Christian, Duke of Augustenborg
Encyclopedia
Christian August II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg (1798–1869, Christian Carl Frederik August), usually simply known by just his first name, Christian, Duke of Augustenborg, was a claimant of the rulership of the provinces of Slesvig
and Holstein
, and a fiefholder of Augustenborg
and Sønderborg
. He was a prince of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg and a cadet-line descendant of the Danish royal House of Oldenburg
.
He was the eldest son and heir of Louise Auguste of Denmark
and Frederik Christian II, Duke of Augustenborg
. As such, he was close to succeed in the Danish throne. He was the brother-in-law of King Christian VIII
and nephew of King Frederick VI
.
In 1848, Schleswig-Holstein
had broken out into open insurrection on German-nationalistic motives. A provisional government had been established at Kiel under the Duke of Augustenborg, who travelled to Berlin to secure the assistance of Prussia in asserting his rights. The First War of Schleswig
ensued.
However, European powers were united in opposing any dismemberment of Denmark. Among others, Emperor Nicholas I of Russia
, speaking with authority as Head of the elder Holstein-Gottorp
line, regarded the Duke of Augustenborg
a rebel. Russia had guaranteed Schleswig to the Danish crown by the treaties of 1767 and 1773.
A treaty of peace between Prussia and Denmark was signed at Berlin
on July 2, 1850. Both parties reserved all their antecedent rights. Denmark was satisfied that the treaty empowered the king-duke to restore his authority in Holstein with or without the consent of the German Confederation. Augustenborg was ousted from any power, as Danish troops now marched in to coerce the refractory duchies.
The question of the Augustenburg succession made an agreement between the big powers impossible, and on March 31, 1852 the duke of Augustenburg resigned his claim in return for a money payment. Duke Christian sold his rights to the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein to Denmark in aftermath of Treaty of London, but later renounced his rights to the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein in favor of his son Frederik August.
In 1864, his son Frederick of Augustenborg proclaimed himself as Duke of Schleswig and Holstein.
Duke Christian August died 1869.
Several children:
Slesvig
Slesvig is the Danish name for:* Schleswig, Schleswig-Holstein, a German city* The former Duchy of Schleswig * A former name for Hedeby, a Viking Age trading center, originally the largest town in the Nordic Countries...
and Holstein
Holstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
, and a fiefholder of Augustenborg
Augustenborg
Augustenborg is a town with a population of 3,279 on Als Island in Sønderborg Municipality, Region of Southern Denmark in Denmark. The town lies at the head of Als Fjord. To the east is the Little Belt...
and Sønderborg
Sønderborg
Sønderborg Municipality , is a municipality in Region of Southern Denmark partially on the Jutland peninsula and partially on the island of Als in south Denmark, at the border with Germany. The municipality covers an area of , and has a total population of 76,236...
. He was a prince of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg and a cadet-line descendant of the Danish royal House of Oldenburg
House of Oldenburg
The House of Oldenburg is a North German dynasty and one of Europe's most influential Royal Houses with branches that rule or have ruled in Denmark, Russia, Greece, Norway, Schleswig, Holstein, Oldenburg and Sweden...
.
He was the eldest son and heir of Louise Auguste of Denmark
Louise Auguste of Denmark
Louise Auguste of Denmark, Duchess of Augustenborg or Louise Augusta, was a Danish princess, officially daughter of King Christian VII of Denmark and Queen Caroline Mathilde...
and Frederik Christian II, Duke of Augustenborg
Frederik Christian II, Duke of Augustenborg
Frederick Christian II, Duke of Augustenborg was a Danish prince and feudal magnate...
. As such, he was close to succeed in the Danish throne. He was the brother-in-law of King Christian VIII
Christian VIII of Denmark
Christian VIII , was king of Denmark from 1839 to 1848 and, as Christian Frederick, king of Norway in 1814. He was the eldest son of Hereditary Prince Frederick of Denmark and Norway and Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, born in 1786 at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen...
and nephew of King Frederick VI
Frederick VI of Denmark
Frederick VI reigned as King of Denmark , and as king of Norway .-Regent of Denmark:Frederick's parents were King Christian VII and Caroline Matilda of Wales...
.
In 1848, Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
had broken out into open insurrection on German-nationalistic motives. A provisional government had been established at Kiel under the Duke of Augustenborg, who travelled to Berlin to secure the assistance of Prussia in asserting his rights. The First War of Schleswig
First War of Schleswig
The First Schleswig War or Three Years' War was the first round of military conflict in southern Denmark and northern Germany rooted in the Schleswig-Holstein Question, contesting the issue of who should control the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. The war, which lasted from 1848–1851,...
ensued.
However, European powers were united in opposing any dismemberment of Denmark. Among others, Emperor Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...
