Friedrich Kettler ( Latvian: Frīdrihs Ketlers, 25 November 1569 in Mitau (now

Jelgava Jelgava (; german: Mitau, ; see also other names) is a state city in central Latvia about southwest of Riga with 55,972 inhabitants (2019). It is the largest town in the region of Zemgale (Semigalia). Jelgava was the capital of the united Duch ...

) – 17 August 1642) was

Duke of Courland and Semigallia The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia ( la, Ducatus Curlandiæ et Semigalliæ; german: Herzogtum Kurland und Semgallen; lv, Kurzemes un Zemgales hercogiste; lt, Kuršo ir Žiemgalos kunigaikštystė; pl, Księstwo Kurlandii i Semigalii) was ...

(Latvian: ''Kurzemes un Zemgales hercogiste'', now part of

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

) from 1587 to 1642. He was the son of

Gotthard Kettler Gotthard Kettler, Duke of Courland (also ''Godert'', ''Ketteler'', german: Gotthard Kettler, Herzog von Kurland; 2 February 1517 – 17 May 1587) was the last Master of the Livonian Order and the first Duke of Courland and Semigallia. Biography ...

, the first Duke of Courland. Until 1617, he ruled only the eastern ''Zemgale'' (

Semigallia Semigallia, also spelt Semigalia, ( lv, Zemgale; german: Semgallen; lt, Žiemgala; pl, Semigalia; liv, Zemgāl) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands located in the south of the Daugava river and the north of the Saule region of Samogitia. ...

) portion of the duchy, while his younger brother,

Wilhelm Kettler Wilhelm Kettler (20 June 1574 – 7 April 1640) was the Duke of Courland, a Baltic German region in today's Latvia. Wilhelm ruled the western Courland portion of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia, while his brother Friedrich Kettler, Frie ...

, ruled the western

Courland Courland (; lv, Kurzeme; liv, Kurāmō; German and Scandinavian languages: ''Kurland''; la, Curonia/; russian: Курляндия; Estonian: ''Kuramaa''; lt, Kuršas; pl, Kurlandia) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands in western Latvia. ...

portion. Friedrich ruled the entire duchy from 1617 onward, after his brother emigrated due to conflicts with the nobility.

Life and reign

Friedrich Kettler was born to Gotthard Kettler and his wife,

Anna of Mecklenburg Anna of Mecklenburg (14 October 15334 July 1602), was a Duchess consort of Courland by marriage to the Duke of Courland, Gotthard Kettler. She was the daughter of Albrecht VII, Duke of Mecklenburg and Anna of Brandenburg. Anna is the first woman ...

. The first of two sons, Friedrich in his youth had a good education and travelled to many other European countries. According to Gotthard Kettler's will, the duchy was to be divided between his two sons. After his father's death in 1587, Friedrich and his younger brother,

Wilhelm Wilhelm may refer to: People and fictional characters * William Charles John Pitcher, costume designer known professionally as "Wilhelm" * Wilhelm (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname Other uses * Mount ...

, became co-rulers of the duchy. After Wilhelm reached his majority in 1596, the duchy was officially partitioned into its

and

n parts. During the Polish–Swedish War, Friedrich and Wilhelm led their troops in battles against the

Swedes Swedes ( sv, svenskar) are a North Germanic ethnic group native to the Nordic region, primarily their nation state of Sweden, who share a common ancestry, culture, history and language. They mostly inhabit Sweden and the other Nordic countr ...

, with Friedrich leading 300 big

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

units in the

Battle of Salaspils The Battle of Kircholm ( lt, Salaspilio mūšis; ) was one of the major battles in the Polish–Swedish War (1600–1611). The battle was decided in 20 minutes by the devastating charge of Polish-Lithuanian cavalry, the Winged Hussars. The bat ...

(1605). During the war, Courland's aristocracy grew in their resistance to the ruling Kettler brothers. In 1617, the Regional Assembly of Courland (''

Landtag A Landtag (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence in non- ...

'') sat in Schrunden Castle and decided that Wilhelm be stripped of his title and banished from the duchy. The following year, Friedrich was elected as the sole Duke of Courland, and he approved a new constitution, ''Formula Regiminis'', which gave greater rights to the aristocracy. Among the new parameters set by this constitution were that the duke could not implement decisions without the prior consent of the duchy's council, thus making Courland a

constitutional monarchy A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...

. In 1622, the duke's residence in

Mitau Jelgava (; german: Mitau, ; see also #Name, other names) is a state city in central Latvia about southwest of Riga with 55,972 inhabitants (2019). It is the largest town in the region of Zemgale (Semigalia). Jelgava was the capital of the unit ...

was surrounded by the Swedish army, forcing Friedrich to move to Goldingen (now Kuldiga).

Marriage

Friedrich Kettler married

Elisabeth Magdalena of Pomerania Elisabeth Magdalena of Pomerania (14 June 1580 – 23 February 1649), was a Duchess consort of Courland by marriage to Friedrich Kettler. Elisabeth Magdalena was the daughter of Ernst Ludwig, Duke of Pomerania and of Princess Sophie Hedwig ...

in 1600. They did not have issue, so in 1625, he proposed that Wilhelm's son,

Jacob Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. J ...

, be recognised as heir. The duchy's council agreed to this proposal, and Jacob was made co-ruler in 1638.

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kettler, Friedrich 1569 births 1642 deaths 16th-century Latvian people 17th-century Latvian people Dukes of Courland Protestant monarchs Burials in the Ducal Crypt of the Jelgava Palace