Constantin XI & XXII

## Constantin XI of Grandelumiere, XXII of the Romans

### Spouse

Justine Isabelle de Bretagne (1715-1720) †Constantine Marie de Bretagne (1721-1728) †

Marie Barbe de Portugal (1729-Present)

### Romantic Interests

Anne Philippine, Mademoiselle de Rohan (1715)Marie Catherine Elisabeth, Duchesse de Levis (1716-1728)

Maximilien Constantin Auguste, Electeur de Brunswick (1717-Present)

### Issue

Constantine Justine Philippine, Princesse de la PorphyreConstantin Alexandre, Duc de Bretagne †

Michel Maximilien, Duc de Bretagne

Marie Amelie, Princesse †

Constantin Auguste, Duc de Normandie

Justine Henriette, Princesse

Justin Henri, Duc de Bourgogne

Illegitimate Children:

Justin Maximilien, Duc du Maine

Justine Madeleine, Mademoiselle de Tours

Michel Justin, Archevêque de Rouen

Marie Élisabeth, Mademoiselle de Vendôme

### Father

Justin Pétrone Auguste, Archiduc de Constantinoble †

### Mother

Marie Amélie Elisabeth Catherine de Bretagne

### Siblings

Constantine Marie Casimire, Princesse de la Porphyre

### Religion

Roman Catholicism

**Constantin XI & XXII** **Porphyrogénète** (29th August 1702 - Present; Latin; *Cōnstantīnus XI & XXII Porphyrogenitus*), nicknamed "The Holy-Prince" as a result of surviving flu at the invocation of the Blessed Virgin, succeeded his grandfather as Emperor of Grandelumiere and Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans, King of France and of Navarra in 1710. Descended from a long line of illustrious ancestors, his forebearers included his great-grandmother, Marie II, who was later beatified, Cardinal-Emperor Constantin VIII, and Constantin VI to name a few.

Meek, temperamental, sometimes violent and at other times frail and easily frightened, the boy was plagued by illness both physical and mental. His mental instabilities always proved to be the greater of the two curses placed upon him, and in many cases, they were unhidden from the public view. Suffering from a mixture of disorders, not least melancholy, manic disorder and violent outburst (which most often came in the form of his ill-treatment towards his sister), he also suffered lycanthropy, leading to his mocking epithet "The Wolf-Prince". This may come as no surprise as the early period of his reign was marked by conflict between the court factions of both the Regentaires and the Mortemarette factions. This, coupled with the outbreak of smallpox within the capital city provided a bleak outlook on the start of his reign and presented to some a dangerous omen of things to come.

## Early life

### **Birth**

Constantin XI & XII was born on 29th of August 1702 in the *Palais de le Porphyrogénète* of the Grand Palais de Roumansalle to the Prince Justin Auguste Porphyrogénète and his wife, Marie Amélie de Bretagne, daughter of the sovereign Duc de Bretagne, Constantin de Bretagne. Upon being delivered he was named Constantin *Porphyrogénète* and given the courtesy Despote de Champagne. He was the 6th and penultimate child who was born alive to the Prince and Princesse, who had suffered a series of miscarriages, as well as infant deaths, prior to the delivery of the young Constantin. The birth itself was held in great expectation and hope, with the Emperor, Prince, and the majority of the senior court present in the room. As was custom, a group of twelve nuns from the Abbaye de Montmartre were present for the birth, singing psalms. Upon his delivery, the newborn boy was handed immediately, not to his mother nor his father, but to the Emperor, before having the cross signed over him. Only then were his parents to receive him.

From the moment of birth, it was assumed he'd be a rather sickly child, given his noted deformities, which included a hunched back and poor leg. After being charged to his wetnurse Charlotte Bouthillier in his infancy, he was given over to the care of the Électrice du Palatin, who remained as *Grand Gouvernante de la Pourprené* by appointment of the child's grandfather, Empereur Constantin X & XXI. The Électrice du Palatin took pity upon the sickly child and spared him little attention, much to the displeasure of his older sister, Constantine Marie Casimire, who resented the addition.

