HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Frederick Augustus II (16 November 1852 in Oldenburg – 24 February 1931 in
Rastede Rastede (Low German: ''Raastäe/Raas'') is a municipality in the Ammerland district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 12 km north of Oldenburg. It is the site of the Schloss Rastede. The Rastede railway station is ...
) was the last ruling Grand Duke of Oldenburg. Frederick Augustus was the eldest son of Peter II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg. He grew up with an interest in the navy and studied at multiple German universities, before serving in the navy. In 1878, he married Princess Elisabeth Anna of Prussia, daughter of Princess Maria Anna of Anhalt-Dessau and Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia. After her death in 1895, he married Elisabeth Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in 1896. He ascended to the Oldenburg throne in 1900 as Frederick Augustus II and funded multiple infrastructure projects, including the development of ports and waterways. The
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
broke out during his reign which saw the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg fight with the
German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...
under Kaiser Wilhelm II on the side of the
Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,; ; , ; were one of the two main coalitions that fought in World War I (1914–1918). It consisted of the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulga ...
. The
German Revolution German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
at the end of the war forced Frederick Augustus to abdicate and led to the collapse of all German monarchies. After living in exile for two decades, Frederick Augustus died at the age of 78 years old.


Early life

Frederick Augustus was born on 16 November 1852 in the
Grand Duchy of Oldenburg The Grand Duchy of Oldenburg (, also known as Holstein-Oldenburg) was a grand duchy within the German Confederation, North German Confederation and German Empire, that consisted of three widely separated territories: Oldenburg, Eutin and Bir ...
as the eldest son of Peter II, the reigning
Grand Duke of Oldenburg 120px, Shield of the Counts of Oldenburg 120px, Shield of the Counts of Oldenburg-Delmenhorst This is a list of the counts, dukes, grand dukes, and prime ministers of Oldenburg. Counts of Oldenburg * 1088/1101–1108 Elimar I * 1108–1143 ...
, and Princess Elisabeth of Saxe-Altenburg. From 1861, Frederick Augustus and his younger brother, Georg Ludwig, were tutored by Bavarian general Otto von Parseval, the son-in-law of former Oldenburg court marshal Alexander von Rennenkampff. Frederick Augustus studied at the
University of Bonn The University of Bonn, officially the Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (), is a public research university in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the () on 18 October 1818 by Frederick Willi ...
,
University of Strasbourg The University of Strasbourg (, Unistra) is a public research university located in Strasbourg, France, with over 52,000 students and 3,300 researchers. Founded in the 16th century by Johannes Sturm, it was a center of intellectual life during ...
and
University of Leipzig Leipzig University (), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December 1409 by Frederick I, Electo ...
. His education was completed following a seven month-long exchange to
Asia Minor Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
,
Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...
, Egypt and Italy. Following this, he joined the military and achieved the rank of lieutenant. Frederick Augustus acquired a captain's licence at a nautical school in Elsfleth and began to regularly skipper yachts. In 1888, he rescued a shipwrecked Danish sailor on
Heligoland Heligoland (; , ; Heligolandic Frisian: , , Mooring Frisian: , ) is a small archipelago in the North Sea. The islands were historically possessions of Denmark, then became possessions of the United Kingdom from 1807 to 1890. Since 1890, the ...
and was awarded with the Golden Rescue Medal by the Italian government for his actions. For this, he was the only German monarch appointed
Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...
of the German Imperial Navy, which was ordered by Kaiser Wilhelm II. Frederick Augustus personally captained the luxury yacht ''Lensahn'' on family trips through the Baltic and Mediterranean Seas. In 1899, the Shipbuilding Technical Society was founded and Frederick Augustus served as its honourary chairman until 1930. Additionally, he was one of the founders of the German School Ship Association, which campaigned for the expansion of seamanship training capacities for the German merchant navy, in January 1900.


