Antoine-Henri Louis de Bourbon de Orleans (12 September 1705-12 March 1757) was a member of the House of Bourbon and a general of the Kingdom of France during the Seven Years' War. Bourbon was killed in the battle of Wathlingen.
Biography[]
Antoine de Bourbon de Orleans was a member of the House of Bourbon, the son of Henri Michel de Bourbon and Charlotte of Spain and Orleans, making him a member of the House of Orleans as well. Bourbon was raised as a nobleman of the Kingdom of France due to his descent from major dynasties of Europe, but turned down an offer to serve in the armed forces of the Kingdom of Spain (who invited him due to matrilineal descent) in 1730 during the War of the Polish Succession. This conflict would have given him command skills that would have come in handy later in his career.
Bourbon was considered for commanding a French army during the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748), but he fell ill with cholera. He eventually recovered, but his health was too risky for fighting alongside his army in warfare against the British and Austrians. Bourbon was given command of an army during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), and he built up a new army to fight in Germany against Prussia. Bourbon's new army was attacked at the Battle of Wathlingen on 12 March 1757, and Bourbon was cut down when Prussian cavalry attacked him. His death left his army in ruins, and they disintegrated.