### **Baptism**

The boy, in large part due to his sickly nature, was baptised but a few months following his birth at the formation of flu. The ceremony, which was carried out in the *Chapelle Impériale de Sainte Sophie* by the successor of the Cardinal de Mortemart, his nephew, the Électeur-Archevêque de Mayence. The ceremony was not particularly large due to the hurried nature to save the child's soul. However, the ambassador of Spain to the Imperial court, the Marquis de Castelldosríus, noted that; *"Despite the subitaneous nature of the ceremony, one must note that it was carried out with all due dignity and glorification. All traits engendered by men of such ancient and imperial antecedents."*

The ceremony did adhere to all common practices of the court at the time and had the sickly child carried on his way by Marie-Fleur Raphaëlle du Palatin, who was draped in an ornate gown for the occasion, followed by those who would be named his godmother's and godfathers. It was at this ceremony that he was named in full, Constantin Marie Germain Romain Francois Victor Euthyme Casimir. Constantin on account of his lineage, Marie to invoke her protection against premature death, Germain, Romain, and Francois after the three traditional realms of the crown, Victor in reference to Louis-Victor Jules the Marquis de Belle-Ile, Euthyme for the Saint Feast day of his birth, and Casimir as the chosen name by his father. Only a few days later the child's flu would subside, leading to the early epithet of *"the Holy-Prince",* something that might have been later reconsidered.

## Childhood

### **Early Childhood**

It became rather apparent that the physical deformities of the child's back and leg were not the only ills that would plague him. Indeed, from the first few months of his life, at which one might be expected to start speaking their first words, the child had not yet developed to the same level. In fact, he would struggle to put words together for several months, and well after the usual period of 12 months, was the point at which he was finally making headway with his first audible words. Despite this, those words were not clearly distinguished, and it was assumed upon inspection that his oversized tongue might be causing issues in the development of speech by the imperial physicians. At the same time as the fears over his difficulty talking were realised, it was apparent that the child would have difficulty walking, as by the age of 12 months he too had not started walking.

Despite his love for his children, the Prince des Romaines, his father, rarely saw his son or any of his other children. More often than not, he spent his time with his lovers, in particular, the Marquis de Belle-Ile with whom he shared an adoring if not turbulent relationship. His father's scandals took up far more of his time than any of his children, which would effectuate a coldness between the two, though this was a source of pain to the Prince. Not only that but as a result of his father's misguided interests, he took no action or interest in the arguments that were fostered between his children and seemed somewhat oblivious to the fact when spoken to on the subject, exclaiming, *"Were I informed of every change my head should spin."*

 His relationship with his mother was far less strained, though nonetheless formal as dictated by court etiquette. As such, he was not permitted to speak to his parents without the presence of his governess, nor before Mass. Despite this, the Emperor very rarely showed any anger towards his mother and was by all accounts alternating between affection and ambivalence towards her.

### **Death of the Prince**

Prior to his fourth birthday, his father, Justin Pétrone Auguste, died of a cold in his rooms at the Grand Palais de Roumansalle. Unable to comprehend much of the nature of death, and lacking any real closeness to his father, he didn't share much of a concern at his death and appeared otherwise unmoved by the matter. This deeply saddened some of the late Prince des Romaines' closest individuals, including his secretary, the Marquis de Phélypeaux, who wrote; *"It pains one's heart no more than to see a child so unmoved by a father's death, a father filled with such love for the wellness of his offspring."*

### **Development**

Despite his difficulty developing, at the age of 4 he was appointed with the first of his *Enfants d'Honneur*, which included the Comte d'Albon and [find other children]. At first, this was not unusual but it would later become apparent as the child grey to walk properly at the age of 5, and for the next few years, he gave way to frequent tempers. There were several accounts of his violent outbursts from a young age, one of which recalling how he took to pushing the poor Comte d'Albon from a play horse, and when told off by his attending *Gouvernante*, he made no excuses for himself and seemed, as she stated, quite pleased with himself. Not prone to showing remorse for his behaviour, this worried his carers, who attempted to instil in him a greater sense of responsibility and empathy with a harsher focus on his theological instruction. This instruction, however, only served to the detriment of their expectations, and pushed him to greatly dislike his religious tutor, whom he would frequently throw items at in fits of anger.

