Prince Frederick of Württemberg
Encyclopedia
Prince Frederick Charles Augustus of Württemberg (21 February 1808 – 9 May 1870) was a General
in the Army of Württemberg
and the father of William II of Württemberg
. Frederick was a member of the Royal Family of Württemberg
and a Prince of Württemberg.
(now part of Schwäbisch Hall
), Kingdom of Württemberg
,
the second child and eldest son of Prince Paul of Württemberg
and his wife Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Hildburghausen. 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
.
where by the age of 15, he had reached the rank of Rittmeister
2nd class. In 1832, he was a Colonel
of the Infantry
and by 1841, Frederick had attained the rank of Lieutenant General
of the Cavalry
. In 1865, Frederick was promoted by Charles I of Württemberg
to General
Commander of the Cavalry and the Württemberg Federal Army Corps . 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
. Despite his serious eye problems, Frederick was offended when he was not offered the command of the Eighth Army Corps during the war.
.
During this time, Frederick resided mainly at Ludwigsburg Palace
in Stuttgart
and at the hunting lodge Schloss Katharinenhof in Oppenweiler
.
, 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:
, Kingdom of Württemberg
of an ulceration, which was most likely a later consequence of a facial injury he sustained in a hunting accident. Sophie, Queen of the Netherlands
wrote of her brother-in-law
Frederick to Lady Malet upon learning of his death. According to Sophie, Frederick died after having suffered "cancer in the face" for eight years. Frederick was interred
in the family crypt
in the Schlosskirche at Ludwigsburg Palace.
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
in the Army of Württemberg
Army of Württemberg
The army of the German state of Württemberg was until 1918 known in Germany as the Württembergische Armee.Its troops were maintained by Württemberg for its national defence and as a unit of the Swabian Circle, the Confederation of the Rhine, the German Confederation and finally of the Imperial...
and the father of William II of Württemberg
William II of Württemberg
William II was the fourth King of Württemberg, from 6 October 1891 until the abolition of the kingdom on 30 November 1918...
. Frederick was a member of the Royal Family of Württemberg
House of Württemberg
The Württemberg family is a European royal family and a German dynasty from Württemberg. The House has its origins, according to recent research, probably in the vicinity of the Salian dynasty.-History:...
and a Prince of Württemberg.
Family
Frederick was born 21 February 1808 at Schloss ComburgComburg
Comburg was a Benedictine monastery near Schwäbisch Hall in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.It was founded in the late 1070s by the Counts of Comburg-Rothenburg on the site of their castle. They retained the office of Vogt, which continued until their extinction in the Staufer dynasty...
(now part of Schwäbisch Hall
Schwäbisch Hall
Schwäbisch Hall is a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg and capital of the district of Schwäbisch Hall. The town is located in the valley of the river Kocher in the north-eastern part of Baden-Württemberg....
), Kingdom of Württemberg
Kingdom of Württemberg
The Kingdom of Württemberg was a state that existed from 1806 to 1918, located in present-day Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which came into existence in 1495...
,
the second child and eldest son of Prince Paul of Württemberg
Prince Paul of Württemberg
Prince Paul of Württemberg was a German prince and the fourth child and second son of Frederick I of Württemberg and Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.-Early life:...
and his wife Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Through his father, Frederick was a grandson of Frederick I of Württemberg
Frederick I of Württemberg
Frederick I William Charles of Württemberg was the first King of Württemberg. He was known for his size: at and about , he was in contrast to Napoleon, who recognized him as King of Württemberg.-Biography:...
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
Princess Pauline of Württemberg
Princess Pauline Friederike Marie of Württemberg, full German name: Pauline Friederike Marie, Prinzessin von Württemberg was a member of the House of Württemberg and a Princess of Württemberg by birth...
and Prince August of Württemberg
Prince August of Württemberg
Prince Friedrich August Eberhard of Württemberg, full German name: Friedrich August Eberhard, Prinz von Württemberg was a Royal Prussian Colonel General of the Cavalry with the rank of Generalfeldmarschall and Kommandierender General...
.
Military career
Frederick began his military career in the Army of WürttembergArmy of Württemberg
The army of the German state of Württemberg was until 1918 known in Germany as the Württembergische Armee.Its troops were maintained by Württemberg for its national defence and as a unit of the Swabian Circle, the Confederation of the Rhine, the German Confederation and finally of the Imperial...
where by the age of 15, he had reached the rank of Rittmeister
Rittmeister
Rotamaster was the military rank of a commissioned cavalry officer in charge of a squadron , the equivalent of O3 or Captain, in the German-speaking armies, Austro-Hungarian, Polish-Lithuanian, Russian and some other states.The exact name of this rank maintains a variety of spellings in different...
