The House of Bourbon-Maine was a legitimate branch of the House of Bourbon, being thus part of the Capetian dynasty. It was founded in 1672 when Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, duc du Maine was legitimised by his father, King Louis XIV of France.
Louis-Auguste, founder of the House of Bourbon-Maine, was the first-born illegitimate son of Louis XIV of France and his mistress, Madame de Montespan.
Immediately after his birth in 1670, he was entrusted to the care of Madame Scarron, one of his mother's acquaintances, who brought him to a private house on the rue de Vaugirard, close to the Luxembourg Palace, in Paris. In 1672, the king legitimised him and other younger siblings he had fathered with Mme de Montespan. At the time of his legitimation, Louis-Auguste received the title of duc du Maine.
In 1692, Louis Auguste married Anne-Louise-Bénédicte de Bourbon-Condé, the daughter of Henry III Jules de Bourbon, prince de Condé.
Louis-Auguste and his wife had seven children, only three of whom lived to adulthood. All died without issue.
The House of Bourbon-Maine became extinct at the death of Louis Charles de Bourbon, comte d'Eu.[1] It had been in existence for just over a century.
| width=22% | Descendant ! | width=105px | Portrait ! | Birth | width=25% | Marriages ! | width=19% | Death |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louis Auguste de Bourbon, Légitimé de France Duc du Maine 1672–1736 | 31 March 1670 Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye son of Louis XIV of France and Françoise-Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan | Anne Louise Bénédicte de Bourbon Palace of Versailles 19 May 1692 7 children | 14 May 1736 Château de Sceaux aged 66 | |||||
| Louis Auguste de Bourbon, prince de Dombes 1736–1755 | 4 March 1700 Versailles son of Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, duc du Maine and Anne Louise Bénédicte de Bourbon | never married | 1 October 1755 Fontainebleau aged 55 | |||||
| Louis Charles de Bourbon, comte d'Eu 1755–1775 | 5 October 1701 Château de Sceaux son of Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, duc du Maine and Anne Louise Bénédicte de Bourbon | never married | 13 July 1775 Château de Sceaux aged 73 | |||||