Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp-Eutin (11 January 167324 April 1726) was a

cadet A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...

of the reigning ducal

House of Holstein-Gottorp Holstein-Gottorp or Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp () is the Historiography, historiographical name, as well as contemporary shorthand name, for the parts of the duchies of Duchy of Schleswig, Schleswig and Duchy of Holstein, Holstein, also known as ...

who became prince of Eutin, prince-bishop of Lübeck and regent of the

Duchy of Holstein The Duchy of Holstein (german: Herzogtum Holstein, da, Hertugdømmet Holsten) was the northernmost state of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the present German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It originated when King Christian I of Denmark had his ...

Gottorp Gottorf Castle (german: Schloss Gottorf, da, Gottorp Slot, Low German: ''Gottorp'') is a castle and estate in the city of Schleswig, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is one of the most important secular buildings in Schleswig-Holstein, and ha ...

. He was the father of

Adolf Frederick, King of Sweden Adolf Frederick, or Adolph Frederick ( sv, Adolf Fredrik, german: Adolf Friedrich; 14 May 171012 February 1771) was King of Sweden from 1751 until his death. He was the son of Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp, Prince of Eutin, and Albertina ...

, and the maternal grandfather of

Catherine the Great , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anhal ...

, Empress of Russia.

Biography

He was a younger son of Christian Albert, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp and Princess Frederica Amalia of Denmark, daughter of King

Frederick III of Denmark Frederick III ( da, Frederik; 18 March 1609 – 9 February 1670) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death in 1670. He also governed under the name Frederick II as diocesan administrator (colloquially referred to as prince-bi ...

. His elder brother, Frederick IV, succeeded their father as ruler of the duchy, Christian August being given the small fiefdom of

Eutin Eutin () is the district capital of Ostholstein, Eastern Holstein county located in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein. As of 2020, the town had some 17,000 inhabitants. History The name Eutin (originally Utin) is of Slavic origin. I ...

in 1695, whereupon he took the title Duke of Holstein-Eutin. Additionally, he was appointed

coadjutor The term coadjutor (or coadiutor, literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coadj ...

Lübeck Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the stat ...

, a

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

Imperial state An Imperial State or Imperial Estate ( la, Status Imperii; german: Reichsstand, plural: ') was a part of the Holy Roman Empire with representation and the right to vote in the Imperial Diet ('). Rulers of these Estates were able to exercise si ...

within the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

, in 1701, and his family managed to have him elected as the bishop on 26 April 1706. His eldest brother died in 1702, leaving only an underage son,

Charles Frederick, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp Charles Frederick, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp () (30 April 1700 – 18 June 1739) was a Prince of Sweden and Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp and an important member of European royalty. His dynasty, the Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Gott ...

, as his heir. From 1702 to 1708 Christian August was co-regent with his widowed sister-in-law,

Hedvig Sophia of Sweden Hedvig Sophia Augusta of Sweden (26 June 1681 – 22 December 1708), Duchess of Holstein-Gottorp, was the eldest child of Charles XI of Sweden and Ulrike Eleonore of Denmark. She was heir presumptive to the Swedish throne until her death and the ...

, for Charles Frederick, having been first installed as administrator under her authority. Upon her death in 1708, Christian August became sole regent of Holstein-Gottorp, which duchy was severely ravaged by the violence of the

Great Northern War The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedi ...

Marriage and issue

Christian August married his cousin

Margravine Albertina Frederica of Baden-Durlach Princess Margravine Albertina Frederica of Baden-Durlach (3 July 1682 – 22 December 1755) was a German princess. She was the daughter of Frederick VII, Margrave of Baden-Durlach and his wife Duchess Augusta Marie of Holstein-Gottorp. She ma ...

