey eyes, remarked as being more of a child of his mother than his father due to his blatantly German looks, was given the moniker, 'Chou d'Amour' by his mother. Signalling profound attachment to her favourite offspring, Louis-Joseph.

Steadfastly, he was placed under the care of the Governess of the Children of France, Madame la Comtesse Douairière de Marsan, Marie-Louise de Rohan, a deeply conservative and pious personage within the court of Louis XV. While the governess instilled values into the Fils, it was the work of a sous-gouvernante who also took care of his younger sister, Élisabeth, by the name of Marie Angélique de Mackau that was Louis-Joseph's true caretaker.

Mme. la Baronne de Mackau was responsible for developing the core values of the Comte de Toulouse that would later work in conjuction with Count Zibet's tutelage to form a sturdy foundation for Louis-Joseph to rely on.

## Adolescence

### Swedish Enlightenment

With the death of his father, Louis, Dauphin of France in 1765, Louis-Joseph officially became an adult as he became 8 years old. This nessecitated the swap from his Governess Marie-Louise de Rohan to a governor, as customary. The choice of a governor was a tedious and lengthy process, yet in early 1768 it was decided that Count Christoffer Zibet of the Kingdom of Sweden would be his governor. As astounding as the choice was for some circles, many point to the fact that the stay of Gustav III of Sweden in Paris at the time —in a multifarious visit, he later left to stage his coup d'état— was an influential factor in the decision.

The Kingdom of Sweden, in Louis-Joseph's youth was undergoing the so-called "Age of Liberty" where King Adolf Frederick I, from a german principality, had been subject to the Riksdag of the Estates' will and whim. Truly, Sweden was a country led by it's parliament and not it's king. Yet, the Age of Liberty had found setbacks in a true and tested debacle; Conservatives vs Liberals. In these cases, the 'Hats' where called Conservatives and the 'Caps' where Liberals. The heated debates between these two parties were seen first-hand by Count Zibet, as a member of the Riksdag. He had lived through the crisis of 1768 and had gained valuable insight that would be transmitted to Louis-Joseph upon becoming his governor by an agreement between the Conservatives and the French ambassador.

### The Svenskt Sätt

'The Swedish Way' was the dubbed name by which writers addressed Count Zibet's influence. He and the following circle of intelligentsia that surrounded Msgr. de Toulouse were quintessential in his learning life. In a first instance, at the age of 10 guided by Zibet, he made his first official visit to the Palais du Louvre where the seat of the Académie des sciences, founded 1666 was situated. Reports remarked the enthusiasm of Msgr. de Toulouse in suggesting to his grandfather, Louis XV, the expansion of the academy's seat and that out of his state pension he would forward a —later on widely publicized— campaign of scientific advancement founding in the form of observatories and the Château de Grosbois in Boissy-Saint-Léger under the name of the Academy of Sciences.

While his education flourished, an unprecendented visit from the Grim Reaper almost took Msgr. de Toulouse when during on a tour through Caen with Zibet he fell from his horse in one of the streets prompted, accidentally, by one of his acquaintances in another horse. The young prince was expected to perish as his injuries were deemed operation-curable, an untested method of treatment. Encouragued by his steadfast governor however, Louis-Joseph braved through his operation with little to no muffled cries emitted from him. The operation and following recuperation proved to be add wood to fire of knowledge, as he grasped the fact life could be taken away as easily as it was given.

An account of the operation that steemed from the incident was coined by the tab-keeper Pompignan, dated 8th July, 1767 reads as follows;

*“He (the little Comte de Toulouse) wanted to see the instruments that would be used. He considered them, handled them with admirable coolness, and quietly abandoned himself to the preparations and the rigors of the operation. Sieur Andouillet opened the tumor with all possible lightness and promptness. The incision was terrible and very painful. She opened her thigh almost entirely three fingers deep. He uttered only one or two cries, and endured the rest of the operation without complaining. No sooner had he been dressed than he resumed the air of gaiety that was natural to him, and sat up in his bed. bed, as if he had only a slight indisposition."*

In a instance at the Louvre with a room full of elected members of the faculty, Louis made a bold remark about the functioning of a telescope, erroneous one at that and the room failed to correct him; all but one. His governor, in defiance of set courtesy laws flat-out objected the Prince and instructed him how to correctly use the apparatus. Sending reverberating shocks through the faculty at the room which took a new take on Count Zibet and his way of teaching, re-instilling their trust that Louis-Joseph would be a loyal patron to the scientific community and would be a Fils that took constructive criticism.

