THE BOURBON EMPIRE

A Dynasty of Kings, Queens and Controversy

1400-1900

From feudal lords in the 1400s to kings and emperors shaping the very fabric of Europe, the House of Bourbon was no ordinary dynasty—it was a powerhouse of ambition, conflict, and legacy. For five centuries, the Bourbons ruled not only France, but also Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma, casting a royal shadow across the continent.

A Dynasty is Born

Their ascent began quietly in the late Middle Ages but exploded into prominence when Henry IV became King of France in 1589. A former Huguenot turned Catholic king, he famously declared, "Paris is worth a Mass," uniting a fractured country and laying the foundation for the Bourbon Golden Age.

The Age of Absolutism

In the 1600s, Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu centralized power, curbing noble rebellion. But it was Louis XIV—the Sun King—who turned France into the beating heart of Europe. Versailles dazzled the world. French culture became the gold standard. Power, spectacle, and divine right reached unmatched heights.

From France to Spain: A Continental Web

The Bourbons weren’t just French kings—they were dynastic strategists, marrying into empires and planting thrones. The War of the Spanish Succession secured the Spanish crown for the Bourbon line, creating a Franco-Spanish royal network that reshaped alliances, trade, and warfare.

Fall, Rise, and Fade

But revolutions came. The French Bourbons were dethroned, restored, then dethroned again. Napoleon rose and fell. The Bourbons returned with Louis XVIII, only to fade in the face of modern republics and emperors.

Yet from 1400 to 1900, the Bourbons stood at the center of European power politics, culture, and identity. Their story is one of splendour and survival, triumph and tragedy—a dynasty whose legacy still echoes through the palaces, parliaments, and principles of modern Europe.

This collection of mine traces Europe's shifting balance of power through the rise and reign of the House of Bourbon—the dynasty that ruled the continent from the 1500s to the 1800s.

 Goal of this collection: The purpose of this collection is to peek into the position of those Bourbon Dynasty members in power through their personal correspondence. The collection contains over 40 very rare personal letters of the most prominent House of Bourdon rulers of their time from the 15th century to the end of the 19th century. The collection also contains other rare letters from their fiercest rivals, their sworn enemies, and their most loyal allies + postal items related to the subject, many of which are rare in themselves.

 Table of the Bourbon Empire -collection: Because the House of Bourbon's family tree is an unimaginably wide and multi-family "spider web", the Collection progresses through five frames in a clear and easy-to-understand chronological order, presenting the most prominent House of Bourbon rulers of their time, but not just them, also the forces that shaped their rise, their fiercest rivals, their sworn enemies, and their most loyal allies. The Bourbons held immense power across Europe, more than any other dynasty of their time. And with such power came countless enemies. Without strategic alliances and powerful backers, their incredible saga would have ended as early as the 1500s.

 All the content and texts presented on these collection pages are from Pekka Nuikki’s upcoming book: The Bourbons: Five Centuries of Power, Prestige & Palace Drama.

Frame 1

 The Bourbon dynasty is on the rise.

1. Introduction 2. Louis II 3. Charles de Orléans 4. Louis XII 5. Charles de Bourbon 6. Mary Queen of Scots 7. Charles V 8. Ferdinand II

Frame 2

The Bourbon dynasty is born

1.Henri I 2. Henry IV 3. Henri III 4. Charles Emmanuel I 5. Louis de Bourbon 6. Louis XIII 7. Henri de Orléans 8. Cardinal Richelieu

Frame 3

The Age of Absolutism

1.Christine de France 2. Georg I 3. Louis XIV 4. Philip V 5. Charles de France 6. Charles VI 7. Charles III 8. Joseph I

Frame 4

A Continental Bourbon Web

1.Vittorio III 2. Carlos III 3. Louis XV 4. Maria Theresa 5. Louis XVI 6. Leopold II 7. Louis de Bourbon 8. Prince d’ Artois

Frame 5

Fall, Rise and Fade

1.George III 2. Maria Antonia 3. Leopold I 4. Louis Philippe I 5. Napoleon III 6. Christian IX 7. Leopold II 8. Louis de Orléans

                    Since all letters are unique and rare individual pieces, none of them have not been highlighted with a red frame.

My goal is to create a minimum of a 5-frame collection, adhering strictly to the rules of Open Philately -collecting. In my previous historical collections, I was somewhat lenient with the rules, which cost me points—now, I am striving for perfection in this area as well. The collection is intended to be completed in time for the 2025 national exhibition and subsequently presented on international stages. I will post completed pages to this site as they become available.

All the pages will be here before 7.4. 2025.