(3 July 1682 – 26 December 1755), on 2 September 1704, with whom he had ten children: *Hedwig Sophie Auguste of Holstein-Gottorp (9 October 1705 – 4 October 1764), Abbess of Herford, 1750–1764 * Charles Augustus of Holstein-Gottorp (26 November 1706 – 31 May 1727), engaged to marry the future

Elizabeth of Russia Elizabeth Petrovna (russian: Елизаве́та (Елисаве́та) Петро́вна) (), also known as Yelisaveta or Elizaveta, reigned as Empress of Russia from 1741 until her death in 1762. She remains one of the most popular Russian ...

, but died before the wedding *Frederica Amalia of Holstein-Gottorp (12 January 1708 – 19 January 1782), a nun at Quedlinburg * Anne of Holstein-Gottorp (3 February 1709 – 2 February 1758), wed

Prince Wilhelm of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg Prince William Charles Christian of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (German: ''Wilhelm Carl Christian von Sachsen-Gotha-Altenburg''; 12 March 1701, Gotha – 31 May 1771, Tonna, Germany, Tonna) was a German prince of the Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg house, a junior ...

(1701-1771), no issue. He was a brother of Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, mother of

George III of Great Britain George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

* Adolf Frederick of Holstein-Gottorp,

King of Sweden The monarchy of Sweden is the monarchical head of state of Sweden,See the Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 5. which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system.Parliamentary system: see the Instrument o ...

(14 May 1710 – 12 April 1771). He was named

crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wif ...

of Sweden in 1743 and ascended the throne in 1751 as

. * Frederick August of Holstein-Gottorp,

Duke of Oldenburg 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 ...

(20 September 1711 – 6 July 1785). He was initially bishop of Lübeck, and after his brother moved to Sweden, he inherited Eutin as well. In 1773, as part of a family agreement involving Denmark, Russia and

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, also known as Ducal Holstein, that were ruled by the dukes of Schlesw ...

, he also received a new duchy, Oldenburg, consisting of the counties of

Oldenburg Oldenburg may also refer to: Places *Mount Oldenburg, Ellsworth Land, Antarctica *Oldenburg (city), an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany **Oldenburg (district), a district historically in Oldenburg Free State and now in Lower Saxony *Olde ...

and

Delmenhorst Delmenhorst (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Demost'') is an urban district ('' Kreisfreie Stadt'') in Lower Saxony, Germany. It has a population of 74,500 and is located west of downtown Bremen with which it forms a contiguous urban area, whereas the ...

. * Johanna Elisabeth (24 October 1712 – 30 May 1760), wed

Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst (29 November 1690, in Dornburg – 16 March 1747, in Zerbst) was a German prince of the House of Ascania, and the father of Catherine the Great of Russia. He was a ruler of the Principality of A ...

, and became the mother of

, Empress of Russia. *William Christian of Holstein-Gottorp (20 September 1716 – 26 June 1719), died in infancy *Frederick Conrad of Holstein-Gottorp (12 March 1718 – 1719), died in infancy *

Georg Ludwig of Holstein-Gottorp Prince Georg Ludwig of Holstein-Gottorp (16 March 1719 – 7 September 1763) was a Prussian lieutenant-general and an Imperial Russian field marshal. He was the youngest son of Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp, Prince of Eutin and his wi ...

(16 March 1719 – 7 September 1763). His son

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

inherited the

Duchy of Oldenburg The Duchy of Oldenburg (german: Herzogtum Oldenburg)—named after its capital, the town of Oldenburg—was a state in the north-west of present-day Germany. The counts of Oldenburg died out in 1667, after which it became a duchy until 1810, wh ...

from his childless cousin, the son of Frederick August Christian August was succeeded by his eldest son Charles Augustus, who died before taking up the office, and then by his second son, Adolf Frederick.

Ancestry

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holstein-Gottorp, Christian August Of, Prince Of Eutin

Christian Augustus Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst (29 November 1690, in Dornburg – 16 March 1747, in Zerbst) was a German prince of the House of Ascania, and the father of Catherine the Great of Russia. He was a ruler of the Principality of Anh ...