His abuses, however, didn't stop at his *enfants d'honneur* and tutors. He was unambiguously cruel to his oldest and only surviving sister, Constantine Marie Casimire. When left in one another's company he frequently pulled at her hair or went out of his way to push and shove. More than once a fight had to be broken between the pair by their respective *gouvernantes.* At the same time, what had once been considered childish games of make-believe were being reconsidered as it was noted that, rather than merely pretending to be a wolf, the boy seemed to genuinely believe he was. This went so far as for him to curl up on the floor beside his bed and being found laying there in the morning, where he would refuse to speak and howled instead. During these phases of delusion, he would run demand that a dog bed be placed in his room and that he be dressed in fur. During one such session, the Électrice du Palatin wrote in her journals; *"Quite embarrassingly, I had been walking him on his cord in the petit carrousel when he went awkwardly upon all fours and began to bark in such a wild manner. All us women in attendance attempted to make levity from the situation, but it's hard to make levity when your charge believes he's a dog."*

As his grandfather's health started to fail, amidst the outbreak of the smallpox epidemic which had spread around the capital of Paris, there were concerns that the court may suffer the same consequences as the common people. Realising that they were not wholly safe, the government decided to enact the closure of the Palace to the general public, locking themselves inside the gates of the palace. Despite this act, the Emperor's health did not recover. The young Constantin was forbidden from attending his grandfather's side for fear that he may too catch the disease, and by the 2nd of September, arrangements had been put into effect for his death. This stipulated that the eldest prince of the blood, Philippe II de Lorraine, failing any closer immediate relatives, would take the Regency. Six days later, his grandfather, Constantin X & XXII, died of smallpox.

## Regency

### **Unrest**

As a result of the death of Constantin X & XXI, the young boy's previous governess has been exiled from the court as the Emperor could not receive Extreme Unction with the presence of a mistress. She had requested the incoming Regent to inform her when the Emperor passed, however, the Regent refused. This sparked immediate unrest between the Mortemart family, who had seen, without expectation or warning, a member of their family stripped of their usual court status. This tension did not fade, and without attempts to repair or revoke the out-and-out insult put upon the family from the Regency, issues continued to escalate.

The Mortemarts would come to avoid the Regent, publicly making no attempt to speak, a point to which their own pride and status would not allow them to change on, and caused a deepening divide. When it was overheard that the Duc de Teck, Charles-Christophe de Wurtembergeois, supported the Regent, and even came to meet him, the Mortemart family had sent their own supporter, the Duchesse de Levis, a sister to the head of the family, to inform them what was being said. When it was told to them that the Duchesse had been sent away by the Regent, this sparked outrage among the Mortemart family, a second insult they claimed. It was at this confrontation that the Regent ordered the Électrice du Palatin to be sent away from the court. When her family threatened to leave, the Regent was overheard to say; *"Take her to the Place Royale, or wherever she may wish to go within Paris."* With this, the Mortemart faction left the court.

The Emperor, as a result of having several Mortemart relations, including an Enfant d'Honneur and his governess, was less than pleased to be informed that his "Mere Deuxieme" had been taken from him, and demanded her return several times. On every attempt, however, his request was set aside. Things only worsened for the Emperor as, on several occasions, the Regents ministers would out-and-out avoid answering the boy-sovereign, and while he certainly held no political significance beyond his title, such acts did little to please his temper, already notorious. As such, letters he had sent to his exiled governess frequently berate and condemn his "hated ministers", of which he made no distinction between working for and being a "Lorrainer".

