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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Ancestry

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References

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  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