#henri v

[roehenstart]

Portrait of the Duke of Bordeaux and Count of Chambord at the Chateau de Villeneuve l'Etang. By François Edouard Picot.

[littlehistorian]

Henri d'Artois, Duc de Bordeaux (1820-1883).

[dreamconsumer]

Henry V of France. By Joseph Félon.

[yoshisavatars]

[mariaslozak]

The ceremonial chair of the Comte de Chambord, titular Henri V (1820-1883), the almost-successful but ultimately uncrowned pretender to throne of France following the fall of the Bourbon monarchy in 1830. Gifted to him by Bourbon supporters in 1847 and installed in his grand salon at his place of exile in Frohsdorf, Austria, it is now in the collections of the Château de Chambord, once his French residence.

The chair is inscribed, “Henri, deign to accept this token of my unswerving love for you. In calm as in storm, my heart will always belong to you.”

[dreamconsumer]

France made by its Kings.

[yoshisavatars]

[mariaslozak]

Gala coach commissioned for the expected coronation of the Comte de Chambord, the Bourbon heir also known as the titular Henri V of France. This berline with its satin interior, built by Binder Frères, was designed for his ceremonial entry into Paris.

When Napoleon III’s Second Empire collapsed with the catastrophic Franco-Prussian War, sharp disillusionment and a sense of betrayal within the country led to growing support for the idea of restoring the Bourbon monarchy. Official negotiations in 1871 led to the full expectation, on both sides, that the Comte would become King of France. Final preparations were underway when a last-minute controversy about the French flag undid all plans. France instead chose to become a Republic.

The berline is exhibited at the Château de Chambord.