Reign

Frederick Augustus' reign began on 13 June 1900, when his father died. Considered conservative by the German media, Frederick Augustus was a supporter of
Wilhelminism The Wilhelmine period or Wilhelmian era () comprises the period of German history between 1888 and 1918, embracing the reign of Kaiser Wilhelm II in the German Empire from the death of Kaiser Friedrich III until the end of World War I and Wilhel ...
and became interested in the development of technology,
seafaring Seamanship is the skill, art, competence (human resources), competence, and knowledge of operating a ship, boat or other craft on water. The'' Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford Dictionary'' states that seamanship is "The skill, techniques, o ...
and the navy. He also invested in the development of waterways, including the
Hunte Hunte () is a long river in north-western Germany (Lower Saxony), a left tributary of the Weser. The Hunte rises in the Wiehen Hills. In the North German Plain it flows through lake Dümmer. It flows generally northwards through the towns B ...
Canal, which expanded Oldenburg ports on the
Weser The Weser () is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is further north against the ports o ...
and promoted the construction of new industrial factories. German historian August Geerkens wrote of Frederick Augustus: "He was popular with the population; everyone smiled when his car drove through the streets with all the fanfare. But he was also headstrong. The old soldiers in the country still suspected him because, as a lieutenant, he had been a trooper." In 1904, Frederick Augustus designed the "Niki Propeller", a ship propeller which he asked to be built by a Hamburg manufacturing company, however they refused as they believed it would produce a financial loss. Nonetheless, for his nautical achievements, Frederick Augustus was awarded a Doctorate at the Leibniz University Hannover in 1910. During his reign, Frederick Augustus also ordered the building of the Elisabeth-Anna-Palais, named after his first wife, who died during its construction. On 1 December 1906, a law introducing administrative jurisdiction came into effect per a decree signed by Frederick Augustus. The law had previously been drafted by lawyer Karl Dugend, but was defeated in the legislature. Moreover, on 14 January 1914, the construction of a training ship was completed by Joh. C. Tecklenborg. It was christened in 1918 in Frederick Augustus' name, and the ship is still in use today by Norway, which uses the name '' Statsraad Lehmkuhl'' for the vessel. Being a state of the
German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...
, the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg took part in
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, under Frederick Augustus' rule. He personally commanded the Grand Ducal Oldenburg Cavalry Regiment during the war, in which he adhered to a group of annexationists, who wanted to secure Germany's position of power by acquiring foreign territories. He supported the invasion of Belgium and believed that France should be made a
vassal state A vassal state is any state that has a mutual obligation to a superior state or empire, in a status similar to that of a vassal in the feudal system in medieval Europe. Vassal states were common among the empires of the Near East, dating back to ...
of Germany and be divided into a northern republic and southern Bourbon Kingdom. On 24 September 1914, he created the Friedrich-August-Kreuz, an Oldenburg military order. According to Geerkens, Frederick Augustus was pushed by
Grand Admiral Grand admiral is a historic naval rank, the highest rank in the several European navies that used it. It is best known for its use in Germany as . A comparable rank in modern navies is that of admiral of the fleet. Grand admirals in individual ...
Alfred von Tirpitz Alfred Peter Friedrich von Tirpitz (; born Alfred Peter Friedrich Tirpitz; 19 March 1849 – 6 March 1930) was a German grand admiral and State Secretary of the German Imperial Naval Office, the powerful administrative branch of the German Imperi ...
to approach the King of Bavaria, Ludwig III, and suggest that the German monarchs demand that Wilhelm dismiss the
Chancellor of Germany The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, is the head of the federal Cabinet of Germany, government of Germany. The chancellor is the chief executive of the Federal Government of Germany, ...
,
Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg Theobald Theodor Friedrich Alfred von Bethmann Hollweg (29 November 1856 – 1 January 1921) was a German politician who was chancellor of the German Empire, imperial chancellor of the German Empire from 1909 to 1917. He oversaw the German entry ...
, who was accused of acting too weak and slowing German victory. Many German monarchs, including Frederick Augustus, were also disappointed with Bethmann Hollweg's rejection of the Reichstag Peace Resolution in 1917. Frederick Augustus was forced to abdicate, along with all other German monarchs in the course of the
German Revolution German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
. The 11 November 1918 was soon signed, ending World War I, and the monarchy was officially abolished on 28 November 1918. Frederick Augustus' Grand Duchy was then assumed by the newly established
Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...
.


