William Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (8 January 1686 – 7 January 1723), was

Margrave Margrave was originally the medieval title for the military commander assigned to maintain the defence of one of the border provinces of the Holy Roman Empire or of a kingdom. That position became hereditary in certain feudal families in the Emp ...

of the Principality of Brandenburg-Ansbach from 1703 until his death in 1723. He was the younger brother of

Caroline of Ansbach , father = John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach , mother = Princess Eleonore Erdmuthe of Saxe-Eisenach , birth_date = , birth_place = Ansbach, Principality of Ansbach, Holy Roman Empire , death_date = , death_place = St James's Pala ...

and thus brother-in-law of

George II of Great Britain , house = Hanover , religion = Protestant , father = George I of Great Britain , mother = Sophia Dorothea of Celle , birth_date = 30 October / 9 November 1683 , birth_place = Herrenhausen Palace,Cannon. or Leine ...

Early life

William Frederick was born in

Ansbach Ansbach (; ; East Franconian: ''Anschba'') is a city in the German state of Bavaria. It is the capital of the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Ansbach is southwest of Nuremberg and north of Munich, on the river Fränkische Rezat, a ...

in 1686 to

John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (18 October 1654 – 22 March 1686) succeeded his father Albert II as margrave of Ansbach in 1667. He married his second wife Princess Eleonore Erdmuthe of Saxe-Eisenach on 4 November 1681. Their da ...

, and his second wife,

Eleonore Erdmuthe of Saxe-Eisenach Princess Eleonore Erdmuthe Louise of Saxe-Eisenach (13 April 1662 – 9 September 1696), was a German princess member of the House of Wettin and through her two marriages was Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach (from 1681 to 1686) and Electress of ...

. His two surviving half-brothers, Margraves Christian Albert and George Frederick II, both died unmarried and without legitimate issue.

Personal life

He married his first cousin,

Christiane Charlotte of Württemberg-Winnental Christiane Charlotte of Württemberg-Winnental (20 August 1694 – 25 December 1729) was a German princess and regent. She was regent of Brandenburg-Ansbach in 1723-1729. Born in Kirchheim unter Teck, her parents were Frederick Charles, Duke ...

in 1709. He died in Unterreichenbach and was succeeded by his son Charles William Frederick, called "The Wild Margrave".

Ancestry

1686 births 1723 deaths House of Hohenzollern Margraves of Brandenburg-Ansbach People from Ansbach {{Germany-margrave-stub