On the topic of religion, Louis-Joseph also saw change from the Protestant Count Zibet, with the works of Voltaire — famous critique of the Roman Catholic Church and advocate of freedom of speech and freedom of expression, were sculpted into Louis-Joseph's brain to the horror of some conservative courtiers that flaunted Zibet as poisoning the mind of the Fils. Yet with immunity provided by Louis XV and Louis-Joseph's firm beliefs and competent persona offered as results from his tutelage, third-party complaints fell on deaf ears. To the relief of Zibet however, the looming shadows of the Dauphin and Duc de Bourgogne made any onlookers to his teaching few, with many expecting Louis-Joseph to fall several ranks in the line of succession as his life progressed.

### "The Disciple of Pallas"; Analysis

The painting dubbed "The Disciple of Pallas" is an award-winning portrait by French artist Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson, simply known by Girodet during his time. The painting is an allegorical painting, allegory derives from the Latin world, 'allegoria' which means veiled language. As an abstract piece, it freezes a message in time, and the choice of backgrounds, objects, elements and people all add layers to the message it tries to veil, making the observer curious to discover it's true meaning.

The centerpiece of the work is a youth. A blonde-haired man with light grey-ish eyes and proportional size, clad in a mix of dubious clothes, he has been identified as Louis-Joseph de France in his youth. Over his ensemble is a purple cape, purple, a color associated with royalty, wealth and power that wraps around the man. The absence of vivid colors, such as green, blue, yellow or red in abundant shades, instead the predominant colors are in darker tones, creating a feeling of uncertainty.

The man points towards a distant couple sparks of fire where light faces away from, indicating, albeit vaguely, of some fiery altercation. On the other side of the painting is seen a flag in white and gold, with a fleur-de-lys crowning it, symbolizing the monarchy alongside a cross linked with the church, this side is where the light of the painting emerges from. To this side however, is where the sword faces towards and one of the guns strapped on the man's lap is pointed towards. This manifests that the swords and guns are on the side of righteousness, but prompts the question. For how long?

## Marriage - The English?

The instrumental Msgr. de Toulouse became Msgr. de Mercœur on 1770 after a transfer of the title from the Bourbon cadet branch of Bourbon-Conti back to the crown. In said capacity, and his coming of age, Louis XV started the search of a bride for his grandson which came in the form of an unusual proposal by King Frederick I of Great Britain's daughter, Princess Caroline Mathilde of similar age to the newly-made Duke. The union between two rivals as old as time proved shocking to conservative circles, yet at the forefront of reformism, Count Zibet and Louis-Joseph himself showed unusual initiative in taking the proposal with passiveness and lack of complaints. Perplexed by the show of acceptance, most members of the royal family grew to accept the reality as it was the King's wish.

As far-fetched as it was for a match, and for many members in several echelons of society it proved as ground-breaking as the Franco-Austrian alliance was during the Seven Years' War, Louis-Joseph was instead ecstatic for the union. The enligthened Joseph looked up to the familial struggle of the-then king and his father-in-law to-be, Frederick I as an admirable feat. This, among other things are atributed to have molded Joseph's persona from merely speaking of things he'd do, including philosophy, to actually enacting and executing them. It is from the English he inherited a fierce royalist stance, though not a despotic one.

This extended to fierce opposition to the American Revolution and the instability found within the Continental Army. He, ever-so-strengthened by his marriage link to the English overlords saw the revolutionaries as "an experiment, ill-fated, attempting to fight the world's foremost power since the end of the Seven Years' War", believing over the course of the years it'd collapse on itself. He saw past antagonistic divides between the two states and advocated for French neutrality, then involvement on the British side in the Treaty of the Three Crowns.

Despite perchances with his oldest brother-in-law, Frederick, Prince of Wales, it didn't deter him from generating a paramour with Princess Caroline. He was all ears to English ideas, language and schools of thought, yet stopped short of anglophilia at the degree of *Monsieur le Prince,* Louis Philippe d'Orléans —notorious anglophile and Joseph's contemporary—, instead choosing a moderate and calculated approach. This earned both the respect and disdain of some groups, colloquial enemies of his who accused him as too lenient on the English, while others commended the Prince for surmounting a major barrier his predecessors had been unable to.

