Bourbon-Vendôme

Bourbon-Vendôme refers to two branches of the House of Bourbon, the first of which became the senior legitimate line of the House of Bourbon in 1527, and succeeded to the throne of France in 1589 with Henry IV. He created the second house by granting the dukedom of Vendôme to one his legitimized sons.

First house

House of Bourbon-Vendôme
Parent house	Bourbon-La Marche
Country	France
Founded	1393
Founder	Louis de Bourbon
Titles	Count of Vendôme Duke of Vendôme King of Navarre King of France
Dissolution	Merged in the Crown (1589)

The first House of Bourbon-Vendôme was descended from

.

Second house

House of Bourbon-Vendôme (Légitimé de France)
Parent house	Bourbon
Country	France
Founded	1598
Founder	César de Bourbon
Titles	Duke of Vendôme Duke of Beaufort Duke of Étampes Duke of Mercœur Count of Penthièvre (later Duke of Penthièvre)
Dissolution	1727

The second House of Bourbon-Vendôme descended directly from the first house. It was founded by César de Bourbon (1594–1665), the legitimized son of Henry IV and his mistress, Gabrielle d'Estrées.

Born in 1594, César de Bourbon was created

by his father, the former holder, in 1598. After the creation of 1598, the title continued to be used by César de Bourbon's family for over a century.

In 1599, César de Bourbon also inherited the titles of

(1616–1669).

After the death of the

.

Genealogy

1. Françoise de Lorraine, Duchess of Mercœur and of Penthièvre (1592–1669), daughter and heiress of Philippe Emmanuel, Duke of Mercœur
   , a rival of his father Henry IV's. They had three children.
   1. Louis II de Bourbon-Vendôme, 2nd Duke of Vendôme (1612–1669). He married Laura Mancini, niece of Cardinal Mazarin, and had three children.
      1. Philippe
         .
      2. Order of Malta
         , he was also a French army commander. He held the title until his death in 1727.
      3. Jules César (1657–1660)
   2. Élisabeth de Bourbon (1614–1664), styled mademoiselle de Vendôme before her marriage to Charles Amadeus of Savoy, 6th Duke of Nemours.
   3. François de Bourbon-Vendôme, 1st Duke of Beaufort (1616–1669), who never married and had no children.

Gallery

• 
  César de Bourbon, the founder
• 
  Louis Joseph de Bourbon, the Duke of Vendôme on campaign, 1706

Ancestry

Other illegitimate houses

• Bourbon-Busset
• Bourbon-Maine (extinct)
• Bourbon-Penthièvre (extinct)

See also

• [1] - French site with further information on the family