### **Outbreak of War**

During the funeral of his late grandfather, the Emperor would attend with the Regency and his faction, while the Mortemart faction was permitted to attend, on account of 2 thirds of the senior clergy who were required for the ceremony being loyal to the Mortemarts. Rioters, instigated by members of the Mortemart faction, would form during the funeral, and as the group left, eventually came upon the Lorrainers to attack them. It was during this that the Électrice with several individuals came upon the group to take the Emperor to the Palais Cardinal, while the Regent and what guards were left was forced to flee Paris. This was the first real action of what would be termed the Mortemart Rebellion.

At this point, the Emperor was now within the clutches of the Mortemarts, who quickly went about attempting to restore order, placing the eldest Mortemarette, Laurene (who also happened to be Philippe II's mother), as the new Regent. However, their time would be taken up much more by the need to put down the Regents resistance. Instead, the Emperor was put to focus on his studies, and please himself with the more intimate company he received.

Eventually, the Palace forced were gathered to march east to put down the forces mustered by the ex-regent, with the Mortemart forces placed under the command of the Dauphin de Viennois, Louis VII. It greatly displeased him to travel much further than he required, though, despite his dislike for these travels, he would be brought off to the various forts that the Mortemarette Regency took stay within during their march to meet Philippe II. The two armies would meet at the only battle of the war, that of Conde-sur-Marne. While Constantin XI & XXII never saw conflict personally and was instead left in the force Constantin in Reims, he was made aware of their outcomes at which he was greatly angered by the loss of the Mortemart army. He even came to hold the Mortemart's responsible for their own failure in some regard. Upon their defeat, and the signing of the treaty to end the conflict, the Emperor was brought back to the Palais de Roumansalle under the restored Regency of Philippe II.

### **Restoration of Peace**

In the aftermath of the conflict, the Emperor was no less critical of those who had supported his by-now much hated Regent. The boy would levy all manner of insults upon his supporters who he did not view as equal to that of those who had cared for him, often making great strides to promise their removal from office upon his succession. Not that he could enact any of these threats naturally. The cost of the war had, however, forced the regent to end the war with Austria and Spain, finally installing the Duc d'Anjou, Philippe, and uncle to the Emperor, on the throne of Spain as Philippe V. It was during this immediate aftermath that the Emperor perhaps had his most turbulent time, referring to the old Lorraine supporters as the Lorrainers, and assigning individual nicknames to each. Frequent outbursts occurred during this time, in particular, those directed towards the Duc de Montmorency, who continually attacked the Mortemarettes despite having returned to court, and on more occasion had called the Mortemarttes devils and demons to the Emperor.

### **Engagement**

While he himself was only 8, he was engaged to the 13-year-old Duchesse de Bretagne, Justine Isabelle d'Evreux. Not only were they from related Houses, but the two children also were double first cousins, and 2nd cousins once removed, nevermind various other relations from several inter-family marriages before this. This had become the norm between Anjou and Evreux, with almost every generation showing up with an Anjou-Evreux marriage somewhere. The marriage offer had been given by the Breton first minister, the Vicomte de Rohan, who was a pro-Grandelumierian supporter and a follower of the Dowager Duchess, who herself was a Grandelumierian Princess, Marie Philippine. Despite this arrangement, the Emperor would refuse to write, or consider, his wife to be.

Worsening his relationship with the woman he was destined to wed, a revolt broke out in the Duchy of Bretagne, not only supported by the common grief of the people at the prospect of losing their independence, but also stirred up and supported by many of the aristocratic class in the independent duchy who resented their loss of power. This was in part due to the preferential treatment that was given out to the merchant class within the Duchy from the Breton government, who spared little concern for anything more than the financial incentives provided.

