Charles Alexander of Württemberg (24 January 1684 – 12 March 1737) was a

Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Würt ...

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

from 1698 who governed the

Kingdom of Serbia The Kingdom of Serbia ( sr-cyr, Краљевина Србија, Kraljevina Srbija) was a country located in the Balkans which was created when the ruler of the Principality of Serbia, Milan I, was proclaimed king in 1882. Since 1817, the Princi ...

as regent from 1720 until 1733, when he assumed the position of

Duke of Württemberg Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...

, which he held until his death.

Early life

Born in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

, he was the eldest son of

Frederick Charles, Duke of Württemberg-Winnental Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode *Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederick ...

and his wife,

Margravine Eleonore Juliane of Brandenburg-Ansbach Eleonore Juliane of Brandenburg-Ansbach (23 October 1663 – 4 March 1724) was a princess of Brandenburg-Ansbach and through her marriage duchess of Württemberg-Winnental. Life Eleonore Juliane was a daughter of Albert II, Margrave of Bra ...

.https://www.genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00009197&tree=LEO

Biography

He succeeded his father as Duke of

Württemberg-Winnental Württemberg-Winnental was a branch of the House of Württemberg. It only existed from 1677 to 1733 and was based at the Schloss Winnental in Winnenden. Eberhard III, Duke of Württemberg Eberhard III, Duke of Württemberg (16 December 1614, i ...

in 1698. As a successful army-commander in service of the

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...

, he had converted to

Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

in 1712. He was militarily successful under

Prince Eugene of Savoy Prince Eugene Francis of Savoy–Carignano, (18 October 1663 – 21 April 1736) better known as Prince Eugene, was a Generalfeldmarschall, field marshal in the army of the Holy Roman Empire and of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty during the 17th a ...

in the

Spanish War of Succession Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

as well as in the Ottoman–Venetian War. In 1719 he was appointed imperial governor of

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

. In 1720 Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI appointed him governor of the Kingdom of Serbia in

. While in this post he married

Princess Marie Auguste of Thurn and Taxis , house = Thurn and Taxis , father =Anselm Franz, 2nd Prince of Thurn and Taxis , mother =Maria Ludovika Anna Franziska, Princess of Lobkowicz , birth_date = , birth_place =Frankfurt am Main, Hesse , death_date = , ...

(1706–56) in 1727; they had 4 children. After 13 years of autocratically ruling over Serbia, in 1733 Charles Alexander inherited the

Duchy of Württemberg The Duchy of Württemberg (german: Herzogtum Württemberg) was a duchy located in the south-western part of the Holy Roman Empire. It was a member of the Holy Roman Empire from 1495 to 1806. The dukedom's long survival for over three centuries ...

from his cousin, Eberhard Louis. As Duke of Württemberg he moved the court back from

Ludwigsburg Ludwigsburg (; Swabian: ''Ludisburg'') is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about north of Stuttgart city centre, near the river Neckar. It is the largest and primary city of the Ludwigsburg district with about 88,000 inhabitants. It is ...

to the nearby capital of

. He ruled over the Duchy until his sudden death in 1737, and was succeeded by his nine-year-old son, Charles Eugene. During his reign, he employed as his financier the ill-fated

Joseph Süss Oppenheimer Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

, who was executed in 1738 for abuse of office during the reign of the duke. RSLB Spiegelkabinett

Family

He married

(1706–1756) in 1727; they had 6 children: * Charles Eugene, Duke of Württemberg (1728–1793), married Princess

Elisabeth Fredericka Sophie of Brandenburg-Bayreuth Princess Elisabeth Friederike Sophie of Brandenburg-Bayreuth (30 August 1732 – 6 April 1780), was a German princess of the House of Hohenzollern and the Duchess of Württemberg by marriage. Biography Early life She was born in Bayreuth, the ...

; no issue. * Eugen Louis (1729) *

Louis Eugene, Duke of Württemberg Ludwig Eugen, Duke of Württemberg (6 January 1731 – 20 May 1795), was the third son of Duke Karl Alexander and Princess Maria Augusta of Thurn and Taxis (11 August 1706 – 1 February 1756). Marriage He married (morganatically) Countess Sop ...

(1731–1795), married Countess Sophie Albertine of

Beichlingen Beichlingen is a village and a former municipality in the Sömmerda district of Thuringia, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Euro ...