Life in exile

Frederick Augustus and his family took up residence at Rastede Castle, where he took up farming and local industrial interests. A year after his abdication, he asked the Oldenburg Diet for a yearly allowance of 150,000
marks Marks may refer to: Business * Mark's, a Canadian retail chain * Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain * Collective trade marks A collective trademark, collective trade mark, or collective mark is a trademark owned by an organization (such ...
, stating that his financial condition was "extremely precarious". To further finance himself, Frederick Augustus sold part of his art collection which had been left to him as his own private property, instead of being given to the state. In total, a third of his former Grand Duchy's art was sold. He exported paintings, such as those of
Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...
, to the Netherlands in 1919 with the help of industrialist Georg Bölts. Part of the proceeds was donated to the meat processing factory Bölts AG. Philosopher
Karl Jaspers Karl Theodor Jaspers (; ; 23 February 1883 – 26 February 1969) was a German-Swiss psychiatrist and philosopher who had a strong influence on modern theology, psychiatry, and philosophy. His 1913 work ''General Psychopathology'' influenced many ...
, who grew up in Oldenburg, wrote in his memoirs of this endeavour: "The Grand Duke used some of the money from the sale of the pictures to help found a sausage factory, which subsequently collapsed." Frederick Augustus' sale of arts helped to later influence the Cultural Property Protection Act 2019.


Death

Frederick Augustus died on 24 February 1931 in
Rastede Rastede (Low German: ''Raastäe/Raas'') is a municipality in the Ammerland district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 12 km north of Oldenburg. It is the site of the Schloss Rastede. The Rastede railway station is ...
. He was subsequently buried in the Grand Ducal Mausoleum of the Gertrudenfriedhof cemetery in Oldenburg.


Marriages and issue

On 18 February 1878, Frederick Augustus married Princess Elisabeth Anna of Prussia, a daughter of Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia. It was a double wedding, in which Princess Charlotte of Prussia (daughter of the
Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...
and Crown Princess of
Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
) married Bernhard, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Meiningen on the same day as Elisabeth Anna in Berlin. The marriages were the first such occasions performed since Prussia had become the
German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...
in 1870. Due to this increased status, the weddings were attended by many important personages, including
Leopold II of Belgium Leopold II (9 April 1835 – 17 December 1909) was the second king of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909, and the founder and sole owner of the Congo Free State from 1885 to 1908. Born in Brussels as the second but eldest-surviving son of King Leo ...
and his wife, Queen Marie Henriette. The
Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...
also attended, as Charlotte, one of the brides, was his niece.Radziwill, p. 118. Frederick Augustus and Elisabeth Anna had two children: Elisabeth died on 28 August 1895, before he succeeded as Grand Duke. Before her death, her husband had been building a new residential palace; once she died, Frederick named the new building the Elisabeth-Anna-Palais in her honor. On 24 October 1896, Frederick Augustus married
Duchess Elisabeth Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Duchess Elisabeth of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (10 August 1869 – 3 September 1955) was a daughter of Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg by his third wife Princess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. By her marriage to Frederick Augustu ...
, a daughter of
Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg Frederick Francis II ( German: ''Friedrich Franz II;'' 28 February 1823 – 15 April 1883) was a Prussian officer and Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 7 March 1842 until 15 April 1883. Biography He was born in Schloss Ludwigslust, th ...
. He succeeded as Grand Duke of Oldenburg in 1900. Frederick Augustus and Elisabeth had five children:


Honours


Ancestry


References


Bibliography

* , - {{Authority control 1852 births 1931 deaths Grand dukes of Oldenburg People from Oldenburg (city) Admirals of the Imperial German Navy Generals of Cavalry (Prussia) Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Burials at the Ducal Mausoleum, Gertrudenfriedhof (Oldenburg) Pretenders Monarchs who abdicated