son of Duke Louis; he was appointed lieutenant general (1744) and governor of Dauphiné (1747).

Having served with distinction from 1742 to 1757, he lived in seclusion and devoted himself to the theatre, patronizing actors and musicians. After his first wife died (1759), he became so passionately enamoured of the Marquise de Montesson that he secured Louis XV's permission to marry her secretly (1773). She shared her husband's love of the theatre and put on splendid theatrical entertainments.