Under the
Ancien Régime, the court title of Monsieur referred to the next brother in the line of succession of the
King of France. It was always used for referring to the prince, not as a
style. The Kings' brothers were addressed as
Monseigneur or
Royal Highness.
Hercule François, Duke of Anjou and Alençon (1555–1584), was the first notable member of the royalty to assume the title without the use of an adjoining proper name. The title was later assumed by
Gaston, Duke of Orléans, brother of
Louis XIII, and then
Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, brother of
Louis XIV. From 1643 to 1660, while both princes were alive, Philippe was commonly known as
le Petit Monsieur, while Gaston, his uncle, was known as
le Grand Monsieur. For over seventy years, from 1701 to 1774, the title had no living representatives in the French court, as Philippe I of Orléans died in 1701;
Louis XV was the youngest of the sons of
Louis, Duke of Burgundy and at the time of his accession to the throne in 1715 had no brothers. The title was restored in 1775 for Louis Stanislas Xavier, Count of Provence, the oldest surviving brother of the reigning
Louis XVI, who assumed the title of
Louis XVIII in pretence in 1795. After his coronation in 1814, the title passed to
Charles Philippe, Count of Artois, his younger brother. Charles Philippe, who led the
ultras during the
Bourbon Restoration and became King Charles X in 1824, was the last royal sibling to officially hold the title of Monsieur. His successor,
Louis Philippe I, the next and last king to rule France, had lost both his brothers,
Louis Charles and
Antoine Philippe, many years before he succeeded to the throne. A fuller list of those who have been known by this title includes: •
Charles, Duke of Orléans (1559–1560) •
Henri, Duke of Anjou (1560–1574) •
François, Duke of Anjou (1555–1584) •
Gaston, Duke of Orléans (1611–1643) •
Philippe, Duke of Orléans (1643–1701) •
Louis Stanislas, Count of Provence (1774–1793) •
Charles Philippe, Count of Artois (1795–1823) == Modern usage ==