## Continental Honeymoon

Upon marrying, Joseph forwarded to the King his intention to have a honeymoon that took him about Europe. This honeymoon took him to several countries including but not limited to: Austria, Prussia, England, Sweden, The Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Russia, the Ottoman Empire, Egypt, Germany and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, among others.

The first phases of Louis-Joseph's honeymoon were strategically planned by the Comte de Vergennes, yet it was the power dyad that Caroline and Joseph created which won popular acclaim wherever they went together. England was to be their first stop, Londontown, the Scottish Highlands, the harbours, the White Cliffs of Dover and more. While in London he had a meeting with the-then King, Frederick I which Joseph penned in his memoir as;

*" <...> Words falter when describing a face-to-face rendezvous with his Britannic Majesty. A man who has seen it all, fought a hundred domestic battles and commandeered Britannic might half a world away, and even as his life enters it's final chapter, he stands strong and strokes his pen, day after day. His justification? A King gives it all for his nation. His nation, in return, follows him through thick and thin, highs and lows. In their darkest hour the accomplishments of their reign are put to the test, many falter, abdicate, fall into dissaray. Those who persevere? They'll live to see a long and fruitful reign if they play their cards well, or a short and disastrous one if they relied solely on luck for recovery. All kings play a life-long game of chess."*

*"Many lessons in leadership and majestic ruling His Britannic Majesty taught me, one of them perhaps not intended, but taught nonetheless. The balance of power and position of France were reinforced within me at one sighting towards the unwavering patriotism I saw when a regimental parade chanting 'Rule Britannia!' went through one of the avenues. Such nationalistic spirit has no equal in France and the situation I found in the Isles were not of a disoriented and dismayed populace but a largely unified one. One can say all one wants about the British way of ruling, yet the returns are undeniable."*

His previous beliefs that the American revolutionaries faced an isolated and dismayed overlord, beliefs he had been instilled in his early life from conservative personages who so-hated England, dissapeared. From then on, he had newfound respect for the English, though, instead of turning into an anglophile, he took many of the patriotic ideas and beliefs the English pridefully held and sought to implement them in France to instill a national spirit. This further extended to his views on the Revolutionary War as a necessary check on British might which if unchecked would conquer the seven seas and seven continents with no resistance.

The royal couple sauntered from Dover to the Stadtholder's domains in the Dutch Republic. There, greeted by Stadtholder William V and witness to the precarious situation he was overseeing, only a decade older than Joseph in age;

*"When we arrived to the Netherlands the perception was akin to the English one, though without a Dutch relative to call my own, some of the populace did not prove as ecstatic. Nonetheless in the month we remained within Dutch soil I was witness to the machinations at hand and sufferings aswell--Ardent support for the American revolutionaries, freedom of the press handing out all kinds of 'libelle' like works and a strict system that adhere to family right, much similar to how position in the French court are held on a hereditary basis. You could feel the underlying and undermining pressure from every gaze afforded at you while you went around the streets, yet we held a pleasant smile and cool air to ourselves. As I'm writing this, I'm in Potsdam. The situation there looks hardly promising and talk of decline is treated like talking about the weather, the same treatment idealism is given. I'll keep my eyes peeled and ears sharpened. This one is worth the attention."*

Prussian lands asonder, the next stop of their honeymoon were Germanic shores, where they arrived after a brief stop in Heligoland. There they were welcomed ecstatically by the Prussian King, Frederick II, or more famously known to history as 'Frederick the Great'. Similarly to Frederick I of Great Britain, the meeting between the two personages and joviality that surrounded the honeymooner couple's arrival generated a traffic of letters among European leaders regarding the French fils and fille. One amusing note was when Joseph mentioned his affinity for coffee in one of the mornings at Sanssouci, Frederick, who had not yet taken his 8 daily cups of coffee back-to-back, did so right here and there and laughed it off. It was by the King's suggestion that the honeymooners would next go to Austria, providing them with a carriage as a gift and a set of toiletries with the Bourbon arms impaled into them, by all accounts the visit was cherished greatly by the francophile germanic King, who became Joseph's pen pal--he also records his stay there in his memoir;

