Carl Herzog von Württemberg (''Carl Maria Peter Ferdinand Philipp Albrecht Joseph Michael Pius Konrad Robert Ulrich''; 1 August 1936 – 7 June 2022) was the head of the

House of Württemberg The House of Württemberg is an uradel, ancient German nobility, German dynasty and former royal family of the Kingdom of Württemberg. History County The House probably originated in the vicinity of the Salian dynasty. Around 1080 the ancestors ...

from 1975 to 2022. He was succeeded by his grandson Wilhelm.

Life

Carl was born in

Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen ( or ; Low Alemannic: ''Hafe'' or ''Fridrichshafe'') is a city on the northern shoreline of Lake Constance (the ''Bodensee'') in Southern Germany, near the borders of both Switzerland and Austria. It is the district capital (''K ...

on 1 August 1936. He was the second son of Philipp Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg (1893–1975), and Archduchess Rosa of Austria, Princess of Tuscany (1906–1983). He was educated at the classical grammar school in Riedlingen and the

University of Tübingen The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (; ), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The University of Tübingen is one of eleven German Excellenc ...

, where he studied law. After graduating, he joined the family estate business, based at Altshausen Palace.

Carl became heir-presumptive to the headship of the House of Württemberg on 29 June 1959, when his older brother, Ludwig, renounced his succession rights. He became head of the family when his father died 15 April 1975. The family company manages around 5500 hectares of forest, around 2000 hectares of meadows and fields, fifty hectares of vineyards, other land in Germany and abroad, forests in Canada and Austria, and company holdings. It also maintains some seventy cultural monuments of the House of Württemberg. The current headquarters of the estate is Friedrichshafen Castle. On 7 June 2022, Carl died in a hospital in Ravensburg at the age of 85. He was succeeded by his grandson Wilhelm since Carl's eldest son Friedrich had predeceased him.

Charitable activities

Carl took part in many social and charitable activities, including the

German Red Cross The German Red Cross (GRC) ( ; DRK) is the national Red Cross Society in Germany. During the Nazi era, the German Red Cross was under the control of the Nazi Party and played a role in supporting the regime's policies, including the exclusion ...

, the Friends of Cancer Children, the Free School Foundation, the Art Foundation, the Preventive Youth Welfare Foundation, and the Baden-Württemberg Monument Foundation, which he chaired from 2002 to 2008. He was Patron of the Society for the Promotion of the State Museum of Württemberg, and chairman of the Friends of the University of Tübingen and the University Foundation. In Altshausen, where he lived, he was Patron of the Citizens Guard Yellow Hussars. On 30 July 2002 Carl and his wife Diane met with

President of Lebanon The president of the Lebanese Republic () is the head of state of Lebanon. The president is elected by the parliament for a term of six years, which cannot be renewed immediately because they can only be renewed non-consecutively. By convention, ...

Emile Lahoud and his wife at the Baabda Palace in

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

to discuss a project to assist deprived Lebanese children as well as other social and cultural activities.

Marriage and issue

On 21 July 1960, Carl married Princess Diane d'Orléans (born 1940), the daughter of Prince Henri, Count of Paris, and his wife

Princess Isabelle of Orléans-Braganza Isabelle of Orléans-Braganza (Isabelle Marie Amélie Louise Victoire Thérèse Jeanne; 13 August 1911 – 5 July 2003) was the consort of the Orléanist pretender to the French throne, Henri, Count of Paris (1908–1999), Henri, Count of Paris, ...

. The wedding took place at Schloss Altshausen, the ancestral seat of the Dukes of Württemberg. They had four sons and two daughters and sixteen grandchildren: * Duke ''Friedrich'' Philipp Carl Franz Maria (born

, 1 June 1961 – near Ebenweiler, 9 May 2018), married in Altshausen civilly on 11 and religiously on 13 November 1993 to his distant cousin Princess Wilhelmine Friederike Pauline Elisabeth ''Marie'' of Wied (born

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, 27 December 1973), great-granddaughter of Friedrich, Prince of Wied, and wife

Princess Pauline of Württemberg Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for t ...

, the only child of the last

King of Württemberg King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a constitutional monarch if his power is restrained by f ...

to reach adulthood, and had one son and two daughters: ** Duke '' Wilhelm'' Friedrich Carl Philipp Albert Nikolaus Erich Maria (born

Ravensburg Ravensburg ( or ; Swabian: ''Raveschburg'') is a city in Upper Swabia in Southern Germany, capital of the district of Ravensburg, Baden-Württemberg. Ravensburg was first mentioned in 1088. In the Middle Ages, it was an Imperial Free City and ...

, 13 August 1994), succeeded Carl as Head of the House of Württemberg in 2022 ** Duchess Marie-Amélie Diane Katharina Beatrix Philippa Sophie (born Ravensburg, 12 March 1996), married in 2023 Baron Franz-Ferdinand von Feilitzsch (born

Tegernsee Tegernsee () is a Town#Germany, town in the Miesbach (district), Miesbach district of Bavaria, Germany. It is located on the banks of Tegernsee (lake), Lake Tegernsee, which is 747 m (2,451 ft) AMSL, above sea level. A spa town, it is su ...

, 21 November 1997) ** Duchess Sophie ''Dorothée'' Martina Johanna Henriette Charitas Maria (born Ravensburg, 19 August 1997) * Duchess ''Mathilde'' Marie-Antoinette Rosa Isabelle (born Friedrichshafen, 11 July 1962), married in 1988 to Prince Erich of Waldburg zu Zeil und Trauchburg (born 21 November 1962), has issue. * Duke ''Eberhard'' Alois Nikolaus Heinrich Johannes Maria (born Friedrichshafen, 20 June 1963), married firstly in 2011 (divorced in 2016) Lucia ''Desiree'' Copf (born

Samedan Samedan (, locally ) is a town and municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Maloja Region in the Switzerland, Swiss Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Grisons. It is served by Samedan railway station on the Rhaetian Railway network and ...

