Duke Alexander of Württemberg (Mömpelgard/

Montbéliard Montbéliard (; traditional ) is a town in the Doubs Departments of France, department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eastern France, about from the border with Switzerland. It is one of the two Subprefectures in F ...

, then Württemberg (now France); 24 April 1771 – 4 July 1833, in

Gotha Gotha () is the fifth-largest city in Thuringia, Germany, west of Erfurt and east of Eisenach with a population of 44,000. The city is the capital of the district of Gotha and was also a residence of the Ernestine Wettins from 1640 until the ...

Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and larg ...

, Germany)p.448, Mikaberidze was a

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 ...

. The son of

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 ...

and of

Sophia 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 ...

. His sister Sophie Dorothea married

Tsar Paul I of Russia Paul I (russian: Па́вел I Петро́вич ; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1796 until his assassination. Officially, he was the only son of Peter III and Catherine the Great, although Catherine hinted that he was fathered by her l ...

Family

In 1798 he married

Antoinette of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld Princess Antoinette of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (Antoinette Ernestine Amalie; 28 August 1779 – 14 March 1824) was a German princess of the House of Wettin. By marriage, she was a Duchess of Württemberg. Through her eldest surviving son, she is the ...

(1779 - 1824). They had five children: * Marie of Württemberg (1799–1860), who in 1832 married Ernest I of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. * Paul of Württemberg (1800–1801) * Alexander of Württemberg (1804-1881), Duke of Württemberg * Ernest of Württemberg (1807–1868), Duke of Württemberg, who in 1860 married Nathalie Eschborn, later ennobled as "von Grünhof" (1829–1905) : ** Alexandra Nathalie Ernestine von Grünhof (

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...

, 10 August 1861 - Hohenlübbichow, 13 April 1933), who in 1883 married

Robert von Keudell Robert von Keudell (27 February 1824 - April 25/26 1903) was a German diplomat, politician and music lover. Life Von Keudell's parents were the Prussian major Leopold von Keudell (1769-1831) and his wife Wilhelmine von Hartmann (1789-1848). He was ...

* Friedrich Wilhelm Ferdinand of Württemberg (

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

29 April 1810 -

, 25 April 1815)

Descendants

Alexander of Württemberg was the founder of the fifth branch (called the ducal branch) of the

House of Württemberg The House of Württemberg is a German dynasty and former royal family from Württemberg. History County The House probably originated in the vicinity of the Salian dynasty. Around 1080 the ancestors of modern Württemberg, which was then called ...

, as the seventh son of

. On the extinction of the eldest branch in 1921, the ducal branch became the new dynastic-branch of the House. (The House of Württemberg's two morganatic branches - the dukes of Teck (extinct in the male line in 1981), and the morganatic branch of the dukes of Urach - were technically 'older' than the Ducal branch, but ineligible to succeed). Alexander of Württemberg is the direct ancestor of the present claimant to the dukedom of Württemberg,

Carl Carl may refer to: *Carl, Georgia, city in USA *Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community * Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name *Carl², a TV series * "Carl", an episode of te ...

Military service

Austria

Alexander began service in the Württemberg army as a colonel on 21 April 1791, and transferred to the

Austrian army The Austrian Armed Forces (german: Bundesheer, lit=Federal Army) are the combined military forces of the Republic of Austria. The military consists of 22,050 active-duty personnel and 125,600 reservists. The military budget is 0.74% of nati ...

, serving during the campaign against France in 1796–1799, and participating in the battles of Rastadt, Würtzburg, Offenbach,

Stockach Stockach is a town in the district of Konstanz, in southern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Location It is situated in the Hegau region, about 5 km northwest of Lake Constance, 13 km north of Radolfzell and 25 km northwest of Konstan ...

and Zurich. In 1796 Prince Alexander became a Major General and a Fieldmarshal Lieutenant in the Austrian army in 1798.

Russia

In that year he met

Alexander Suvorov Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov (russian: Алекса́ндр Васи́льевич Суво́ров, Aleksándr Vasíl'yevich Suvórov; or 1730) was a Russian general in service of the Russian Empire. He was Count of Rymnik, Count of the Holy ...

, and took up his recommendation to join the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian Ar ...

as a Lieutenant General and chief of the Riga Cuirassier Regiment which in August 1800 was reorganised into Riga Dragoon Regiment while Alexander was promoted to General of Cavalry (the rank below Field Marshal). In 1811 he was appointed Military Governor of Belorussia. During the 1812 Campaign Württemberg served at the Headquarters of the 1st Western Army and fought at

Vitebsk Vitebsk or Viciebsk (russian: Витебск, ; be, Ві́цебск, ; , ''Vitebsk'', lt, Vitebskas, pl, Witebsk), is a city in Belarus. The capital of the Vitebsk Region, it has 366,299 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-largest ci ...

Smolensk Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest c ...

Borodino The Battle of Borodino (). took place near the village of Borodino on during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. The ' won the battle against the Imperial Russian Army but failed to gain a decisive victory and suffered tremendous losses. Napoleon ...

, Tarutino (awarded Order of St. George, 3rd class),

Maloyaroslavets Maloyaroslavets (russian: Малояросла́вец) is a town and the administrative center of Maloyaroslavetsky District in Kaluga Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Luzha River (Oka's basin), northeast of Kaluga, the adminis ...

Vyazma Vyazma (russian: Вя́зьма) is a town and the administrative center of Vyazemsky District in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Vyazma River, about halfway between Smolensk, the administrative center of the oblast, and Mozhaysk. Throu ...

and Krasnoi. In 1813 he commanded the Siege of Danzig for which he was awarded a golden sword and the Order of St. George (2nd class). After the war he returned to Belorussia and his Riga Regiment. In 1822 he became the Head of the Communications Department (responsible for transport links) and initiated several large-scale waterway projects (the

Windawski Canal , image = VentosDubysoskanalas1.JPG , image_caption = Windawski Canal in Kurtuvėnai regional park, near Žadvainiais, Šiauliai district, Lithuania , original_owner = , engineer = , other_engineer = , date_act ...

, etc.) in western Russia. In 1826 Württemberg was appointed chief of Ekaterinoslav Cuirassier Regiment, and a member of the State Council, but returned to the Riga Dragoons in 1827. In 1832 he resigned from military service and left Russia on 24 November, never to return.

Awards and decorations

* : ** Knight of the Golden Eagle ** Commander of the Military Merit Order, 2nd Class, ''1799'' * : **

Gold Sword for Bravery The Gold Sword for Bravery (russian: Золотое оружие "За храбрость") was a Russian award for bravery. It was set up with two grades on 27 July 1720 by Peter the Great, reclassified as a public order in 1807 and abolished ...

, inscribed "For capture of Danzig" ** Knight of St. Andrew, in Diamonds, ''28 June 1798'' ** Knight of St. Alexander Nevsky, ''28 June 1798'' ** Knight of St. Anne, 1st Class, ''28 June 1798'' ** Grand Commander of St. John, ''28 June 1798'' ** Knight of St. George, 3rd Class, ''1812''; 2nd Class, ''12 November 1813'' ** Knight of St. Vladimir, 1st Class, ''25 February 1813'' *

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Re ...

: ** Knight of the Black Eagle, ''15 January 1814''''Liste der Ritter des Königlich Preußischen Hohen Ordens vom Schwarzen Adler'' (1851), "Von Seiner Majestät dem Könige Friedrich Wilhelm III. ernannte Ritter
p. 17
/ref> **

Knight of the Red Eagle A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

, 2nd Class * : Order of Maximilian Joseph * : Bailiff Grand Cross

Ancestry

References

Notes

* Mikaberidze, Alexander, ''The Russian officer Corps in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars 1792-1815'', Savas Beatie, New York, 2005

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander Of Wurttemberg, Duke 1771 births 1833 deaths People from Montbéliard Dukes of Württemberg (titular) Russian commanders of the Napoleonic Wars German commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Austrian Empire commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Members of the Württembergian Chamber of Lords Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 1st class Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Third Degree Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Second Degree Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class Recipients of the Gold Sword for Bravery Knights Hospitaller Recipients of the Military Order of Max Joseph Knights of Malta Generals of the Holy Roman Empire