*"The Prussian King, who is acclaimed as 'The Great', has shown me astounding hospitality and great insight into his thoughts on absolutism. While sometimes aloof and solitary, his subordinates, military officers and ministers have made me wonder about my own nation's situation compared to this rising power. On one of the books he lended me, on military history and accounts of his great victories in his early reign, one quote caught me attention. 'Soldier, Do you want to live forever!?' In the midst of a seemingly-doomed battle, he still exacerbated his troops to commit great feats of heroism. I can't put into words the value of being in his presence and having met one who history calls 'The Great', his impact and ideas resonate with me. He went into long talks about the opera, ballet, the arts and history, he studies people as if he's reading a book, garnering a great deal of self-control and dicispline, I'll hold him in the greatest regard."*

Arriving in Vienna, Joseph was in awe at the Viennese Coffee Scene and frequented several coffee shops in the city with great enthusiasm, gazettes reported. Hobnobbing with Austrian elite of all corners of the Empire that congregated in the capital, exchanging ideas about future visits to Hungary, Illyria, Poland and Bohemia. He also struck a meeting with the State Chancellor Wenzel Anton, Prince of Kaunitz-Rietberg, a devout absolutist with a patronising and arrogant attitude and the main voice behind the Franco-Austrian alliance of the Seven Years' War, which left an odd impression on Louis-Joseph. The co-ruler of Maria-Theresa however, Joseph II proved much more entertaining to the couple with his over-reaching ideas about Josephinism and reform yet wishing all power remained centralized in the crown. Joseph recorded in his memoir;

*"The Holy Roman Emperor has ambitions with no limits in sight. He's capable of setting the world on fire just for pursuing Austria's goals. I am not a learned or seasoned politician, less even a diplomat, but it does not take a great mind to notice that in his hands Austria could go very well, or very wrong. <...> On one of my meanderings through Schönnbrunn Palace, I overheard a heated argument, I recognized the voices as that of an elderly statesman and a younger one. I've no basis to know who these two were, but a courtier cleared my doubts, Kaunitz and the Emperor absolutely loathe eachother. I don't see them working well together, rumors that circulated the palace insinuated that Kaunitz is seeking resignation but Her Majesty doesn't allow it."*

Sauntering to Tuscany and Italy, the dyad kept having public displays of affection and clear enrapturedness towards one another. On one ocassion, a gazette in Tuscany publicized an edition on Joseph's constant kissing of his wife in public. Entering the Habsburg Tuscanian dominion, formerly Medici land, he had meetings with the Grand Duke, Frederick Leopold. He was left astounded by the coldness of the man contrasted by his avant-garde reforms, writing that while Leopold was not a great speaker, being aloof in personality, his reforms were a source of inspiration for Joseph who penned in his memoir several of the changes Leopold did.

Russia and the Nordic Circle, the fjords of Norway and Sweden, scattered islands. Stockholm was, as many of these stops, one specifically selected by Vergennes for political and diplomatic reasons. Welcomed enthusiastically by the King, Joseph felt the tension that plagued the nordic realm, undermining the newly-reinstated absolutist rule, all recorded in his memoir;

*"The King, behind the facade, is well-aware of his position, yet he remains enthusiastic and willing. Zibet had instilled in me distrust for His Majesty and his brothers. He was true in judgement. The King, capable and willing to endure through his despotic means leaving no room for the Riksdag to partake in government work, aleniating it entirely. While in his entourague the streets in Stockholm were cold both literally and metaphorically. His brothers, the Duke of Södermanland and the Duke of Östergötland, have left me dissapointed with the way they conduct themselves, the former is dependable on his mistresses, the latter has no restrictions on spending and his vocabulary left Caroline stunned in his poignant remarks of her silhouette. The King privately apologized to us the day before we left, Sweden proper has served me as a warning, one I won't overlook."*

Yet, despite the visit to Sweden being inundated with distrust, he did take King Gustav's advice to omit visiting Denmark that was described as chaotic and an undesirable place to visit for a pleasantry such as a honeymoon. Instead, he went to Russia where he met the mother-in-law of his brother, Catherine the Great. In the visit he was witness to the will and whim of the Russian court, it's intrigues and laissez-faire policy. Nonetheless, being under the aegis of the Empress was an asset to the couple and they spent joyful days there in the winter of 1776.

