Founder of the House of Bourbon-Condé.

Louis de Bourbon, 1st Prince of Condé was a prominent Huguenot leader and general, the founder of the Condé branch of the House of Bourbon. Coming from a position of relative political unimportance during the reign of Henri II, Condé's support for the Huguenots, along with his leading role in the conspiracy of Amboise and its aftermath, pushed him to the centre of French politics. Arrested during the reign of Francis II then released upon the latter's premature death, he would lead the Huguenot forces in the first three civil wars of the French Wars of Religion before being executed after his defeat at the Battle of Jarnac in 1569.

Early life

Born in Vendôme, he was the fifth son of Charles de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme. His mother was Françoise d'Alençon, the eldest daughter of René, Duke of Alençon, and Margaret of Lorraine. His older brother Antoine de Bourbon married Jeanne d'Albret (Queen of Navarre). Their son, Condé's nephew, became Henry IV of France. Condé's cousin through his father (who was the brother of Antoinette de Bourbon) was Mary of Guise.

Reign of Henri II

As a soldier in the French army, Condé fought at the Siege of Metz in 1552 where Francis, Duke of Guise successfully defended the city from the forces of Emperor Charles V. He, and his brother Enghien were responsible for the section of walls from Saint-Thibaut gate to the river Seille. He would also fight at the disastrous Battle of St. Quentin in 1557. Despite his military participation, neither he nor his brother would hold significant office during the reign of Henri, the king choosing instead to lavish it on his favourites Anne de Montmorency and Francis, Duke of Guise leaving Condé comparatively poor.

Marriage and children

Condé married in 1551, to Eléanor de Roucy de Roye (1536-1564), heiress of Charles de Roye. She brought as her dowry the château and small town of Conti-sur-Selles, southwest of Amiens, which would pass to their third son, progenitor of the princes de Conti. They had:

On 8 November 1565, a widower, he married Francoise d'Orléans, Mademoiselle de Longueville.

He allegedly fathered a son by his mistress Isabelle de Limeuil, who served as maid of honour to Catherine de' Medici and was a member of her notorious group of female spies known at the French court as the "Flying Squadron". He vigorously denied paternity much to Isabelle's chagrin.

His son, Henri, also became a Huguenot general and fought in the later wars of religion.