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Description: | Philippe de Vendome, born 1655, grandson of Henri IV and his mistress Gabrielle d'Estrees, led a life almost as chequered as his ancestry. His military career started in 1669, when, at the tender age of fourteen, he served under the Duc de Beaufort, Grand Admiral of France and another offspring of Henri IV's indiscretions, in an expedition to relieve the siege of Crete. According to some, he was a brave and steadfast soldier, by other accounts, he was sent home because he was too young. He was later described as a debauched boy, lazy, intelligent and very seductive. In 1672 he became Grand Cross ad honorem of the Order and was appointed Grand Prior of France in 1693. He served in the War of Spanish Succession as second-in-command to his brother Louis Joseph, Marshall of France. However, he continued to court scandal; pursuing the Duchess of Portsmouth (Louise de Keroualle, Royal mistress to Charles II of England), and after disobeying orders at the Battle of Cassano in 1706, was exiled to Lyon. Bored, he soon left for Venice, and after spending some months as a captive of the highwayman Mesmer, arrived to become patron of the painter Raoux. Vendome returned to France in 1710, regaining all his honours. As Grand Prior of France, he lived in the Temple, Paris, and created a 'salon' of writers and artists, including Rauox, who received a handsome pension and several major commissions to decorate the gallery of the Temple. However, Vendome was soon facing exile yet again, and, after announcing his intention to go to Malta, was prohibited from doing so by Louis XIV. He arrived in Malta on the 10 November 1713, received with all the pomp and ceremony the Order could muster. Vendome was much valued in Malta for his expertise in military matters, and there is a bastion of the Cotonera lines named after him. However, he could never return to France while Louis was alive. In 1720 he gave up the Grand Priory of France to the Duc d'Orleans, natural son of the Regent of France. He died in 1727. | Subjects: | portrait (Philippe de Vendome) | Source: | Vads | Creator: | Artist: Raoux, Jean (French painter, 1677-1734) and studio Æ Attributed to | Identifier: | http://www.vads.ac.uk/large.php?uid=8603... | Go to resource |
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