Frederick Casimir Kettler
Encyclopedia
Frederick Casimir Kettler (german
: Friedrich Casimir Kettler; 6 July 1650 – 22 January 1698) was Duke of Courland and Semigallia
from 1682 to 1698. Frederick was the son of Jacob Kettler
and Louise Charlotte of Brandenburg
.
In his reign the Duchy lost its geopolitical position and became Sweden
, Prussia
and Russia's
territorial subject of interests.
and visited a number of european courts. In 1673 he was in the Dutch
military service. On 5 October 1675, in the Hague, Frederick Casimir married princess Nassau-Siegen Sophia Amalie and returned home.
After his father died Frederick Casimir became the Duke of Courland and Semigallia and vigorously resorted to public affairs. In 1684 the duke's book printer George Radeckis in Jelgava
became the first person to print books in the Latvian language
. His efforts to restore the holding's were stopped by the power of Sweden, which at that time prevailed in northern Europe
. However, Friedrich Casimir founded splendid court life according to the best Western models.
In 1688 his first wife Sophie Amalie died. In 1691 Duke celebrated alarge scale wedding with Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg
.
During the reign of Frederick Casimir trade and industry of the duchy started to decay. In 1693 the Tobago
colony was sold to England. In the spring of 1697 Friedrich Casimir received a grand delegaton from Russia including the new Tsar Peter I
, on whom the brilliance of Jelgava palace and its court left a great impression. The Duchy and Russia held diplomatic talks on mutual cooperation against the Swedes, but in the next winter of 1698, The duke died aged 47. His minor son Frederick Wilhelm became the next Duke.
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: Friedrich Casimir Kettler; 6 July 1650 – 22 January 1698) was Duke of Courland and Semigallia
Duchy of Courland and Semigallia
The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia is the name of a duchy in the Baltic region that existed from 1562 to 1569 as a vassal state of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and from 1569...
from 1682 to 1698. Frederick was the son of Jacob Kettler
Jacob Kettler
Jacob Kettler was a Baltic German Duke of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia . Under his rule, the duchy was brought to its greatest peak in wealth and engaged in colonization.- Life :...
and Louise Charlotte of Brandenburg
Louise Charlotte of Brandenburg
Louise Charlotte von Brandenburg , was a Duchess consort of Courland. She was politically active during her tenure as duchess consort....
.
In his reign the Duchy lost its geopolitical position and became Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
and Russia's
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
territorial subject of interests.
Biography
Frederick Casimir Kettler studied law in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and visited a number of european courts. In 1673 he was in the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
military service. On 5 October 1675, in the Hague, Frederick Casimir married princess Nassau-Siegen Sophia Amalie and returned home.
After his father died Frederick Casimir became the Duke of Courland and Semigallia and vigorously resorted to public affairs. In 1684 the duke's book printer George Radeckis in Jelgava
Jelgava
-Sports:The city's main football team, FK Jelgava, plays in the Latvian Higher League and won the 2009/2010 Latvian Football Cup.- Notable people :*August Johann Gottfried Bielenstein - linguist, folklorist, ethnographer...
became the first person to print books in the Latvian language
Latvian language
Latvian is the official state language of Latvia. It is also sometimes referred to as Lettish. There are about 1.4 million native Latvian speakers in Latvia and about 150,000 abroad. The Latvian language has a relatively large number of non-native speakers, atypical for a small language...
. His efforts to restore the holding's were stopped by the power of Sweden, which at that time prevailed in northern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. However, Friedrich Casimir founded splendid court life according to the best Western models.
In 1688 his first wife Sophie Amalie died. In 1691 Duke celebrated alarge scale wedding with Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg
Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg
Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg , was a Duchess consort of Courland, Margravine consort of Brandenburg-Bayreuth and Duchess consort of Saxe-Meiningen. She was married to Duke Frederick Casimir Kettler of Courland, Christian Ernst, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, and Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of...
.
During the reign of Frederick Casimir trade and industry of the duchy started to decay. In 1693 the Tobago
Tobago
Tobago is the smaller of the two main islands that make up the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located in the southern Caribbean, northeast of the island of Trinidad and southeast of Grenada. The island lies outside the hurricane belt...
colony was sold to England. In the spring of 1697 Friedrich Casimir received a grand delegaton from Russia including the new Tsar Peter I
Peter I of Russia
Peter the Great, Peter I or Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov Dates indicated by the letters "O.S." are Old Style. All other dates in this article are New Style. ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire from until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his half-brother, Ivan V...
, on whom the brilliance of Jelgava palace and its court left a great impression. The Duchy and Russia held diplomatic talks on mutual cooperation against the Swedes, but in the next winter of 1698, The duke died aged 47. His minor son Frederick Wilhelm became the next Duke.