Despite his hatred for the Breton court, he had mixed emotions about his Regent leaving, which were evidenced by his alternating moods of melancholy and anger regarding the subject. While he certainly had not yet forgiven him for both the dismissal of the Électrice du Palatin (who he referred to still as his deuxième-mère) and subsequent Regency war, it was supposed that it was the closest to a paternal role the young Emperor had. Furthermore, despite being appointed as the boy's precepteur, the Regent had little direct involvement in the Emperor's studies or upbringing, instead, resigning himself to keeping within his office or leaving on a campaign. At one point, the Emperor had remarked, *"I should thank him for so thoroughly emulating my father's role in my world, though I should note I wish he did not try so hard to be my father's likeness,"* a direct reference to the absence of the Prince Justin des Romaines from his children's lives.

This attitude he cultivated in which he made no attempts to hide his emotions and thoughts from others, particularly on the topic of those he felt had failed him, did not go a long way to making him popular. He had no issue in telling his *enfant's d'honneur* when he disliked their behaviour, and took to kicking, punching, and hitting them with a variety of objects when he had the opportunity, allowing only one or two to be spared his abuses (notedly the Comte d'Albon and the Comte de Chabris). When, by the age of 10, the Marquis de Nangis died from what would be considered internal bleeding, many were quick to point a very discreet finger at their sovereign. Truth be told, the Emperor had, on more than one occasion, pushed the young boy from a play horse, and at least one time pushed him down some stairs, for minor offences.

### **Death of the Électrice**

When the closest thing to a parent the boy had, being Marie Raphaelle the Électrice du Palatin, died, it pushed the young Emperor into a temporary breakdown even at his young age, being on 8 when she passed in 1710. It was widely known at court that the boy would frequently hallucinate, speaking not only to his deuxième-mère, but also about the Marquis de Nangis, and the Regent in his absences. Eventually, he became sure he was dead, and refused to eat, change, or move, and demanded that everyone around him wear black to mourn him. In this state, he would not change his clothing, and gave orders, still sure he was dead, that he should be dressed as if to be laid in state, and then would not rise from his bed.

### **Handovers**

in 1714, arrangements were being made for the Duchesse de Bretagne, Justine, to make her way to Grandelumiere and begin the elaborate ceremony of her wedding. At the same time, the Emperor's aunt, the Queen of Spain, had died and the Regent offered his sister's hand to his Uncle, the King of Spain. The pair notoriously had a poor relationship, and the young sovereign was only too pleased to see her off, as the court made their way down to the Spanish Border. Unaware to him, but very much on the mind of many courtiers, was the aspiration for the Regent's own family, stripping the Princesse of her rights to the throne.

The handover of his sister was an elaborate affair, with a guard on provided by the Empire of 20,000, and a train consisting of 80 carriages, carrying well over 300 nobles and officials, and the party was even larger when considering the number of attendants, valets, and other staff. However, even this was dwarfed by the immense party to come.

Within a year, the Emperor would be making his way to the handover of his wife to be, while the Second Great Turkish War was taking place. Despite the strain on the finances, the handover between the Emperor of Grandelumiere and the Duchess of Brittany was a massive affair. On the Breton side, the Duchess arrived with almost 140 officials, 60 carriages, and an immense retinue of servants, 20,000 horses, and almost equal to that in troops. The Emperor's cortege, on the other hand, was attended to by a vast line of almost 100 carriages carrying nobility of varying ranks, not forgetting two empresses, and 23,000 troops in all along the travel route. The two large parties descended on the relatively small village of Hamlin. Justine was made to swear to renounce her ownership of Brittany to her husband to be, while the Emperor found his first liking for the Mademoiselle de Rohan, one of Justine's ladies. The travel back to Paris took the immense joint parties through the Empire, descending on the Abbey of Fontevraud on the way.

### **Marriage**

Upon the return to Paris itself, the couple were prepared for their wedding day, another elaborate ceremony. Despite the short distance from the Palais de Roumansalle and Notre Dame, the two of them were transported in separate gilt carriages, pulled by twelve white horses in all, while the immediate princes of the blood and senior nobility followed behind. The streets were lined with various tapestries, covering the fronts of old houses, and hoards of Parisians thronged the windows, balconies, and streets around the Emperor and his bride. The municipal guard lined the route while the mounted military household of the Emperor rode alongside. Despite the elaborate ceremony of the wedding Mass, the Emperor was said to be distant, and sulky throughout, dressed in fine silver and gold thread, studded with various jewels and fleurs de lys. The marriage contract would then be signed, by all parties relevant.

