Duke Nicholas of Württemberg (; 1 March 1833 – 22 February 1903) was an officer in the army of the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

Biography

Early life and family

Duke Nicholas was born at Carlsruhe,

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

(now Pokój,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

) was the third child of Duke Eugen of Württemberg (1788–1857, son of Duke Eugen of Württemberg and Princess Louise of Stolberg-Gedern) by his second marriage to Princess Helene of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1807–1880, daughter of Charles Louis, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Countess Amalie of Solms-Baruth). Nicholas had three half-siblings by his father's previous marriage with Princess Mathilde of Waldeck and Pyrmont.

Military career

After attending high school in Breslau and studied at

Leibniz University Hannover Leibniz University Hannover (), also known as the University of Hannover, is a public university, public research university located in Hanover, Germany. Founded on 2 May 1831 as Higher Vocational School, the university has undergone six period ...

. He was initially in the

Austrian navy The Austro-Hungarian Navy or Imperial and Royal War Navy (, in short ''k.u.k. Kriegsmarine'', ) was the naval force of Austria-Hungary. Ships of the Austro-Hungarian Navy were designated ''SMS'', for '' Seiner Majestät Schiff'' (His Majesty's ...

, and later in the Austrian Army. In 1860 he reached the rank of Major, in 1864 he participated in the

Second Schleswig War The Second Schleswig War (; or German Danish War), also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War, was the second military conflict over the Schleswig–Holstein question of the nineteenth century. The war began on 1 Februar ...

and in 1866 at the

Austro-Prussian War The Austro-Prussian War (German: ''Preußisch-Österreichischer Krieg''), also known by many other names,Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Second War of Unification, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as ("German War"), ''Deutsc ...

. Then he traveled to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

. Since 1877, he was a Major General and Brigadier General in

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

, in 1882 he stationed as a lieutenant and division commander in Komarno.

Marriage

On 8 May 1868, in Carlsruhe, he married Duchess Wilhelmine of Württemberg (1844–1892), daughter of Duke Eugen of Württemberg and Princess Mathilde of Schaumburg-Lippe. Wilhelmine was the elder daughter of Nicholas' half-brother. They had no issue.

Later life

Since 1888, Duke Nicholas lived in Carlsruhe (now

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...

), where he operated as agriculture and forestry, and carried out studies on the fishing industry. As a member of the House of Württemberg in 1855 he had a seat in the Estates of Württemberg. Nicholas died on 22 February 1903. At his death the third branch of the House of Württemberg (Carlsruhe) became extinct in the male line. His funeral took place on 27 February 1903. According to his

will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

, Carlsruhe was passed to King William II, which he had from 1903 to his death in 1921, annually the King spent several weeks in hunting vacation at Carlsruhe. After The King's death Carlsruhe and the headship of the House of Württemberg went to Duke Albrecht (1865–1939).

Honours and awards

* :''Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Württemberg'' (1902), "Departement des Kriegswefen", p
209
/ref> ** Grand Cross of the

Order of the Württemberg Crown Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * H ...

, ''1847''''Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Württemberg'' (1896), "Königliche Orden" pp
2767
/ref> ** Grand Cross of the

Friedrich Order The Friedrich Order ( or ''Friedrichsorden'') was an order of merit of the German Kingdom of Württemberg. It was instituted on 1 January 1830 by the second king of Württemberg, Wilhelm I in remembrance of his father, King Friedrich I. In 1918, ...

** Jubilee Medal *

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

: ** Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen, ''1896'' ** Military Jubilee Medal ** Service Award for Officers (50 years) * : Knight of the

Order of Saint Hubert The Royal Order of Saint Hubert (), or sometimes () is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood founded in 1444 or 1445 by Gerhard VII, Duke of Jülich-Berg. He sought to commemorate his victory over the House of Egmond at the Battle of ...

, ''1896'' *

Principality of Lippe Lippe (later Lippe-Detmold and then again Lippe) was a state in Germany, ruled by the House of Lippe. It was located between the Weser river and the southeast part of the Teutoburg Forest. It originated as a state during the Holy Roman Empire, an ...

: Cross of Honour of the House Order of Lippe, 1st Class with Swords *

: ** Knight of Honour of the

Johanniter Order The Bailiwick of Brandenburg of the Chivalric Order of Saint John of the Hospital at Jerusalem (), commonly known as the Order of Saint John or the Johanniter Order (German: ''Johanniterorden''), is the German Protestant branch of the Knights Hos ...

, ''1890''; Knight of Justice, ''1892'' ** Knight of the

Order of the Black Eagle The Order of the Black Eagle () was the highest order of chivalry in the Kingdom of Prussia. The order was founded on 17 January 1701 by Elector Friedrich III of Brandenburg (who became Friedrich I of Prussia, Friedrich I, King in Prussia, the ...

, ''18 January 1900'' * : Knight of the

Order of the Rue Crown The Order of the Rue Crown () or Order of the Crown of Saxony was a dynastic order of knighthood of the Kingdom of Saxony. The order takes its name from the green floral crown of rue ('' crancelin'') found in the coat of arms of Saxony. It occup ...

, ''1899''

Ancestry

Notes and sources

*The Royal House of Stuart, London, 1969, 1971, 1976, Addington, A. C., Reference: 223 *L'Allemagne dynastique, Huberty, Giraud, Magdelaine, Reference: II 525

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholas 1833 births 1903 deaths People from Namysłów County People from the Province of Silesia Dukes of Württemberg (titular) Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary Heirs presumptive