Philippe VIII of France (The Holy Deliverance)

Philippe VIII (Prince Louis Philippe Robert d'Orléans; 6 February 1869 – 28 March 1926), was King of the French from 1894 to 1926.

Only sovereign of France born abroad. Obtaining the title of Duke of Orléans at birth, Philippe family lived in England from the abdication and banishment of his great-grandfather Louis Philippe, King of the French, in 1848, and returned to France in 1871 following the fall of the Second French Empire. Recovering his titles and obligations with the reestablishment of the monarchy, he followed his father's example with the principle of "princely realism", taking to heart his destiny and his role as French prince. The Duke of Orleans joined the army as a simple conscript (against the advice of the Count of Paris), and by a famous sentence he pronounced, Philippe obtained the nickname; "Prince Gamelle" (Prince Mess kit) and succeeded in reaching the rank of colonel in 1894.

King in 1894, Philippe VIII create a Liberal-Bonapartist tradition of the Orleanist monarchy, he institutionalized and anchored the actions of his father (coronation at Notre-Dame de Paris, royalist feast of July 14, recovery of republican patriotic figures, etc ...). In order to concretize in an "organic" way the Franco-Austro-Hungarian rapprochement launched by Philippe VII, Philippe VIII married the Archduchess Maria Dorothea of Austria in 1896, diplomatic marriage and without descendants. The reign of Philippe will be punctuated by the recomposition of the political field of France: the rise of the socialist forces, the bursting and loss of influence of the republican forces as well as the rallying of the Bonapartists and Republicans by the Rally. The Sacred Union will be the culmination of this policy of rallying, even seeing socialists rallying the monarchy in the principle of national defense and of Fatherland in danger. The First World War in 1914 (with the victory of France) and the end of the colonial conquest (Second French colonial empire) will be the events marking the foreign policy of the Second Philippian France.

The reign of Philippe VIII will vera the first crisis of succession of the Second restoration, indeed the couple Philippe and Maria Dorothea is childless.The Prince Royal Ferdinand of Orléans, Duke of Montpensier, 37 years old, marries the 3rd marquise of Valdeterrazzo. However, the couple had no children and Ferdinand died, three years later, from a drug overdose. The succession of the throne therefore passes to the brother-in-law of Ferdinand of Orleans, Jean of Orleans, Duke of Guise future Jean III.

Titles and styles

 * 6 February 1869 - 24 August 1883: His Royal Highness Louis-Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans;
 * 24 August 1883 - 8 September 1894 : His Royal Highness Louis-Philippe d'Orléans, Prince royal of France, Duke of Orléans.
 * 8 September 1894 - 28 March 1926: His Majesty The King of the French.

Honours
France:  Foreign:
 * Grand Master of the Legion of Honor (1894 - 1926)
 * Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Spirit (1894 - 1926)
 * Grand Master of the Order of Saint-Michel (1894 - 1926)
 * Grand Master of the Royal and Military Order of Saint-Louis (1894 - 1926)


 * Austria-Hungary, Knights of 1st class of the Order of the Iron Crown (1894-1926)
 * Austria-Hungary, Knight of the Imperial Order of Leopold (1894-1926)
 * Russian Empire, Order of St. Andrew (1894-1926)
 * Bulgaria, Knight of the Order of Saints Cyril and Methodius (1912 or 1913, renounces this quality in October 1915)
 * Bulgaria, Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Alexander (21 February 1907, renounces this quality in October 1915)
 * Belgium, Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold (1894-1926)
 * Great Britain, Knight of the Order of the Garter (1894-1926)
 * Spain, Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic
 * Spain, Grand cross with white decorations of the Order of Naval Merit
 * Spain, Knight of the Royal Riding Society of Seville (1910)
 * Portugal, Grand Cross of the Order of Christ
 * Portugal, Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Benedict of Aviz
 * Portugal, Grand Cross of the Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa (May 22, 1886)