Following the wedding, lanterns were lit, flowing along the Seine, fireworks covering the sky of Paris, and thousands of bells rang out across the Empire's countryside, with riders charged with ensuring each town was aware of the expected time that the marriage would conclude. The ceremony itself would naturally have been followed by a bedding ceremony in the late evening, though this was postponed on account of his age. Thus began the turbulent marriage between the two natural sovereigns.

### **Mademoiselle de Wurtembourgeois**

The Mademoiselle de Wurtembourgeois, Marie-Catherine Élisabeth de Wurtembergeois (later the Duchesse de Levis) would become the first major mistress to the Emperor when he was aged 13. This was the result of Madame la Princesse Douairiere's, the girl's aunt, influence on the Emperor. Constantin would make public his relationship with the woman before the court frequently, and went on to father several children with her. In return for her company, Constantin intervened to supply 300,000 livres in her dowry. It was also through his influence that the young Mademoiselle would marry the then Duc de Ventadour, one of the Enfants d'Honneur to Constantin. During the first years of their relationship, Élisabeth de Wurtembergeois would exert considerable influence upon the young monarch, perhaps only bested by that of Madame la Princesse Douairiere herself.

## Personal Rule

### **Death of Philippe II**

The Regent, while leading the Holy League wars in the Ottoman lands, died following battle in Syria, on the 10th of January 1717. This was a great shock to the Emperor, who, despite his mixed emotions, was deeply moved by the passing of his Regent. The Regent was received at the Palais de Roumansalle atop an elephant, and from there, 7 days of mourning were observed. Once his funeral had taken place, the coronation of the Emperor was immediately on the mind of the Dauphin and the Mortemart faction in order to suppress the power of the Regentaires. The Duc de Valois had been made the Regent, traditionally the enemy of the Mortemarts. With the Dauphin pleading the Empress to have the courts overturn the regency and pronounce the majority of the Emperor. This was done so, ending the Valois regency after little more than a week.

### **Coronation**

The 26th of January, 1717 marked the day that Constantin XI & XXII was crowned Emperor in Notre Dame de Paris. Celebrations for his coronation lasted several weeks, with a series of plays, hunts, dances, and games being carried out both within court and across the Empire. The day itself filled the streets so much that it was reported over 328 people were crushed to death. The coronation was presided over by the Cardinal de Mayence of Mortemart.

The beginning of his rule had few noticeable leaders in politics, with the Duchesse de Ventadour remaining in power in terms of the court. The Electeur de Brunswick would be selected as Archchancellor, the Emperor unwilling to rule his council alone. The first acts of the Conseil included the decision to repeal the bread laws previously in place by the Regency.

For the most part, the conseil make up remained generally very stable, with few ministerial replacements of the years and the majority of posts left occupied, which greatly helped achieve stability within the government and as a result across the wider Empire. It became apparent that the financial undertakings of the regency had severely crippled the imperial treasury with several large scale wars that accrued a significant debt. It became the task of the Dauphin-Electeur de Viennois to service the debt in whichever capacity he could. By 1722, this became serviced in large part by taxation on the clergy, insisting on the raising of the 'Free Gift' given by the church.

### **Relationship with the Empress**

Throughout his relationship with the Empress, Constantin showed little interest or affection. He displayed precisely the opposite, acting in a constantly vindictive manner. Throughout their short marriage, the Emperor found himself in constant frustration at their lack of a legitimate heir. The first physical sign of cruelty came with the bedding ceremony. In 1716, when the Emperor was finally able to bed the Empress, he was notoriously cruel, causing her significant injury and bleeding. Madame la Princesse Douairiere, who had been there to instruct the Empress, would remark that upon seeing her, *"one would think that she had been set upon by highwaymen."* He was not only capable of physical abuse but intense verbal abuse. During her final pregnancy, the emperor would tear apart her rooms upon returning from the front with Brunswick. Having heard of the spread of books against him and painting her in a sympathetic light, the Emperor held her accountable. A Bishop, coming to her aide and threatening Constantin, was killed by the Emperor in a blind fit of rage. Certainly, this wasn't the first time he'd kill an individual.