It was in Russia his wife, Caroline-Matilde gave birth to the first child of the union. A daughter dubbed the name Joséphine-Caroline-Françoise de Champagne, who was afforded the prestige of a petite fille de France. The Russian courtiers and the Empress herself treated it as a birth of one of their own and joviality and pomp surrounded Joséphine, all carefully recorded in her father's memoir;

*"A privilegued few were allowed into the chamber Caroline, the Empress, Grand Duke Paul, his wife and I were in. The birth was a smooth affair said the Empress and, when I beheld Joséphine in my arms several days later she was the most adorable thing I've ever seen. A petite nose and bright blue eyes whenever she opened them, words cannot express my gratitude and thankfulness to Caroline in bringing Joséphine to this world. The russian courtiers, however, did do their solid attempt at celebrating promptly after knowing of the birth and all kinds of gifts were showered upon us, many fertility related, worth noting. A few sketches of her were given to us aswell and the Empress had us sit down for a portrait, soon to be completed in the time after this entry."*

*"On the the subject of governance, Russia is unparalleled in their centralization. Moreso than any other of the countries I've visited, their circumstances in the country necessitate such strong governance and I commend it, but I also see in it that any division of power is a complicated affair, only to happen if the right people are convinced to do precise things. Maybe it will happen, maybe it will not, but it will not happen soon."*

    The conclusion of his Russian visit gave way for oriental extravaganzas, bazaars and Hagia Sophia tour sessions. The apogee of the 1400's, the conquerors of the Byzantine Empire and Constantinople, once the most feared power in Europe now subjected to humiliations in the hands of Russia and Persia. Joseph and Caroline adopted oriental attire while on their touring of Ottoman lands, meandering through milennia-old monuments and museums, sauntering as far as Cairo and Antioch, predating Napoleon's more famous visits that sparked Egyptomania later in the century. While in his touring of the Empire, he amassed a great collection of literature with the permission of the Sultan for him to ship to his personal library in France, yet Joseph insisted on paying the Sultan for allowing him to acquiesce antique pieces of history, quite literally.

His most fruitful visit however was the sun-kissed Iberian peninsula, more importantly, Spain. Arriving by boat on the Balearic Islands where he was met by his distant cousin, the Prince of Asturias, and future Charles IV. Joseph and Caroline were welcomed kindly by the heir to the throne, yet behind the looks and charisma of the Prince, something was blatantly obvious to Joseph, Charles was not interested in matters of state whatsoever and whenever Charles III, current King of Spain perished, Spain would not have a powerful well-informed King at it's head, he jotted this down in his memoir to have in for future reference.

Propelling themselves past the islands and to the mainland, arriving in Madrid the trio appeared before the King and here is where Joseph came face-to-face with Spain's finest, the Count of Floridabanca and the King's prime minister of sorts. The seasoned statesman and the learning Joseph who knew his fair share of Spanish spoke for endless hours in palatial business and Floridabanca instilled in the Fils de France that Anglo-Spanish relations ought to improve and that Spain should seek independence in foreign policy without following France's will entirely. Joseph recorded the following entry in his memoir;

*"Never had I imagined I'd meet a man like Floridabanca in a country such as Spain, that many, including me, were made to think it was a backwards realm in a deplorable state. This could not be farther from the truth. In Floridabanca and His Most Christian Majesty I've seen perhaps the most capable working duo out of all Europe, not even Kaunitz, not Joseph II or Catherine the Great can claim such a good match as the one I saw in Madrid. I wish a long life for His Majesty and an equally long career for Floridabanca, with them two at helm of Spain I have all the reasons to believe Spanish prestige will undergo restoration and a new era. I, if I were not who I were, would stay in Madrid and follow on all moves of this administration that shows great prospect."*

## Comte de Champagne

### Tête-à-têtes

Evolving into his adulthood, Louis-Joseph proved to be everything but the irrelevant and uninterested-in-politics third son. He thrusted himself into Parisian society and the conservative countryside, sure to take advantage of the prestige his rank afforded to garner all kinds of intellectual input and knowledge, careful examination of the current state of affairs and that of other heads of state. He spent long hours well into the evening with faculty-seat members of the Academies in the Louvre while also paying close attention to the world outside of the Paris, the Royal Court of Meudon by extension, with the court sequestered away oblivious to outside struggles.