2nd class. In 1832, he was a Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
of the Infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
and by 1841, Frederick had attained the rank of Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
of the Cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
. In 1865, Frederick was promoted by Charles I of Württemberg
Charles I of Württemberg
Charles was the third King of Württemberg, from 25 June 1864 until his death in 1891.-Early life:He was born 6 March 1823 at Stuttgart, as HRH Charles Frederick Alexander, Crown Prince of Württemberg the son of William I, King of Württemberg and his third wife Pauline Therese of Württemberg .He...
to General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Commander of the Cavalry and the Württemberg Federal Army Corps . In the Austro-Prussian War
Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War was a war fought in 1866 between the German Confederation under the leadership of the Austrian Empire and its German allies on one side and the Kingdom of Prussia with its German allies and Italy on the...
against Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
, Frederick held no field command, but instead served as a liaison officer at the headquarters of the Austrian
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
Feldzeugmeister
Feldzeugmeister
Feldzeugmeister was a military rank in various European armies , especially in the artillery. It was commonly used in the 16th or 17th century, but could even be found in the beginning of the 20th century in some European countries...
. Despite his serious eye problems, Frederick was offended when he was not offered the command of the Eighth Army Corps during the war.
Political career
Because of his position as a Prince of Württemberg, Frederick held a served as a member of the Württembergian Chamber of Lords at which he regularly attended legislative sessions. In 1865, Charles appointed Frederick as a privy councillor in the Geheimer RatGeheimrat
Geheimrat was the title of the highest advising officials at the Imperial, royal or principal courts of the Holy Roman Empire, who jointly formed the Geheimer Rat reporting to the ruler...
.
During this time, Frederick resided mainly at Ludwigsburg Palace
Ludwigsburg Palace
Ludwigsburg Palace is a historical building in the city of Ludwigsburg , Germany. It is one of the country's largest Baroque palaces and features an enormous garden in that style....
in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
and at the hunting lodge Schloss Katharinenhof in Oppenweiler
Oppenweiler
Oppenweiler is a town in the district of Rems-Murr in Baden-Württemberg in Germany....
.
Marriage and issue
Frederick married his first cousin Princess Catherine of WürttembergPrincess Catherine of Württemberg
Princess Catherine Frederica Charlotte of Württemberg was a daughter of William I of Württemberg and Pauline Therese of Württemberg. She was the mother of William II of Württemberg.-Family:...
, daughter of 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:...
and his wife Pauline Therese of Württemberg
Pauline Therese of Württemberg
Duchess Pauline Therese Luise of Württemberg was a daughter of Louis of Württemberg and Princess Henriette of Nassau-Weilburg...
, on 20 November 1845 in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, Kingdom of Württemberg
Kingdom of Württemberg
The Kingdom of Württemberg was a state that existed from 1806 to 1918, located in present-day Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which came into existence in 1495...
. Frederick and Catherine had one son:
- William II of WürttembergWilliam II of WürttembergWilliam II was the fourth King of Württemberg, from 6 October 1891 until the abolition of the kingdom on 30 November 1918...
(25 February 1848 – 2 October 1921)
Later life and death
Frederick died on 9 May 1870 in in StuttgartStuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, Kingdom of Württemberg
Kingdom of Württemberg
The Kingdom of Württemberg was a state that existed from 1806 to 1918, located in present-day Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which came into existence in 1495...
of an ulceration, which was most likely a later consequence of a facial injury he sustained in a hunting accident. Sophie, Queen of the Netherlands
Sophie of Württemberg
Princess Sophia Frederika Mathilde of Württemberg was Queen of the Netherlands as the first wife of King William III of the Netherlands.-Biography:...
wrote of her brother-in-law
Brother-in-law
A brother-in-law is the brother of one's spouse, the husband of one's sibling, or the husband of one's spouse's sibling.-See also:*Affinity *Sister-in-law*Brothers in Law , a 1955 British comedy novel...
Frederick to Lady Malet upon learning of his death. According to Sophie, Frederick died after having suffered "cancer in the face" for eight years. Frederick was interred
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
in the family crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
in the Schlosskirche at Ludwigsburg Palace.
Titles and styles
- 21 February 1808 – 9 May 1870: His Royal Highness Prince Frederick of Württemberg