, speaking with authority as Head of the elder Holstein-Gottorp
Holstein-Gottorp
Holstein-Gottorp or Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp is the historiographical name, as well as contemporary shorthand name, for the parts of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein that were ruled by the dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp. Other parts of the duchies were ruled by the kings of Denmark. The...
line, regarded the Duke of Augustenborg
Duke of Augustenborg
The House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg was a branch of the dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg of the House of Oldenburg. The line descended from Alexander, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg...
a rebel. Russia had guaranteed Schleswig to the Danish crown by the treaties of 1767 and 1773.
A treaty of peace between Prussia and Denmark was signed at Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
on July 2, 1850. Both parties reserved all their antecedent rights. Denmark was satisfied that the treaty empowered the king-duke to restore his authority in Holstein with or without the consent of the German Confederation. Augustenborg was ousted from any power, as Danish troops now marched in to coerce the refractory duchies.
The question of the Augustenburg succession made an agreement between the big powers impossible, and on March 31, 1852 the duke of Augustenburg resigned his claim in return for a money payment. Duke Christian sold his rights to the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein to Denmark in aftermath of Treaty of London, but later renounced his rights to the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein in favor of his son Frederik August.
In 1864, his son Frederick of Augustenborg proclaimed himself as Duke of Schleswig and Holstein.
Duke Christian August died 1869.
Marriage and issue
Christian married in 1820 his second cousin Countess Lovisa-Sophie Danneskjold-Samsøe (1797–1867) who was a Danish noblewoman and relative of kings of Denmark, belonging to an illegitimate branch of the House of Oldenburg.Several children:
- Prince Alexander Frederick William Christian Charles Augustus (20 July 1821 - 3 May 1823), died young
- Princess Louise Auguste (28 August 1823 - 30 May 1872)
- Princess Caroline Amelie (15 January 1826 - 3 May 1901)
- Princess Wilhelmine (24 March 1828 - 4 July 1829)
- Prince Frederick Christian AugustFrederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-HolsteinDuke Frederick VIII , succeeded nominally as the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein from 1863 while Prussia actually took overlordship and real administrative power.-Life:...
(6 July 1829 - 14 January 1880), later Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, born 1829 in Augustenborg. He was nephew of Caroline Amalie, Queen consort of Denmark, and thus nephew-in-law of the King Christian VIII of DenmarkChristian VIII of DenmarkChristian VIII , was king of Denmark from 1839 to 1848 and, as Christian Frederick, king of Norway in 1814. He was the eldest son of Hereditary Prince Frederick of Denmark and Norway and Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, born in 1786 at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen...
himself, as well as a great-nephew of Frederick VI. In 1863 claimed to succeed King Frederick VII of Denmark as Duke of Schleswig-Holstein. Died 1880. He married Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-LangenburgPrincess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-LangenburgPrincess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg was a niece of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. She was the second daughter of Ernst I, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Princess Feodora of Leiningen, older half-sister of the British queen...
became father of one surviving son and a number of daughters including Augusta Viktoria, German EmpressAugusta Viktoria of Schleswig-HolsteinAugusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein was the last German Empress and Queen of Prussia. Her full German name was Auguste Victoria Friederike Luise Feodora Jenny von Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg.She was the eldest daughter of Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein and Princess...
. - Frederick Christian Charles AugustusPrince Christian of Schleswig-HolsteinPrince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein was a minor German prince who became a member of the British Royal Family through his marriage to Princess Helena of the United Kingdom , the fifth child and third daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of...
(22 January 1831 – 28 October 1917), later (1866) married his third cousin Princess Helena of the United KingdomPrincess Helena of the United KingdomPrincess Helena was a member of the British Royal Family, the third daughter and fifth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert....
, and settled in England. They were both great, great grandchildren of Frederick, Prince of WalesFrederick, Prince of WalesFrederick, Prince of Wales was a member of the House of Hanover and therefore of the Hanoverian and later British Royal Family, the eldest son of George II and father of George III, as well as the great-grandfather of Queen Victoria...
(father of George III of the United KingdomGeorge III of the United KingdomGeorge III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
and Queen Caroline Mathilde of DenmarkCaroline Matilda of WalesCaroline Matilda of Great Britain was Queen of Denmark and Norway from 1766 to 1772 and a member of the British Royal Family.-Early life:...
). They were the parents of Duke AlbertAlbert, Duke of Schleswig-HolsteinPrince Albert, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein was a grandson of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. He was the second son of Victoria's daughter, Princess Helena, by her husband Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein...
. - Princess Caroline Christiane Auguste Emilie Henriette Elisabeth (2 August 1833 - 18 October 1917), married morganatically in 1872 Johann Friedrich von Esmarch (9 January 1823 - 23 February 1908)