Christian Albert (, Gottorp – , Gottorp) was a duke of

Holstein-Gottorp Holstein-Gottorp () is the historiographical name, as well as contemporary shorthand name, for the parts of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, also known as Ducal Holstein, that were ruled by the dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp, a side ...

and bishop of Lübeck.

Biography

Christian Albert was a son of

Frederick III, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp Frederick III of Holstein-Gottorp (22 December 1597 – 10 August 1659) was a Duke of Holstein-Gottorp. Early life and youth Born on 22 December 1597, he was the elder son of Duke Johann Adolf of Holstein-Gottorp and Princess Augusta of Denm ...

, and his wife Princess

Marie Elisabeth of Saxony Duchess Marie Elisabeth of Saxony (22 November 1610 – 24 October 1684) was a duchess consort of Holstein-Gottorp as the spouse of Duke Frederick III of Holstein-Gottorp. As a widow, she became known as a patron of culture. Biography ...

. He became duke when his father died in the Castle Tönning, besieged by the King

Christian V of Denmark Christian V (15 April 1646 – 25 August 1699) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1670 until his death in 1699. Well-regarded by the common people, he was the first king anointed at Frederiksborg Castle chapel as absolute monarch since the dec ...

. He was forced to flee at that point, and the remainder of his life was characterized by his fight with

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. In 1667, he married Princess Frederica Amalia, daughter of King

Frederick III of Denmark Frederick III (; 18 March 1609 – 9 February 1670) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death in 1670. He also governed under the name Frederick II as diocesan administrator (colloquially referred to as prince-bishop) of the ...

. The marital alliance was arranged in the hope for peace, but it changed nothing. Holsteingottorp frederica amalia and christian albrecht

During Christian Albert's reign, the connection with

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, initiated by his father, was strengthened, which provided some protection. However, this also led to the duchy being pulled into all of Sweden's conflicts, including the

Great Northern War In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the ant ...

and several wars with Denmark. From 1675 to 1689, Christian Albert lived in exile in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

. However, with the aid of the

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...

and the European allies, he managed to force the Danish king to sign the so-called ''Altonaer Vergleich'' in 1689, which allowed him to regain his former position. Christian Albert made some contribution to culture, education and the arts. On 5 October 1665, he founded the

University of Kiel Kiel University, officially the Christian Albrecht University of Kiel, (, abbreviated CAU, known informally as Christiana Albertina) is a public research university in the city of Kiel, Germany. It was founded in 1665 as the ''Academia Holsator ...

. In 1678, he took part in the founding of the Hamburg Oper am Gänsemarkt. Both he and his father, Frederick III, extended patronage to the painter Jürgen Ovens, who worked for more than thirty years with them.

Family and children

Christian Albert married, on 24 October 1667,

Princess Frederica Amalia of Denmark Princess Frederica Amalia of Denmark and Norway (11 April 1649 – 30 October 1704) was the second daughter of King Frederick III of Denmark and Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg, and Duchess of Holstein-Gottorp from 1667 to 1695 as the ...

, daughter of King

and

Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Calenberg (24 March 1628 – 20 February 1685) was List of Danish consorts, Queen of Denmark and List of Norwegian consorts, Norway as the consort of the King Frederick III of Denmark. She is known for her political in ...

. They had four children: # Sophie Amalie (19 January 1670 – 27 February 1710), married on 7 July 1695 to Prince Augustus William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. # Duke Frederick IV of Holstein-Gottorp (18 October 1671 – 19 July 1702), patrilineal ancestor of all Russian emperors after Catherine II. # Duke Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp (11 January 1673 – 24 April 1726), whose eldest-surviving son established a new dynasty in

. # Marie Elisabeth (21 March 1678 – 17 July 1755), Abbess of

Quedlinburg Quedlinburg () is a town situated just north of the Harz mountains, in the Harz (district), district of Harz in the west of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. As an influential and prosperous trading centre during the early Middle Ages, Quedlinburg becam ...

. Agnatic progeny of his elder son ended up on the throne of Russia, and agnatic progeny of the younger son – on the thrones of Sweden and Oldenburg.

Ancestors

References

{{reflist Lutheran prince-bishops of Lübeck Dukes of Holstein-Gottorp University of Kiel 1641 births 1695 deaths

Biography

Family and children

See also

Ancestors

References