Post by ~Charlotte~ on Nov 5, 2006 23:04:50 GMT
A Moste Complicated Historie of the House of Bourbon
Louis Thomas de Bourbon (always known as Thomas) was born in 1626, and was, at the time of his birth, a prospective heir to the throne of the France. His father, Gaston de Bourbon, Duke of Orleans was the second son of Henry IV of France and elder brother of Henrietta Maria, wife of Charles I. Thomas' mother was Mary of Bourbon, who died shortly after his birth and the birth of his sister Anne-Marie Louise, Duchess de Montpensier. His cousin, later Charles II, was born four years later in 1630.
Thomas was raised in France. A highly intelligent and loyal young man, constantly rebelling against his scheme father...he left for England in 1646 at the age of 20 to aid his then sixteen year old cousin and save his deposed Uncle, the King of England…a task he failed in doing. He left England with the young Charles in 1648, and lived with him and his Stuart aunt and cousins in France and Holland for some time during the young sovereign’s exile after Charles I’s execution, serving both French and English King. It was during this time that the young Charles fathered his favourite son, by Lucy Walter, James, who later became Duke of Monmouth.
In 1650, Thomas went with Charles to Scotland, to help him with his further attempts to reclaim his throne. Here, aged 24 he met his wife, 15 year old Jane Carey, a merchant's daughter whom he fell in love with. Though Charles was forced to flee back to France, Thomas remained in England; the following year, 1651, his first child, a son named Frederick was born. Two years later, in 1653, his second child, a daughter named Victoire was born. Tragically, Jane died giving birth to the baby, at just 18 years of age. Thomas, now 27, was devastated, and devoted his life to raising his children in relative obscurity in a grand old house in Yorkshire whilst the Civil War raged on.
Until the Restoration in 1660, Thomas worked continuously to raise support for Charles. Flitting back and forth between France and England, he risked his life for the Stuarts. Whilst he worked, his children grew up in the company of Reginald du Frain, a young boy the same age as Frederick and son of a wealthy royalist knight of the local area. When he was orphaned, Reginald inherited his title at only aged 8, and thus lived with the de Bourbon children. Once, in 1659, in his absence, Thomas’ home in Yorkshire was raided by Parliamentarian soldiers, an event that the young children never forgot. It was time of great uncertainty for them, and the nation.
However, in 1660, aged 9 and 7, Frederick and Victoire met with their cousin at Whitehall, now King Charles II of England. From this year, life changed greatly, and for the better for the English Bourbon family. Thomas was granted the title Duke of Norfolk; the children were raised as royals in countryside surrounding London. Here, the three became refined aristocratic children, enjoying the life that had been denied to them due to Civil War. Little did they know their lives would change dramatically in the seven years to come…
Thomas worked hard as a member of parliament, became a highly skilled and trusted advisor to the King, yet most of all he was Charles cousin and friend. Despite differing views in some aspects of running the country, Thomas always remained loyal, and unusually for a Frenchman, he chose to be Protestant. He was ever kind to the lonely little Queen Catherine of Braganza, and he established a fortune for himself by setting up a successful shipping business, supplying the family with another vast fortune aside from their landed estates in France and England. Employed here was a young man, then unknown, who would become one his children’s greatest foes. Life, as it was, seemed blissful.
In 1666, the Great Fire spread across London. Frederick and Reginald both 15 and Victoire then 13 once again visited Whitehall for safety. Victoire was pointed out by Queen for her beauty, charm and grace. She was said to resemble the King’s mother greatly, and was more a black-eyed Bourbon than her fairer brother, who resembled his English mother. The next year, 1667 saw tragedy strike. Thomas de Bourbon died suddenly. Charles mourned his death, but none grieved more than 14 year old Victoire, who had adored her father. Buried at Westminster, the funeral was the last time the King would see his little cousin for a while, and it broke his heart to see such a tiny child dressed in mourning.
Frederick became the Duke of Norfolk, and Victoire the honourable Lady Bourbon, though both siblings each inheriting a vast fortune Frederick, aged 16, headed to court to take over where his father had left off, Sir Reginald in tow. Frederick however, lacked the popularity of his father, due to his Catholic sympathies…a dangerous attitude to have in a religiously turbulent England. In France, the Bourbon children were and are held in much higher regard, known as Prince and Princesse de Bourbon, legitimate heirs to the French throne through the Orleans branch.
Victoire had nothing to do but grow up with nobody to nurture her. She fell into a passionate relationship with a man employed in the family shipping company, Captain James Hook when she was just 15, but was called to France by her elderly aunt Henrietta Maria the following year, 1669, aged 16. The Captain never forgot the girl he believed deserted him. His passion became obsession…and thus his mind altered and he set out to destroy her. The same year, Henrietta Maria halted a marriage between Frederick and a young Irish heiress. The candidate was seemingly “unsuitable” for a member of English and French royalty.
In France, Victoire was a court favourite, much revered for her wit, kindness and beauty. Her aunt died soon after her arrival, and thus, her only true companion was her cousin Henrietta Anne, aged 25, Charles II favourite sister, who was unhappily married to Philippe, Duke of Orleans, King Louis XIV’s cruel homosexual brother. Affectionately known as ‘Minette’, she and Victoire became fast friends in the year that they lived together in Versailles, protecting each other from the cruelties of the world around them. The Duchess of Orleans briefly returned to England to see her brother and organise the secret Treaty of Dover, reminding the King of his young relation. Yet upon her return, when Victoire was 17, Minette, then 26, died suspiciously, and Victoire was forced to leave France for her own safety. It was as she left France that her ship was commandeered by pirates and Victoire's adventures on the high seas began…
In England, Frederick’s concerns turn to his sisters prospects in the marriage stakes. Sir Reginald, her childhood companion harbours her hand for himself, and the Admiral Charles Laurence has headed out to find the ill-fated noble woman.
Her path is yet to be decided. As a Protestant and Franco-English Royal, she is a favoured heir for Princes and Kings all over Europe…yet only time will tell what will become of the young woman, half a French flower, half an English rose.