, 29 December 1969), married secondly in 2023 Gaby Maier (b. 1970); he has one son with his first wife: ** Duke ''Alexander'' Ferdinand Peter Mathias Maria (born

Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...

, 19 January 2010) * Duke ''Philipp'' Albrecht Christoph Ulrich Maria (born Friedrichshafen, 1 November 1964), married in 1991 to Duchess Marie-Caroline in Bavaria, and had three daughters and one son: ** Duchess ''Sophie'' Anastasia Assunta Marie Pauline (born Munich, 15 January 1994), married in Altshausen, civilly on 15 September and religiously on 20 October 2018 Maximilien d'Andigné (born 19 March 1989) ** Duchess ''Pauline'' Philippa Adelheid Helena Marie (born

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, 15 April 1997) ** Duke ''Carl Theodor'' Philipp Maria Max Emanuel (born London, 15 June 1999) ** Duchess ''Anna'' Maximiliana Elizabeth Mariella Marie (born Frankfurt, 2 February 2007) * Duke ''Michael'' Heinrich Albert Alexander Maria (born Friedrichshafen, 1 December 1965), married civilly in Schloss Altshausen on 7 and religiously at

on 8 July 2006 ''Julia'' Ricarda Storz (born Munich, 4 April 1965), without issue. * Duchess Eleonore ''Fleur'' Juanita Charlotte Eudoxie Marie-Agnès (born Altshausen, 4 November 1977), married in 2003 to Count Moritz Louis von Goëss (born Klagenfurt, 5 June 1966, whose family is descended from the Flemish-Portuguese

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humanism" ha ...

Damião de Góis Damião de Góis (; February 2, 1502January 30, 1574), born in Alenquer, Portugal, was an important Portuguese humanist philosopher. He was a friend and student of Erasmus. He was appointed secretary to the Portuguese factory in Antwerp in 152 ...

), has issue.

Honours and awards

House of Württemberg The House of Württemberg is an uradel, ancient German nobility, German dynasty and former royal family of the Kingdom of Württemberg. History County The House probably originated in the vicinity of the Salian dynasty. Around 1080 the ancestors ...

* Sovereign Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown * Sovereign of the Order of Olga * Sovereign Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Military Merit * Sovereign Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Frederick I, Special Class

States

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

** Town of

Hinterstoder Hinterstoder is a municipality in the district of Kirchdorf an der Krems (district), Kirchdorf an der Krems in Upper Austria, Austria. The village is located close on the border to the federal state Styria and 600 m above sea level. Hinterstoder is ...

: Honorary Citizen (2006) *

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

: Great Cross of Merit of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...

** Baden-Württemberg: Great Staufer Medal in Gold (Große Staufermedaille in Gold) (2017) *** Town of Althaus, Baden-Württemberg: Honorary Citizen (2006) * : Knight Commander,

Order of St. Gregory the Great The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great (; ) was established on 1 September 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election as Pope. The order is one of the five Papal order of knighthood, orders of knighthood of th ...

(31 May 2002). * :

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

: Knight,

National Order of the Cedar The National Order of the Cedar () is the highest Order (honour), state order of Lebanon, established on 31 December 1936. It is offered in five grades. History The Order was created on the 31 December 1936, but is regulated by the Lebanese C ...

(30 July 2002) *

Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, and commonly known as the Order of Malta or the Knights of Malta, is a Catholic lay religious ...

: Bailiff Knight Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion

Formerly reigning families

* Ducal Family of Anhalt: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the

Order of Albert the Bear The House Order of Albert the Bear (German: ''Hausorden Albrechts des Bären'' or ''Der Herzoglich Anhaltische Hausorden Albrechts des Bären'') was founded in 1836 as a joint House Order by three dukes of Anhalt from separate branches of the fam ...

* Imperial and Royal Family of Austria: Knight of the

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece (, ) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in 1430 in Brugge by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, to celebrate his marriage to Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy, Isabella of Portugal. T ...

* Royal Family of Bavaria: Knight Grand Cross 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 ...

* Royal Family of Italy: Knight Grand Collar of the

Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation The Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation () is a Catholic order of chivalry, originating in County of Savoy, Savoy. It eventually was the pinnacle of the Orders, decorations, and medals of Italy#The Kingdom of Italy, honours system in the ...

* Royal Family of the Two Sicilies: Bailiff Knight Grand Cross of Justice of the

Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George The Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George (; ), also historically referred to as the Imperial Constantinian Order of Saint George and the Order of the Constantinian Angelic Knights of Saint George, is a dynastic order of knighthood ...

Religious orders

* Knight of Honour of the

Teutonic Order The Teutonic Order is a religious order (Catholic), Catholic religious institution founded as a military order (religious society), military society in Acre, Israel, Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Sa ...

(2009)

Academic institutions

* Honorary Senator,

University of Hohenheim A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

* Honorary Doctor of Theology, Philosophisch-Theologische Hochschule Vallendar (8 November 2008)

Ancestry

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Carl Wuerttemberg, Duke 1936 births 2022 deaths Pretenders to the throne of Württemberg People from Friedrichshafen Dukes of Württemberg (titular) Recipients of the Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria Knights Commander of the Order of St Gregory the Great Bailiffs Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta Honorary knights of the Teutonic Order Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany