Duke George of Oldenburg
Encyclopedia
Duke George of Oldenburg (9 May 1784 – 27 December 1812) was a younger son of Peter I, Grand Duke of Oldenburg and his wife Duchess Frederica of Württemberg
. He was a son-in-law of Paul I of Russia
through marriage to his daughter Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna of Russia. He was referred to as a prince in Russia, Prince Georgy Petrovich Oldenburgsky.
On 3 August 1809, George married Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna of Russia, the fourth daughter of Paul I of Russia
and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg and favorite sister of the Emperor Alexander I of Russia
. The events behind their marriage began when Napoleon Bonaparte, hoping to secure a Russian alliance as well as a male heir, hinted his desire to marry Catherine after finalizing his divorce with Empress Joséphine. This so horrified the Russian imperial family that Catherine's mother immediately arranged her marriage to her cousin, Duke George. The day the marriage occurred, Duke George received the style Imperial Highness
and was appointed the governor-general of the three central provinces of Tver
, Yaroslavl and Novgorod.
Though their marriage was arranged, it was happy. Catherine was considered beautiful and vivacious and was devoted to her husband. As George was a younger son with little prospects of inheriting the Grand Dukedom of Oldenburg, he and Catherine lived in Tver
, Russia. Their family adopted the use of Russian patronyms and were known as the Oldenburgsky. He was appointed governor on the Volga but died six months after the birth of their second child.
They had two sons:
was annexed by Napoleon. As George was married to Tsar Alexander I's sister, this was a great insult by Napoleon to the Russians, and was one of many grievances Alexander would bring up in their correspondence. The Oldenburg family was later given back their duchy after Napoleon's defeat.
In 1812, Georg died from typhoid fever
. His death was a great blow to his wife, but she would go on to marry the future William I of Württemberg
in 1816.
Duchess Frederica of Württemberg
Duchess Frederica Elisabeth Amalie Auguste of Württemberg was a daughter of Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg and Friederike Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt.-Family:...
. He was a son-in-law of Paul I of Russia
Paul I of Russia
Paul I was the Emperor of Russia between 1796 and 1801. He also was the 72nd Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta .-Childhood:...
through marriage to his daughter Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna of Russia. He was referred to as a prince in Russia, Prince Georgy Petrovich Oldenburgsky.
Marriage
Paul I of Russia
Paul I was the Emperor of Russia between 1796 and 1801. He also was the 72nd Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta .-Childhood:...
and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg and favorite sister of the Emperor Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia , served as Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and the first Russian King of Poland from 1815 to 1825. He was also the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania....
. The events behind their marriage began when Napoleon Bonaparte, hoping to secure a Russian alliance as well as a male heir, hinted his desire to marry Catherine after finalizing his divorce with Empress Joséphine. This so horrified the Russian imperial family that Catherine's mother immediately arranged her marriage to her cousin, Duke George. The day the marriage occurred, Duke George received the style Imperial Highness
Imperial Highness
His/Her Imperial Highness is a style used by members of an imperial family to denote imperial - as opposed to royal - status to show that the holder in question is descended from an Emperor rather than a King .Today the style has mainly fallen from use with the exception of the Imperial Family of...
and was appointed the governor-general of the three central provinces of Tver
Tver
Tver is a city and the administrative center of Tver Oblast, Russia. Population: 403,726 ; 408,903 ;...
, Yaroslavl and Novgorod.
Though their marriage was arranged, it was happy. Catherine was considered beautiful and vivacious and was devoted to her husband. As George was a younger son with little prospects of inheriting the Grand Dukedom of Oldenburg, he and Catherine lived in Tver
Tver
Tver is a city and the administrative center of Tver Oblast, Russia. Population: 403,726 ; 408,903 ;...
, Russia. Their family adopted the use of Russian patronyms and were known as the Oldenburgsky. He was appointed governor on the Volga but died six months after the birth of their second child.
They had two sons:
- Peter Georg Paul Alexander Georgievich of Oldenburg (30 August 1810 – 16 November 1829)
- Konstantin Friedrich Peter Georgievich of Oldenburg (26 August 1812 – 14 May 1881)
War
On 22 January 1811, OldenburgOldenburg
Oldenburg is an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the western part of the state between the cities of Bremen and Groningen, Netherlands, at the Hunte river. It has a population of 160,279 which makes it the fourth biggest city in Lower Saxony after Hanover, Braunschweig...
was annexed by Napoleon. As George was married to Tsar Alexander I's sister, this was a great insult by Napoleon to the Russians, and was one of many grievances Alexander would bring up in their correspondence. The Oldenburg family was later given back their duchy after Napoleon's defeat.
In 1812, Georg died from typhoid fever
Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid, is a common worldwide bacterial disease, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi...
. His death was a great blow to his wife, but she would go on to marry the future William I of Württemberg
William I of Württemberg
William I was the second King of Württemberg from October 30, 1816 until his death.He was born in Lüben, the son of King Frederick I of Württemberg and his wife Duchess Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel .-First marriage:...
in 1816.
Titles and styles
- 9 May 1784 – 3 August 1809: His Highness Duke George of Oldenburg
- 3 August 1809 – 27 December 1812: His Imperial Highness Duke George of Oldenburg (Prince Georgy Petrovich Oldenburgsky)