By this point, Constantin was also in a deeply involved affair with Brunswick, in which he played a noticeably subservient role, much to Justine's chagrin. Despite this, Brunswick would do his best to defend Justine de Bretagne, who Constantin would beat mercilessly when the feeling overcame him. Dragging her often by the hair, pushing her towards an open fireplace.

This mode of affairs would continue throughout the marriage between the two and was exacerbated by the death of their children. The union produced one healthy child, Constantine. Ultimately, issues would arise while the Emperor was travelling during the war of the Triple Alliance and her final pregnancy as mentioned. Within a few months of this incident, Justine would deliver a final baby boy, before dying hours later. The son would pass within the day, becoming the shortest reigning Duke of Brittany.

## Personality and Appearance

### **Personality**

As a young boy, he displayed very few symptoms of his otherwise more violent tendencies. It was not until the age of five that this became increasingly apparent to those around him. At times, he was known to act violently towards his *enfants d'honneur*, several times pushing them from a rocking horse and other toys, and going so far as to beat them with toy swords. However, in periods of calm rest void of this mania, he was deeply curious about the world, if not depressive to some degree, and always fascinated with death. This fascination may very well have developed from his early experiences with the loss of his father and the subsequent smallpox outbreak that surrounded him in Paris. He was known to shower affection onto those he called friends and loved one moment, before becoming intensely irritable or cruel the next. When young, he would often pretend to be a dog, and while some considered this childish games, as he grew it became clear that he oftentimes believed he genuinely was a dog, naturally deeply concerning his physicians in the process. Such problems were exacerbated by the Emperor becoming frequently intoxicated by the age of eighteen.

Considered to suffer such issues as hallucinations, manic disorder (bipolar disorder), lycanthropy, and general violent outbursts, several of these were likely due in large part to his parentage. His parents were first cousins once removed, his great-grandparents were first cousins, and he was engaged to his own third and double first cousin. He was thought to be an imbecile from a young age due to his late development of talking, though it soon became clear this was the result of physical hardship in forming words, which he would not master until much later.

Beyond his mental instabilities, however, he was known as an avid hunter at which he was exceptionally skilled. In particular, he had an adoration of falconry to which he always enjoyed taking part in. This gave way to his ownership of many dozens of birds of prey, and hundreds of birds in general. Contrary to this love of hunting, he could be extremely docile in the company of favourites, an attitude which he displayed from an early age in the fact that he would rarely make decisions for himself without first consulting his mother. In time, this extended towards his intimates and culminated in that of the Electeur de Brunswick, under whose direction he would occasionally take a far more passive and effeminate role when not suffering his aggressive outbursts.

### **Appearance**

As a result of a multitude of factors, the young boy was afflicted with several physical deformities. One of the more easily remedied problems was that of his right leg, which was shorter than that of his left by about five centimetres, which when neglected caused a somewhat noticeable limp in his walking. However, in order to fix this, he was provided with shoes with a special sole to help even out his height. This short leg was not the worst of his problems, as he also suffered some degree of deformity in the spine, including a slightly hunched upper back and scoliosis of the spine. These two issues, when put together, made rising and sitting down in his seat, as well as walking long distances, tiresome. Furthermore, as a result of the combination of these deformities, he couldn't walk until the age of five and required frequent help with making his way around the court building until the age of ten. His various back problems also created the very noticeable issue of his height. While the average height of many of his adult contemporaries was around that of 5'6, the emperor stood at a total height of 4'9. In order to compensate for this issue of height, he liked to keep a series of dwarfs around himself to give the appearance of being comparatively taller. However, this was not entirely disliked by those around him, Brunswick going so far as to remark, *"Due to our close friendship, I would find it very difficult to consider his height anything but an asset to me."*

