Duke Eugen of Württemberg (; 20 August 1846 – 27 January 1877) was a German prince and a staff officer of Württemberg.

Early life and family

Duke Eugen was born at

Bückeburg Bückeburg (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Bückeborg'') is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, on the border with North Rhine Westphalia. It is located in the district of Schaumburg close to the northern slopes of the Weserbergland ridge. Bückeburg ha ...

Schaumburg-Lippe Schaumburg-Lippe, also called Lippe-Schaumburg, was created as a county in 1647, became a principality in 1807 and a free state in 1918, and was until 1946 a small state in Germany, located in the present-day state of Lower Saxony, with its capi ...

, second child and first son of

Duke Eugen of Württemberg (1820–1875) Duke Eugen of Württemberg (; 25 December 1820 – 8 January 1875) was a German prince. Biography Early life and family Duke Eugen was born at Carlsruhe, currently Pokój, Opole Voivodeship, Kingdom of Prussia, second child and first son ...

and Princess Mathilde of Waldeck and Pyrmont) and his wife, Princess Mathilde of Schaumburg-Lippe (1818–1891). Eugen grew up in Carlsruhe in Silesia. He studied at 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 ...

Military career

In 1866 he joined as a lieutenant in the

Army of Württemberg The Württembergian Army () served as the army of the Kingdom of Württemberg. The Württembergian Army had its permanent beginnings in the Peace of Westphalia that followed the Thirty Years' War, which permitted states of the Holy Roman Empir ...

. With the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, he took part in the

Austro-Prussian War The Austro-Prussian War (German: ''Preußisch-Österreichischer Krieg''), also known by many other names,Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Second War of Unification, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as ("German War"), ''Deutsc ...

. Back in September 1866 after the war, until 1870 he leave the military service to continue his studies, he lived for one period in Paris. Together with his uncle, Duke William of Württemberg, he undertook from July 1868 to January 1869 a trip to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. During the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

of 1870-71, he fought as a lieutenant in the Battles of Mezieres, Chevilly, Mont Mesly and Villiers. In 1871 he became captain, in 1872 he was the ''19th (1st Württemberg) Uhlans "King William I"''. In 1874 he was Major and 1876 staff officer. In December 1876 as a squadron leader Eugene was reassigned for the ''2 Westphalian Hussar Regiment No. 11'' in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

Marriage and issue

Duke Eugen was chosen by

Charles I of Württemberg Charles (; 6 March 18236 October 1891) was King of Württemberg from 25 June 1864 until his death in 1891. Charles I married Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia in 1846 and ascended to the throne in 1864. Despite their marriage, the couple h ...

(a distant relative) as a husband for Grand Duchess Vera Konstantinovna of Russia, who was Charles' and Queen Olga's niece and adopted daughter. On 8 May 1874, in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

, he married Vera (1854–1912), daughter of

Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia (; 21 September 1827 – 25 January 1892) was the Emperor's Viceroy of Poland from 1862 to 1863 and a general admiral of the Imperial Russian Navy. Early life Konstantin Nikolayevich was born as ...

and

Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg Grand Duchess Alexandra Iosifovna of Russia (born Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg, 8 July 1830 – 6 July 1911) was the fifth daughter of Joseph, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg and Duchess Amelia of Württemberg. Early life Alexandra's parents we ...

. They had three children: * Duke Charles-Eugen of Württemberg (8 April 1875 – 11 November 1875); died young. * Duchess Elsa of Württemberg (1 March 1876 – 27 May 1936); married Prince Albrecht of Schaumburg-Lippe (24 October 1869 – 25 December 1942) in 1897. * Duchess Olga of Württemberg (1 March 1876 – 21 October 1932); married Prince Maximilian of Schaumburg-Lippe (13 March 1871 – 1 April 1904) in 1898.

Death

Eugen died of a sudden illness aged 30. He was buried in the Castle Church in

. At the time of his death he was next in the line to the throne of Württemberg after

Prince William William, Prince of Wales (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982), is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales. William was born during the reign of his p ...

(later King William II).

Honours

Ancestry

Notes and sources

thePeerage.com - Eugen Herzog von Württemberg
*The Royal House of Stuart, London, 1969, 1971, 1976, Addington, A. C., Reference: page 223 *L'Allemagne dynastique, Huberty, Giraud, Magdelaine, Reference: vol II page 540. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wurttemberg, Eugen Duke 1846 births 1877 deaths People from Bückeburg Military personnel of the Kingdom of Württemberg Members of the Prussian House of Lords

Eugen Eugen is a masculine given name which may refer to: * Archduke Eugen of Austria (1863–1954), last Habsburg Grandmaster of the Teutonic Order from 1894 to 1923 * Prince Eugen, Duke of Närke (1865–1947), Swedish painter, art collector, and pa ...

German military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War Recipients of the Iron Cross, 2nd class Military personnel from Lower Saxony