Prince Frederick of Württemberg

Prince Frederick of Württemberg (German: Friedrich Karl August Prinz von Württemberg) (21 February 1808 – 9 May 1870) was a German prince from House of Württemberg, a general in the Army of Württemberg and the father of William II of Württemberg.[1]

Prince Frederick of Württemberg
Born(1808-02-21)21 February 1808
Schloss Comburg (now part of Schwäbisch Hall), Kingdom of Württemberg
Died9 May 1870(1870-05-09) (aged 62)
Stuttgart, Kingdom of Württemberg
Burial
Schlosskirche, Ludwigsburg, Germany
Spouse
IssueWilliam II of Württemberg
Names
Frederick Charles Augustus
German: Friedrich Karl August
HouseWürttemburg
FatherPrince Paul of Württemberg
MotherPrincess Charlotte of Saxe-Hildburghausen

Family edit

Frederick was born 21 February 1808 at Schloss Comburg (now part of Schwäbisch Hall), Kingdom of Württemberg,[1] the second child and eldest son of Prince Paul of Württemberg and his wife Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Hildburghausen.[1] Through his father, Frederick was a grandson of Frederick I of Württemberg and through his mother, a grandson of Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg. He was a younger brother of Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna of Russia and an elder brother of Pauline, Duchess of Nassau and Prince August of Württemberg.

Military career edit

Frederick began his military career in the Army of Württemberg (German: Württembergische Armee) where by the age of 15, he had reached the rank of Rittmeister 2nd class.[1] In 1832, he was a Colonel of the Infantry and by 1841, Frederick had attained the rank of Lieutenant General of the Cavalry.[1] In 1865, Frederick was promoted by Charles I of Württemberg to General Commander of the Cavalry and the Württemberg Federal Army Corps (German: Württembergischen Bundesarmeekorps).[1] In the Austro-Prussian War against Prussia, Frederick held no field command, but instead served as a liaison officer at the headquarters of the Austrian Feldzeugmeister.[1] Despite his serious eye problems, Frederick was offended when he was not offered the command of the Eighth Army Corps during the war.[2]

Political career edit

Because of his position as a Prince of Württemberg, Frederick held a served as a member of the Württembergian Chamber of Lords (German: Württembergischen Kammer der Standesherren) at which he regularly attended legislative sessions.[1] In 1865, Charles appointed Frederick as a privy councillor in the Geheimer Rat.[1] During this time, Frederick resided mainly at Ludwigsburg Palace near Stuttgart and at the hunting lodge Schloss Katharinenhof in Oppenweiler.[1]

Marriage and issue edit

Frederick married his first cousin Princess Catherine of Württemberg, daughter of William I of Württemberg and his wife Pauline Therese of Württemberg, on 20 November 1845 in Stuttgart, Kingdom of Württemberg. Frederick and Catherine had one son:

Later life and death edit

Frederick died on 9 May 1870 in Stuttgart, Kingdom of Württemberg of an ulceration, which was most likely a later consequence of a facial injury he sustained in a hunting accident.[1] Sophie, Queen of the Netherlands wrote of her cousin Frederick to Lady Malet upon learning of his death.[3] According to Sophie, Frederick died after having suffered "cancer in the face" for eight years.[3] Frederick was interred in the family crypt in the Schlosskirche at Ludwigsburg Palace.[1]

Honours edit

Ancestry edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Lorenz, Sönke; Dieter Mertens; Volker Press (1997), Das Haus Württemberg: ein biographisches Lexikon, Kohlhammer Verlag, ISBN 3-17-013605-4
  2. ^ Corti, Egon Caesar; Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine (1970), The Downfall of Three Dynasties, Ayer Publishing, ISBN 978-0-8369-5419-7
  3. ^ a b Sophie of Württemberg (1989), A stranger in The Hague: the letters of Queen Sophie of the Netherlands to Lady Malet, 1842-1877, Duke University Press, ISBN 0-8223-0811-8
  4. ^ Württemberg (1858). Königlich-Württembergisches Hof- und Staats-Handbuch: 1858. Guttenberg. pp. 30, 60.
  5. ^ Bayern (1849). Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Königreichs Bayern: 1849. Landesamt. pp. 9.
  6. ^ Staatshandbuch für den Freistaat Sachsen: 1865/66. Heinrich. 1866. p. 3.
  7. ^ Adreß-Handbuch des Herzogthums Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha (1843), "Herzogliche Sachsen-Ernestinischer Hausorden" p. 5
  8. ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden (1862), "Großherzogliche Orden" pp. 32, 44
  9. ^ Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Großherzogtums Oldenburg (1858), "Der Großherzogliche Haus und Verdienst-orden des Herzogs Peter Friedrich Ludwig" p. 31
  10. ^ Staat Hannover (1865). Hof- und Staatshandbuch für das Königreich Hannover: 1865. Berenberg. p. 38.
  11. ^ Staats- und Adreß-Handbuch des Herzogthums Nassau (1866), "Herzogliche Orden" p. 8
Prince Frederick of Württemberg
Born: 21 February 1808 Died: 9 May 1870
German royalty
Preceded by Heir to the Throne of Württemberg
as heir presumptive
25 June 1864 – 9 May 1870
Succeeded by
Prince William
later became William II