; had issue. *

Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg Friedrich Eugen, Duke of Württemberg (21 January 1732 – 23 December 1797) was the fourth son of Karl Alexander, Duke of Württemberg, and Princess Maria Augusta of Thurn and Taxis (11 August 1706 – 1 February 1756). He was born in Stuttg ...

(1732–1797), married Princess

Friederike Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt Friederike of Brandenburg-Schwedt (Friederike Sophia Dorothea; 18 December 1736 – 9 March 1798) was Duchess of Württemberg by marriage to Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg. She is an ancestor to many European royals of the 19th and ...

; had issue. * Alexander Eugen (1733–1734) * Auguste Elisabeth (1734–1787), married Prince

Karl Anselm, 4th Prince of Thurn and Taxis , image = Fürst Carl Anselm.jpg , caption = , reign = 17 March 1773 – 13 November 1805 , reign-type = Period , coronation = , predecessor = Alexander Ferdinand , successor = Karl Alexander , su ...

; had issue. King

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

is his descendant through his great-grandmother

Mary of Teck Mary of Teck (Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes; 26 May 186724 March 1953) was List of British royal consorts, Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 6 May 1910 until 20 Janua ...

In literature and film

Although the story of Duke Karl Alexander and Joseph Süß Oppenheimer constituted a relatively obscure episode in German history, it became the subject of a number of literary and dramatic treatments over the course of more than a century; the earliest of these having been

Wilhelm Hauff Wilhelm Hauff (29 November 180218 November 1827) was a Württembergian poet and novelist. Early life Hauff was born in Stuttgart, the son of August Friedrich Hauff, a secretary in the Württemberg ministry of foreign affairs, and Hedwig Wilhelmi ...

's 1827 novella, titled ''

Jud Süß (, "Süss the Jew") is a 1940 Nazi German historical drama and propaganda film produced by Terra Film at the behest of Joseph Goebbels. It is considered one of the most antisemitic films of all time. The film was directed by Veit Harlan, who ...

''. The most successful literary adaptation was

Lion Feuchtwanger Lion Feuchtwanger (; 7 July 1884 – 21 December 1958) was a German Jewish novelist and playwright. A prominent figure in the literary world of Weimar Germany, he influenced contemporaries including playwright Bertolt Brecht. Feuchtwanger's J ...

's 1925

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

titled ''Jud Süß'' based on a play that he had written in 1916 but subsequently withdrew.

Ashley Dukes Ashley Dukes (29 May 1885 – 4 May 1959) was an English playwright/dramatist, critic, theatre manager. Biography Personal life Ashley Dukes was born one of five children in 1885. He was the son of the Congregationalist clergyman, Rev. Edwin J ...

and Paul Kornfeld also wrote dramatic adaptations of the Feuchtwanger novel. In 1934,

Lothar Mendes Lothar Mendes (19 May 1894 – 24 February 1974) was a German-born screenwriter and film director. His two best known films are '' Jew Süss'' (1934) and '' The Man Who Could Work Miracles'' (1936), both productions for British studios. Career B ...

directed " Jew Süss", a film adaptation of the novel. The role of Karl Alexander was played by

Frank Vosper Frank Permain Vosper (15 December 1899, in London – 6 March 1937) was an English actor who appeared in both stage and film roles and a dramatist, playwright and screenwriter. Stage Vosper made his stage debut in 1919 and was best known for pl ...

. Charles Alexander and his relationship with Oppenheimer is fictionally portrayed in

Veit Harlan Veit Harlan (22 September 1899 – 13 April 1964) was a German film director and actor. Harlan reached the highpoint of his career as a director in the Nazi era; most notably his antisemitic film ''Jud Süß'' (1940) makes him controversial ...

's 1940 Nazi propaganda film titled ''

''. He is portrayed by

Heinrich George Georg August Friedrich Hermann Schulz (9 October 1893 – 25 September 1946), better known as Heinrich George (), was a German stage and film actor. Career Weimar Republic George is noted for having spooked the young Bertolt Brecht in his first ...

. Although inspired by the historical details of Süß's life, Hauff's novella, Feuchtwanger's novel, and Harlan's film only loosely correspond to the historical sources available at the Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg.

Ancestors

Notes