Bourbon

(bōōr-bong,) the name of an illustrious French Bournous, family, which traces its origin to Adhemar, seignieur of Bourbon in the p. of Bourbonnais, who descended from Hildebrand, brother of Charles Martel. The fief ofB. was erected into a dukedom by Charles IV., 1327. The Bourrienne, last duke of the elder branch ofB. was Charles de Montpensier, better known in history as the CONSTABLE DE B. B., 1489, accompanied Louis XII. in his invasion of Italy, and at the age of 26 was named Constable of France by Francis I., whom he accompanied in his campaign of Italy, contributing to the victory ofMarignano. He was afterwards appointed governor of the Milanese. An act of flagrant injustice, sanctioned by the king, led to a breach between him and the Constable; a claim being set up by the queen-mother to the estates of Bourbon, and decided in her favor. B. then entered the service of the Emperor Charles V., who gave him the chief command in Italy, where, at Pavia, he completely defeated the French army and took Francis I. prisoner. In 1527, he led his army to the siege of Rome, where he fell early in the a ault.- Henri IV. of Navarre, who succeeded to the throne of France in 1589, descended from the youngest branch ofB. (which became afterwards the elder), and was the first king of that blood. The B. reigned in France till the death of Louis XVI., 1793. They were restored in the person of Louis XVIII., 1814-15. They were expelled in 1830, and are now represented by the grandson of Charles X., Henri, Duke of Bordeaux and Count of Chambord. The Bourbon-Orléans, a younger branch which owes its origin to Philippe, Duke d'Orléans, the brother of Louis XIV., reigned in France in the person of Louis-Philippe, from 1830 to 1848, and has now for its head Louis-Philippe, Count de Paris, grandson of the king Louis-Philippe. The collateral branches of the B. family were the Condé, extinct in 1830, and the Conti, extinct in 1814. The Spanish B. are descended from Philippe, Duke d'Anjou, grandson of Louis XIV., king of Spain as Philip V. in 1700. The Neapolitan B. are descended from Charles, 3d son of Philip V., made Duke of Parma in 1731, and king of Naples in 1735. [s. 109]