Born at the
Palace of Versailles, he was one of seven children born of his parents, and their only son to live past the age of 5. Due to him being her sole surviving son Louis Armand was the favorite child of his mother who doted on him. At the age of 8, on 30 June 1704, he was baptised. Held at
Versailles, King Louis XIV had
Mary of Modena as the guest of honour at the ceremony; Mary was the widow of the exiled King
James II of England and Louis Armands cousin once removed, as Mary's mother
Laura Martinozzi was the sister of Louis Armands grand-mother
Anne-Marie Martinozzi. At the age of 13 his father died in Paris (22 February 1709) and Louis Armand succeeded to the Conti title and wealth, although there was no real principality. On 1 January 1711, Louis Armand was made a knight of the
Order of the Holy Spirit. On 9 July 1713, Louis Armand married his maternal first cousin,
Louise Élisabeth de Bourbon, known as
Mademoiselle de Bourbon. Another proposed bride was her sister,
Louise Anne de Bourbon. Louise Élisabeth was the daughter of
Louis III, Prince of Condé and
Louise-Françoise de Bourbon, a legitimised daughter of King Louis XIV and his famous mistress,
Madame de Montespan. The event also took place at Versailles and was part of a double marriage; on the same day, his oldest sister,
Marie Anne de Bourbon, married
Louis Henri I, Prince of Condé, known as the Duke of Bourbon. In the end, Louise Élisabeth's brother
Charles, Count of Charolais, even proposed to Charlotte Aglaé, who is said to have considered the proposal but refused. Charlotte Aglaé herself married the
Duke of Modena in 1720, in the presence of Louis Armand and Louis Élisabeth. The marriage of Louis Armand and Louise Élisabeth would later become stormy. . Louise Élisabeth was known to have been unfaithful to her husband, a liaison with the handsome
Philippe Charles de La Fare was well known at court. In August 1716, Louis Armand caught Smallpox; it was Louise Élisabeth who would nurse him until his recovery. Louise Élisabeth later caught the illness herself but survived the disease. It was at this time that Louis Armand found out about Louise Élisabeth's affair with Monsieur de La Fare. He is reported to have hurt his wife to the point that she had to see a doctor on two separate occasions and to carry loaded pistols with which to intimidate his wife. Louise Élisabeth stayed at the
Palais Bourbon which was
her mothers private home in Paris. She also stayed at a convent in the capital. At the birth of their second son in 1717, Louis Armand said to her that he did not care for the child as he could not have been his; in turn, the proud Louise Élisabeth replied that she did not care for the child either because he was
his. The Duchess of Orleans describes him in her memoirs as a madman It was during the
Regency of 1715–1723, Louis Armand was appointed a member of the Regency council itself as well as a member of the
Council of War. In April 1717 he received the government of the
Poitou region of France. This appointment came with a wage of 45,000 Livres. He served under
Marshal Villars in the
War of the Spanish Succession, but he lacked the soldierly qualities of his father. == Death ==