While lending an ear to great philosophical minds of the era, he had been instilled reason by his Swedish governor, and in a letter addressed to the former, he stated that during one of his talks with Diderot the topic of an utopia in France was brought up. He wrote that if this were to ever occur in France it would be chaos.

While Paris itself had an idea of who Louis-Joseph was, outside of Île de France, he was an obscure persona and largely irrelevant as of 1775 due to his lack of traveling outside the "Isle".

### Post-Assasination of Louis XV

In the wake of his grandfather's assasination, as CODICIL II of the deceased monarch stated, Joseph was made heir to all French realms. This decision was almost unanimously discarded by the court and his successor, Louis XVI, who ordered Joseph thrown into confinement for the 28th—29th of August. Rumors spread around that Joseph had altered the will and staged a coup, yet they died out once the two brothers made amends on the 29th.

From then on, he was restored to his previous jobs and entrusted with new responsabilities as Grand Prévot and Colonel of the Topographical Engineers, in charge of mapping the country and creating a substantial stash of reconnaissance information to be used in times of conflict. As Grand Provost he was entrusted with the position's ancient privilegue of being the utmost law enforcement and policing, which went through it's baptism of fire at the 'Day of the Tiles' in Grenoble. In the city the Estates-General of Dauphiné were summoned and a meeting was headed by Jean-Joseph Mounier which proposed presposterous demands to the Crown.

## Identity

### Personality

A man curious by nature, always looking to learn more. It is a widely-known fact he is a frequent visitor to the *Academies* in Paris. Visits that are very welcome since he is one of the greatest patron of the sciences in France. This is not to say he has the attitude of a know-it-all, infact, he is quite open to being corrected since, in his words, "It is foolish to think any man has access to all knowledge at all times."

Compassionate and kind, going out of his way to put himself in somebody else's shoes. He has been observed by members of faculties he frequents, as not exactly an authoritarian leader but a capable administrator, partially reliant on the word of his inner circle —advisors, his governor, and such— before executing actions. A virtue lost on French monarchs.

From a modern outlook, Louis-Joseph was a member of the reformist movement, yet not in the sense of Enligthened Absolutism/Despotism —that plagued late 18th century Europe—, which sought to enhance authoritarian rule and weaken all other autonomous and self-governing bodies. His memoirs were a treasure of the realizations he came about in these years, where he believes in Montesquieu's division of powers, profound beliefs in the nature of monarchy as a bastion of stability, as long as it's constitutional. In his ménage of intellectual acquaintances —both national and international— topics were discussed long and hard which proved nurturing for the mind of the young man.

### Appearance

Louis-Joseph, described as more German than French, inherited a feature-rich ancestry from his Saxon-hailing mother, Marie-Josephe. From her is that many of his traits come from; golden tufts of hair, grey-ish eyes, a near identical nose to his mother, a stable physique and height at 5'10. This last atribute being given by his Bourbon parentage, notoriously tall overrall.

## Titles, Styles and Honours

**Styles**

* **13 September 1758—1 May 1770;** *Son Altesse Royale*, Louis-Joseph-Xavier François de France, Fils de France, Comte de Toulouse
* **1 May 1770—present;** *Son Altesse Royale*, Louis-Joseph-Xavier François de France, Fils de France, Duc de Mercœur
* **13 August 1775—present:** *Son Altesse Royale*, Louis-Joseph-Xavier François de France, Fils de France, Comte de Champagne

#### Titles

* Dauphin d'Auvergne
* Comte de Champagne
* Prince souverain de Dombes
* Comte de Toulouse
* Duc de Mercœur

**Honours**

* Kingdom of Spain: Chevalier de l'Ordre de la Toison d'Or (1760—present)
* Kingdom of France: Chevalier de l'Ordre du Saint-Esprit (1759—present)
* Russian Empire: Chevalier de l'Ordre de Saint-André (1776—present)
* Kingdom of Sweden: Chevalier de l'Ordre royal de l'Étoile polaire (1775—present)

## Issue

With his wife, Caroline Matilde de Hanovre, he had the following children:

* Josephine-Caroline-Françoise de Champagne, born 20th December 1776.