Frederick Charles of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön (4 August 1706, in

Sønderborg (; ) is a Denmark, Danish town in the Region of Southern Denmark. It is the main town and the administrative seat of Sønderborg Municipality (Kommune). The town has a population of 28,333 (1 January 2025),Traventhal), known as ''Friedrich Karl'' or ''Friedrik Carl'' of Holstein-Plön, was a member of a

cadet branch A cadet branch consists of the male-line descendants of a monarch's or patriarch's younger sons ( cadets). In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets (realm, titles, fiefs, property and incom ...

of the

Danish royal family The Danish royal family is the dynastic family of the monarch of Denmark. While some members of the Danish royal family hold the title of ''Prince(ss) of Denmark'', descendants of Margrethe II additionally bear the title '' Count(ess) of Monpe ...

and the last duke of the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön (or Holstein-Plön), a Danish

royal prince 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 fem ...

, and a knight of the

Order of the Elephant The Order of the Elephant () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry and is Denmark's highest-ranked honour. It has origins in the 15th century, but has officially existed since 1693, and since the establishment of constitutional monarchy in ...

. When he died without a male heir born of his marriage to Countess Christine Armgard von

Reventlow The Reventlow family is a Holstein and Mecklenburg Danish nobility, Dano-German noble family, which belongs to the :De:Equites Originarii, Equites Originarii Schleswig-Holstein. Alternate spellings include Revetlo, Reventlo, Reventlau, Reventlou, ...

, rule of the Duchy of Holstein-Plön returned to the Danish crown.

Early life

Frederick Charles was born on August 4, 1706, at

Sønderborg castle Sønderborg Castle ( German: ''Schloss Sonderburg''; ) is located in the town of Sønderborg, Denmark on the island of Als in South Jutland. It houses a museum focusing on the history and culture of the area. The castle is located in the middle ...

, the posthumous and only son of

Christian Charles ''Comedian'' is a 2002 American documentary film focused primarily on comedian Jerry Seinfeld as he develops a new stand-up comedy act. Synopsis The film follows comedian Jerry Seinfeld as he develops an entirely new act, having retired his old ...

(1674–1706), a brother of Duke Joachim Frederick of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön. That duke died in 1722 without closer male heirs than his nephew, who in time succeeded his uncle as

partitioned-off duke thumb , upright , John II was the first of the partitioned-off dukes. After his death his territory was divided into several partitioned off microstates In the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, the term "partitioned-off duke" (''German'': Ab ...

Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön The Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön (), also ''Schleswig-Holstein-Plön'', ''Holstein-Plön'' or just ''Duchy of Plön'', was a small sub-duchy (''Teilherzogtum'') created by the physical division of the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein- ...

. Frederick Charles's accession was delayed until 1729 because his father had contracted a

morganatic marriage Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spou ...

with his mother, Dorothea Christina von Aichelberg, who was recognised as a Danish princess by the King only years after her husband's death.

The Baroque ruler

Plön Plön (; ) is the district seat of the Plön district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and has about 8,700 inhabitants. It lies right on the shores of Schleswig-Holstein's biggest lake, the Great Plön Lake, as well as on several smaller lakes, ...

enjoyed a vibrant cultural life under Frederick Charles's rule and artistic patronage. The duke designed, built, and rebuilt residences and gardens in the

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

and

rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...

styles, some of which still stand (the ducal

Plön Castle Plön Castle () in Plön is one of the largest castles in the north German state of Schleswig-Holstein and the only one located on a hill.

and the so-called "Princes' House" in Plön among them). Others no longer exist (of particular note is the ducal summer residence in Traventhal, demolished in the nineteenth century). As no son born of Frederick Charles's marriage survived, in 1756 he concluded a family pact with

Frederick V of Denmark Frederick V (Danish language, Danish and Norwegian language, Norwegian: ''Frederik V''; 31 March 1723 – 14 January 1766) was King of Denmark–Norway, Denmark and Norway and Duke of Schleswig-Holstein from 6 August 1746 until his death in 1766. ...

, naming the king his successor to the duchy of Plön. The provisions were fulfilled just five years later, when Frederick Charles died, at his little palace in Traventhal, in the night of October 18–19, 1761.

Family

Frederick Charles had six children from his marriage with Countess Christine Armgard von

(1711–1779), a daughter of the Danish general Christian Detlev, Count von Reventlow, and niece of the Danish queen consort Anne Sophie von Reventlow, who, as had his mother, had been born into a non-dynastic noble family: * Princess Sophia Christine Luise of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön (November 5, 1732, Plön – March 18, 1757,

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 ...

