Philip, Duke of Parma

Philip(Spanish:Felipe,Italian:Filippo;15 March 1720 – 18 July 1765) wasDuke of Parmafrom 18 October 1748 until his death in 1765. ASpanish infanteby birth, he was born in Madrid as the second son ofKing Philip VandQueen Elisabeth.He became Duke of Parma as a result of the1748 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle.Theduchyhad earlier been ruled by Philip's elder brother, the futureCharles III of Spain,and bytheir maternal ancestors.Philip founded theHouse of Bourbon-Parma,a cadet line of theHouse of Bourbon.He was a first cousin and son-in-law of the French kingLouis XV.

Philip
Portrait byFrancesco Carlo Rusca,1745
Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla
Reign	18 October 1748 – 18 July 1765
Predecessor	Maria Theresa(Parma and Piacenza) Giuseppe Maria Gonzaga(Guastalla)
Successor	Ferdinand
Born	(1720-03-15)15 March 1720 Royal Alcazar,Madrid,Spain
Died	18 July 1765(1765-07-18)(aged 45) Alessandria,Kingdom of Sardinia
Burial	Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Steccata
Spouse	Louise Élisabeth of France ​ ​ (m.1739;died1759)​
Issue	Isabella, Archduchess of Austria Ferdinand I, Duke of Parma Maria Luisa, Queen of Spain
Names Spanish:Felipe de Borbón y Farnesio Italian:Filippo di Borbone
House	Bourbon-Parma(founder)
Father	Philip V of Spain
Mother	Elisabeth Farnese
Religion	Roman Catholicism
Signature

Life

Born at theRoyal AlcazarinMadridasFelipe de Borbón y Farnesio,he was the third child and second son ofPhilip V of Spainand his wife,Elisabeth Farnese.

He was raised inMadridand as a child showed more interest inartthan inpolitics.He was also the 12thCount of ChinchónandGrandee of SpainFirst Class with acoat of armsof Bourbon after the alienation with royal authorization in 1738 of the 11th Count of Chinchón, Don Jose Sforza-Cesarini, Duke ofCanzano,a title he later ceded to his brotherLouisin 1754.

Portrait of the Duke of Parma as a child, byJean Ranc,c. 1725-32

His mother came from the family ofFarnese,which had ruled theDuchy of Parma, Piacenza and Guastallafor many generations. The duchy had been ruled between 1731 and 1736 by his elder brotherCharles,but was exchanged withAustriafor TheTwo Siciliesafter theWar of Polish Succession.Twelve years later, in theTreaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748),Austria lost the duchy and Philip became the new duke, founding theHouse of Bourbon-Parma.

As part of theSecond Treaty of Versailles(1757) between Austria and France, it was intended that Philip would become king of theSouthern Netherlandsin a deal that would see French troops occupy key positions in the country – however this arrangement was repudiated by the subsequentThird Treaty of Versaillesand Philip continued in Parma.

The Duchy of Parma was ruined by many years of warfare, and in 1759 Philip named the ableFrenchmanGuillaume du Tillotas hisministerto restore theeconomy.Philip was anenlightened rulerwho stimulatededucationandphilosophy,attracting personalities likeÉtienne Bonnot de CondillacandAlexandre Deleyre.

Marriage

Portrait of the Duke of Parma with his family, byGiuseppe Baldrighi,c. 1757

Philip married his first cousin once removedPrincess Louise Élisabeth of FranceinAlcalá de Henares,Spain on 25 October 1739. They had three children.

1. Princess Isabella of Parma(31 December 1741 – 27 November 1763) – she marriedMarie Antoinette's older brother, the Austrian emperor,Archduke Joseph of Austria.She had issue, but all her children died in childhood.
2. Ferdinand I, Duke of Parma(20 January 1751 – 9 October 1802) – he succeeded his father as Duke of Parma and marriedArchduchess Maria Amalia of Austriaand left issue.
3. Princess Luisa Maria of Parma(9 December 1751 – 2 January 1819) marriedCharles IV of Spainand left issue.

Their marriage was an unhappy one, and Louise Elisabeth died ofsmallpoxat the age of 32 in 1759. Philip died unexpectedly on 18 July 1765 inAlessandria,Sardinia,after having accompanied his daughter Maria Luisa on her way toGenoa,where she sailed for Spain to marry Infante Charles. Through Philip's daughter Maria Luisa, he is an ancestor of theBourbonsof Spain, the Bourbons of theTwo Sicilies,and theHouse of Orléans.

Honours

• France:Knight of theOrder of the Holy Spirit(22 March 1736)

Ancestors

Ancestors of Philip, Duke of Parma

8.Louis XIV of France 4.Louis, Dauphin of France 9.Maria Theresa of Austria 2.Philip V of Spain 10.Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria 5.Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria 11.Henriette Adelaide of Savoy 1.Philip, Duke of Parma 12.Ranuccio II Farnese, Duke of Parma 6.Odoardo Farnese, Hereditary Prince of Parma 13.Isabella d'Este 3.Elisabeth Farnese 14.Philip William, Elector Palatine 7.Dorothea Sophie of Neuburg 15.Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt

Heraldry

• Heraldry of Philip, Duke of Parma
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  Coat of arms as Infante of Spain
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  Coat of arms as Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla