Duke Eugen of Württemberg (german: Herzog Friedrich Eugen Carl Paul Ludwig von Württemberg; 8 January 1788 – 16 September 1857) was a German prince and a General of Infantry in 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 ...
during the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
.
Early life and family
Duke Eugen was born at
Oels,
Lower Silesia
Lower Silesia ( pl, Dolny Śląsk; cz, Dolní Slezsko; german: Niederschlesien; szl, Dolny Ślōnsk; hsb, Delnja Šleska; dsb, Dolna Šlazyńska; Silesian German: ''Niederschläsing''; la, Silesia Inferior) is the northwestern part of the ...
,
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 ...
(now Oleśnica,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
). He was the first child of Princess Louise of
Stolberg-Gedern The Lordship of Gedern (German: ''Herrschaft Gedern'') was a lordship or herrschaft centred on Gedern near Büdingen in Hesse, Germany. It is first recorded in a document from Lorsch Abbey dating to 780.
History
The lords of Ortenburg (descended ...
(1764 – 1834) and her husband
Duke Eugen of Württemberg (1758 – 1822), who was brother of
Empress Maria Feodorovna the consort of
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 of Russia, Peter III and Catherine the Great, although Catherine hinted that he w ...
and 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
Margravine 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 ...
. Louise was a daughter of Prince Christian Karl of
Stolberg-Gedern The Lordship of Gedern (German: ''Herrschaft Gedern'') was a lordship or herrschaft centred on Gedern near Büdingen in Hesse, Germany. It is first recorded in a document from Lorsch Abbey dating to 780.
History
The lords of Ortenburg (descended ...
and Countess Eleanore of
Reuss-Lobenstein
Reuss-Lobenstein (german: link=no, Reuß-Lobenstein) was a state located in the German part of the Holy Roman Empire.
History
The members of Reuss-Lobenstein family belonged to the Reuss Junior Line. Reuss-Lobenstein has existed on two occasions ...
. Another of Eugen and Louise's children was the explorer
Duke Paul Wilhelm of Württemberg
, image =Paul Wilhelm of Württemberg.jpg
, caption =
, spouse = Princess Maria Sophia of Thurn and Taxis
, issue = Duke Maximilian
, house =House of Württemberg
, father = Duke Eugen of Württemberg
, ...
.
From 1776 he lived in Russia. As a child, Eugen followed his aunt to the Tsar's court. After his cadet years in
St. 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 ...
, he began a brilliant career in 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 ...
. The murder of his uncle Paul I in 1801 interrupted the first military service. His further education took place in Silesia by
Ludwig von Wolzogen
Justus Philipp Adolf Wilhelm Ludwig Freiherr von Wolzogen (4 February 1773 – 4 July 1845) was a Württembergian military officer, who served during the Napoleonic Wars.
Biography
Early life
Wolzogen's father, Ernst Ludwig Freiherr von Wol ...
.
Military career
After a few years his military career reactivated and by 1805 he was already major-general. He participated in the campaigns from 1806 to 1807 in East Prussia against France and 1810 in part of Turkey. He accompanied his father Eugen, who was commander of Prussian Reserve, in 1806. He joined staff of Russian General
Bennigsen. In 1812, he was a division commander (4th div of II Corps) under
Barclay de Tolly
Barclay de Tolly () is the name of a Baltic German noble family of Scottish origin (Clan Barclay). During the time of the Revolution of 1688 in Britain, the family migrated to Swedish Livonia from Towy (Towie) in Aberdeenshire. Its subsequen ...
. During the
French invasion of Russia
The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign, the Second Polish War, the Army of Twenty nations, and the Patriotic War of 1812 was launched by Napoleon Bonaparte to force the Russian Empire back into the continental block ...
he fought at the Battles of
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 ...
and
Krasnoi. At the
War of the Sixth Coalition
In the War of the Sixth Coalition (March 1813 – May 1814), sometimes known in Germany as the Wars of Liberation, a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, and a number of German States defeated F ...
he fought in five major battles. In the battle of
Lutzen, Eugen's corps was heavily engaged and suffered many casualties recapturing villages from the French. In the battle of
Bautzen
Bautzen () or Budyšin () is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and the administrative centre of the district of Bautzen. It is located on the Spree river. In 2018 the town's population was 39,087. Until 1868, its German name was ''Budis ...
, Eugen's men, acting as the Russian rearguard, slowed the French advance by defending positions on hills and behind a village. The slow advance of the French infuriated Napoleon himself, who took over the command of the advance guard personally-but he did no better. In the battle of
Dresden
Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...
, the heavily outnumbered Eugen held off the forces of the French general
Vandamme Vandamme is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Alexandre Vandamme (born 1962), Belgian businessman
* Dominique Vandamme (1770–1830), French military officer
* George Vandamme, Belgian wheelchair racer
* Jamaïque Vandamme (born ...
for a day before retreating. In the battle of
Kulm, Eugen suffered over 3,000 casualties in his victorious rematch with Vandamme. And in the battle of
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
, most of Eugen's artillery was destroyed by the French. Despite this, and despite the losses at Kulm only a few weeks before, Eugen's infantry made a heroic, tenacious stand. Two-thirds of his troops and all of his regimental commanders became casualties.
In 1828, he commanded the Russian 7th Army Corps in the
Russo-Turkish War (1828–1829)
The Russo-Turkish War of 1828–1829 was sparked by the Greek War of Independence of 1821–1829. War broke out after the Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II closed the Dardanelles to Russian ships and revoked the 1826 Akkerman Convention in retaliati ...
. He retired after the
Treaty of Adrianople.
''The Encyclopedia Americana: a library of universal knowledge''
Volume 10, Encyclopedia Americana Corp., 1918
He was interested in music. He was acquainted with Carl Maria von Weber
Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (18 or 19 November 17865 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and critic who was one of the first significant composers of the Romantic era. Best known for his opera ...
, who was his father's music director of 1806 – 1807. He also composed several operas, and many songs, including "The Ghost Bride".
Marriage and issue
On 21 January 1817, in Arolsen
Bad Arolsen (, until 1997 Arolsen, ''Bad'' being the German name for ''Spa'') is a small town in northern Hesse, Germany, in Waldeck-Frankenberg district. From 1655 until 1918 it served as the residence town of the Princes of Waldeck-Pyrmont and t ...
, he married Princess Mathilde of Waldeck and Pyrmont
, reign =
, title = Duchess Eugen of Württemberg
, house = House of Waldeck-Pyrmont (by birth)House of Württemberg (by marriage)
, spouse = Duke Eugen of Württemberg (1788–1857)
, issue = Marie, Landgravine of Hesse-Philippsthal Duke E ...
(1801 – 1825), daughter of George I, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont
George I, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont (german: Georg Fürst zu Waldeck und Pyrmont; 6 May 17479 September 1813) was Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont from 1812 to 1813.
He was the son of Karl August, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont and Countess Pala ...
and Princess Augusta of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen.
They had three children:
* Duchess Marie of Württemberg (25 March 1818 – 10 April 1888), married in 1845 to Charles II, Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal
Charles II of Hesse-Philippsthal (22 May 1803 in Philippsthal – 12 February 1868 in Philippsthal) was a member of the House of Hesse and was Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal from 1849 until 1866.
Life
Charles was a son of Landgrave Ernest Cons ...
, had issue.
* Duke Eugen of Württemberg (25 December 1820 – 8 January 1875), married in 1843 to Princess Mathilde of Schaumburg-Lippe, had issue.
*Duke William Alexander of Württemberg (13 April 1825 – 15 April 1825)
On his first wife's death, Eugen married secondly in 1827 to Princess Helene of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
, title = Duchess Eugen of Württemberg
, image = Helen of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.jpg
, caption =
, reign =
, coronation =
, predecessor =
, successor =
, succession =
, spouse =Duke Eugen of Württemberg (1788 ...
(1807–1880), daughter of Charles Louis, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Countess Amalie of Solms-Baruth.
They had four children
*Duke William of Württemberg
Duke William of Württemberg (german: Wilhelm Nikolaus Herzog von Württemberg; 20 July 1828 – 5 November 1896) was an Austrian and Württemberg General.
Early life and family
Duke William was born at Carlsruhe, Kingdom of Prussia (now P ...
(20 July 1828 – 5 November 1896)
*Duchess Alexandrine Mathilde of Württemberg (16 December 1829 – 2 September 1913)
* Duke Nicholas of Württemberg (1 March 1833 – 22 February 1903), married in 1868 his half-niece Duchess Wilhelmine of Württemberg, no issue.
* Duchess Agnes of Württemberg
, house =House of Württemberg House of Reuss Younger Line
, father = Duke Eugen of Württemberg
, mother =Princess Helene of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Carlsruhe, Kingdom of Prussia
, death_date =
, ...
(13 October 1835 – 10 July 1886), married in 1858 to Heinrich XIV, Prince Reuss Younger Line
Heinrich XIV, Prince Reuss Younger Line (german: Heinrich XIV Fürst Reuß jüngere Linie; 28 May 183229 March 1913) was Prince Reuss Younger Line from 1867 to 1913.
Early life
Heinrich XIV was born at Coburg, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, sixth child o ...
, had issue.
Ancestry
Notes and sources
;Sources
*The Royal House of Stuart, London, 1969, 1971, 1976, Addington, A. C., Reference: page 222
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wurttemberg, Eugen Duke
1788 births
1857 deaths
People from Oleśnica
People from the Province of Silesia
Imperial Russian Army generals
Members of the Prussian House of Lords
People from the Kingdom of Prussia
Eugen
Eugen is a masculine given name which may refer to:
* Archduke Eugen of Austria (1863–1954), last Habsburg Grandmaster of the Teutonic Order from 1894 to 1923
* Prince Eugen, Duke of Närke (1865–1947), Swedish painter, art collector, and pat ...
German commanders of the Napoleonic Wars
Russian commanders of the Napoleonic Wars
Knights Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa
Commanders of the Military Order of Max Joseph
Knights of Malta
Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Second Degree
Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class
Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 1st class