), a

canoness A canoness is a member of a religious community of women, historically a stable community dedicated to the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours in a particular church. The name corresponds to a canon, the male equivalent, and both roles share a ...

Quedlinburg Abbey Quedlinburg Abbey ( or ) is a former abbey of secular canonesses ''( Frauenstift)'' in Quedlinburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was founded in 936 on the initiative of Saint Matilda, the widow of the East Frankish King Henry the Fowler, as h ...

. * Princess Fredericka Sophie Charlotte of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön (November 18, 1736, Plön – January 4, 1769,

Schönberg Schönberg () may refer to: Places Austria *Schönberg im Stubaital, a municipality in the district of Innsbruck-Land, Tyrol *Schönberg am Kamp, a town in the district of Krems-Land, Lower Austria Belgium *Schönberg (Sankt-Vith), a part o ...

), who married Georg Ludwig II of Erbach-Schönberg (1723-1777), son of George August, Count of Erbach-Schönberg. * Prince Christian Charles of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön (November 2, 1738, Plön – February 27, 1740, Plön), who died in infancy. * Stillborn child (March 1741, Plön). *

Princess Charlotte Amalie Wilhelmine of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön Charlotte Amalie Wilhelmine of (Schleswig-)Holstein-Plön (''Charlotte Amalie Vilhelmine af Slesvig-Holsten-Pløn'' in Danish) (23 April 1744 – 11 October 1770), was a princess of the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön (or Holstein-Pl� ...

(April 23, 1744, Plön – October 11, 1770, Augustenburg), who married Frederick Christian I of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg and who became a great-great-grandmother of the last German empress. * Princess Louise Albertine of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön (July 21, 1748, Plön – March 2, 1770, Ballenstedt), who married Frederick Albert of Anhalt-Bernburg. Additionally, Frederick Charles had children by two mistresses: by Sophie Agnes Olearius, with whom he conducted a six-year liaison, six daughters; and by his ''

maîtresse-en-titre The ''maîtresse-en-titre'' () was the official royal mistress of the King of France. The title was vaguely defined and used in the Middle Ages but finally became an acknowledged, if informal, position during the reign of Henry IV (), and c ...

'', Maria Catharina Bein, sister of the court chamberlain, three sons (two of whom died childless) and two daughters (one of whom died in childhood), all of whom the duke recognized and legitimated, and on whom (or their mothers) he bestowed lands, titles, and money. On the 30 January 2024 episode of ''

Finding Your Roots ''Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'' is an American documentary television series hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr. that premiered on March 25, 2012, on PBS. In each episode, celebrities are presented with a "book of life" that is com ...

'', it was shown that Frederick Charles is a sixth-great-grandfather of American actor

Bob Odenkirk Robert John Odenkirk (; born October 22, 1962) is an American actor, screenwriter, comedian, and producer. He started his career as a comedian and comedy writer before expanding his career by acting in dramatic works. His List of awards and no ...

, through his mistress Maria Catharina Bein and his last surviving son, Friedrich Carl Steinholz.

Ancestry

References

Bibliography

* Carsten Porskrog Rasmussen, Elke Imberger, Dieter Lohmeier, & Ingwer Momsen, ''Die Fürsten des Landes: Herzöge und Grafen von Schleswig, Holstein und Lauenburg''; Neumünster, Germany: Wachholtz Verlag, 2008. * Traugott Schulze & Gerd Stolz, ''Die Herzogszeit in Plön, 1564-1761''; Husum, Germany: Husum Verlag, 1983. * Dirck W. Storm, ''The Holstein Steinholzes: Their Origin and Descent''; privately published monograph

008 008, OO8, O08, or 0O8 may refer to: * "008", a fictional 00 Agent In Ian Fleming's James Bond novels and the derived films, the 00 Section of MI6 is considered the secret service's elite. A 00 (pronounced "Double O") is a field agent who ho ...

* William Addams Reitwiesner, "The Ancestry of Duke Frederick of Schleswig-Holstein (1829-1880)" (, accessed August 9, 2018).

External links

Family line of Schleswig-Holstein-Plön

{{Authority control Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Norburg Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön Princes from Denmark–Norway Ordre de l'Union Parfaite Noble Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog 1706 births 1761 deaths