Other, general issues would include that of a tongue that was slightly too large for his mouth, which as a result of this, he would speak with a heavy lisp and didn't talk properly until the age of three, something which frustrated his tutors and governesses. In general, accompanying this, he was never described as a particularly handsome individual, with sallow skin, marked and mottled with blotches, marks and scars which were only covered by the heavy application of make-up. His general facial structure was worsened by the protruding lower jaw, similar to that of his Habsburg cousins, and a large forehead. In fact, one of the few pleasant features upon his face was that of a well-proportioned nose.

## Issue

### **Legitimate Issue**

With his first wife, Justine Isabelle de Bretagne, Constantin's marriage led to several pregnancies;

* Stillborn girl (16th September 1716)
* Miscarried child (9th August 1717)
* Constantine Justine Romaine Germaine Élisabeth Philippine, Princesse de la Porphyre (12th April 1719 - Present)
* Constantin Romain Alexandre, Duc de Bretagne (30th March 1720 - 31st March 1720)

With his second wife, Constantine Marie de Bretagne, there were six pregnancies;

* Miscarried child (9th January 1722)
* Miscarried child (23rd December 1722)
* Stillborn girl (18th August 1723)
* Michel Romain Germain François Maximillien Philippe Vital, Duc de Bretagne (15th June 1724 - Present)
* Marie Romaine Germaine Françoise Justine Amélie (3rd March 1725 - 20th July 1727)
* Stillborn boy (23rd February 1727)
* Constantin Romain François Germain Jacques Sacerdos Auguste, Duc de Normandie (4th May 1728 - Present)

With his third wife, Marie Barbe de Portugal, there would be several pregnancies

* Miscarried child (26th October 1729)
* Stillborn son (16th June 1730)
* Justine Romaine Françoise Germaine Félicité Constantine Henriette (30th May 1731 - Present)
* Miscarried child (19th March 1733)
* Justin Romain Germain François Jean Henri (13th August 1734 - Present)

### **Illegitimate Issue**

With the Duchesse de Levis and Menars, Constantin would have several children who would later be legitimised;

* Justin Constantin Etienne Louis Maximilien, Duc du Maine (4th February 1717 - Present)
* Justine Catherine Élisabeth Madeleine, Mademoiselle de Tours (16th April 1719 - Present)
* Michel Sebastian Justin Romain, Cardinal, Archevêque de Rouen, Duc de Verneuil (20th July 1720 - Present)
* Marie Michelle Helene Amélie Élisabeth, Mademoiselle de Vendôme(30th November 1722 - Present)

## Honours, Titles and Styles

### **Titles and Styles**

* **29th August 1702 - 2nd January 1706** Son Altesse Impériale, Despote de Champagne
* **2nd January 1706 - 9th September 1710** Son Altesse Impériale, Prince des Romaines
* **9th September 1710 - Present** Sa Majesté Romaine et Chrétienne, Empereur de Grandelumiere

#### **Full Title**

At the time of his succession, his title in full was;

By the Grace of God, the Most High, Perpetually August, His Most Roman and Christian Majesty, Constantin XI & XXII, Emperor of Grandelumiere, Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans and of all the East, King of France, of Germany, of Jerusalem, of Egypt, of Navarra, and of all the Arabs, Prince of Andorra, Despot of Champagne, Duke of Burgundy, of Normandy, of Aquitaine, of Toulouse, and of Vendôme, Count of Provence, of Rethel, of Forcalquier, of Valentinois, of Diois, of Roussillon, of Foix, of Armagnac, of Comminges, of Bigorre and of Marle etc, Lord of Béarn, and of Donezan, etc., etc.

### **Honours**

* Grand Master of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
* Grand Master of the Sacred Order of the Holy Paraclete
* Grand Master of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Assumption
* Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece
* Knight of the Order of the Ermine