Charles (German: ''Karl''; 1 August 1713,

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( , from Low German ''Brunswiek'' , Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek'') is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the ...

– 26 March 1780, Braunschweig), Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Bevern line), reigned as

Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

from 1735 until his death.

Life

Charles I of Brunswick-Wolfenbuettel, 1713-1780, by Antoine Pesne

Charles was the eldest son of Ferdinand Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. He fought under

Prince Eugene of Savoy Prince Eugene Francis of Savoy–Carignano, (18 October 1663 – 21 April 1736) better known as Prince Eugene, was a Generalfeldmarschall, field marshal in the army of the Holy Roman Empire and of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty during the 17th a ...

against the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...

before inheriting the

Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel The Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (german: Fürstentum Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel) was a subdivision of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, whose history was characterised by numerous divisions and reunifications. It had an area of 3,828 ...

from his father in 1735. Through his mother he was first cousins with

Empress Maria Theresa Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position '' suo jure'' (in her own right) ...

On the suggestion of his court-preacher,

Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Jerusalem Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Jerusalem (22 November 1709 - 2 September 1789) was a German Lutheran theologian during the Age of Enlightenment. He was also known as "Abt Jerusalem". He was court-preacher and a major advisor to Charles I, Duke of Brun ...

, in 1745 he founded the '' Collegium Carolinum'', an institute of higher education which is today known as the

Technical University of Brunswick The Technische Universität Braunschweig (unofficially University of Braunschweig – Institute of Technology), commonly referred to as TU Braunschweig, is the oldest ' (comparable to an institute of technology in the American system) in Germany ...

. He also hired

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (, ; 22 January 1729 – 15 February 1781) was a philosopher, dramatist, publicist and art critic, and a representative of the Enlightenment era. His plays and theoretical writings substantially influenced the develop ...

as the librarian for the ''Bibliotheca Augusta'', the ducal library. Lorenz Heister of the

University of Helmstedt The University of Helmstedt (german: Universität Helmstedt; official Latin name: ''Academia Julia'', "Julius University"), was a university in Helmstedt in the Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel that existed from 1576 until 1810. History Found ...

named the botanical genus '' Brunsvigia'' in his honour, in recognition of his encouragement of

botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

and the study of ''B. orientalis''. Charles attempted to promote the economic development of his state; for example, he founded the Fürstenberg Porcelain Company, and he installed mandatory

fire insurance Property insurance provides protection against most risks to property, such as fire, theft and some weather damage. This includes specialized forms of insurance such as fire insurance, flood insurance, earthquake insurance, home insurance, or ...

. However, he did not manage to keep the state finances in check. As a consequence, in 1773 his eldest son

Charles William Ferdinand Charles William Ferdinand (german: Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand; 9 October 1735 – 10 November 1806) was the Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and a military leader. His titles are usually shortened to Duke of Brunswic ...

took over government. When the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

began in 1775, Prince Charles saw an opportunity to replenish the duchy's treasury by renting its army to Great Britain. In 1776, Duke Charles signed a treaty with his cousin

George III of the United Kingdom George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

to supply troops for service with the British armies in America. 4,000 soldiers were dispatched under General

Friedrich Adolf Riedesel Freiherr Friedrich Adolf Riedesel Freiherr zu Eisenbach (3 June 1738 in Lauterbach/Hesse – 6 January 1800 in Braunschweig) was a German officer who served in the Seven Years' War and American War of Independence. He was the commander of t ...

. The Brunswick troops fought in General

John Burgoyne General John Burgoyne (24 February 1722 – 4 August 1792) was a British general, dramatist and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1761 to 1792. He first saw action during the Seven Years' War when he participated in several bat ...

's army at the

Battles of Saratoga The Battles of Saratoga (September 19 and October 7, 1777) marked the climax of the Saratoga campaign, giving a decisive victory to the Americans over the British in the American Revolutionary War. British General John Burgoyne led an invasion ...

(1777), where they were taken prisoner as part of the

Convention Army The Convention Army (1777–1783) was an army of British and allied troops captured after the Battles of Saratoga in the American Revolutionary War. Convention of Saratoga On 17 October 1777, British General John Burgoyne surrendered his army ac ...

. Although the terms of surrender allowed the troops to return to Europe, the American

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

cancelled the convention. The Convention Army was held prisoner in America until the war ended in 1783.

Marriage and children

In 1733, Charles married Philippine Charlotte, daughter of King

Frederick William I of Prussia Frederick William I (german: Friedrich Wilhelm I.; 14 August 1688 – 31 May 1740), known as the "Soldier King" (german: Soldatenkönig), was King in Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg from 1713 until his death in 1740, as well as Prince of Neu ...

. They had the following children that reached adulthood: *

(1735–1806) * Sophie Caroline Mary (1737–1817), married

Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth (May 10, 1711 in Weferlingen – February 26, 1763 in Bayreuth), was a member of the House of Hohenzollern and Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth. He was the eldest son of Georg Frederick Karl, nomin ...

* Anna Amalia (1739–1807), married

Ernest Augustus II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Ernst August II Konstantin, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (2 June 1737 – 28 May 1758), was a duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. Early life He was the second (fifth in order of birth) but eldest and only surviving son of Ernst August I, Duk ...

* Frederick Augustus (1740–1805) * Albert Henry (1742–1761), died childless * William Adolf (1745–1770), died childless * Elizabeth Christine Ulrike (1746–1840), married King

Frederick William II of Prussia Frederick William II (german: Friedrich Wilhelm II.; 25 September 1744 – 16 November 1797) was King of Prussia from 1786 until his death in 1797. He was in personal union the Prince-elector of Brandenburg and (via the Orange-Nassau inherita ...

(divorced) *

Augusta Dorothea, Abbess of Gandersheim Augusta Dorothea of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel (1749–1810), was Princess Abbess of Gandersheim Abbey from 1778 until 1810. She was the last sovereign Princess Abbess of Gandersheim. Life Augusta Dorothea was the daughter of Charles I, Duke of Br ...

(1749–1803) * Maximilian Jules Leopold (1752–1785), died childless Charles also had a child out of wedlock, Christian Theodor von Pincier (1750–1824), the adopted son of Baron von Pincier of Sweden.

Ancestry

References

At the House of Welf site

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Charles 01, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel 1713 births 1780 deaths Princes of Wolfenbüttel Nobility from Braunschweig House of Brunswick-Bevern Protestant monarchs Generals of the Holy Roman Empire Military personnel from Braunschweig