Frederick Christian I (, ; 6 April 1721 – 13 November 1794) was
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...
of
Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg
The House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg () was a branch of the dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg of the House of Oldenburg. The line descended from Alexander, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg. Like all of the secondary ...
from
1754
Events January–March
* January 28 – Horace Walpole, in a letter to Horace Mann, coins the word ''serendipity''.
* February 22 – Expecting an attack by Portuguese-speaking militias in the Viceroyalty of the RÃo de la Plat ...
to
1794
Events
January–March
* January 1 – The Stibo Group is founded by Niels Lund as a printing company in Aarhus (Denmark).
* January 13 – The U.S. Congress enacts a law providing for, effective May 1, 1795, a United St ...
.
Early life and ancestry
He was born into the Augustenburg branch of the
House of Oldenburg
The House of Oldenburg is a Germans, German dynasty whose members rule or have ruled in Danish Realm, Denmark, Kingdom of Iceland, Iceland, Kingdom of Greece, Greece, Norway, Russian Empire, Russia, Sweden, United Kingdom, the United Kingdom, King ...
, as the eldest son of
(1696–1754) and his wife, Duchess Louise Frederikke ''née'' Countess of
Danneskiold-Samsøe
The House of Danneskiold-Samsøe is a Denmark, Danish family of Danish nobility, high nobility who formerly held the island of Samsø as a fief. They represent an illegitimate branch of the House of Oldenburg, which means that they share ancestry ...
(1699–1744).
Biography
In 1754, his father died and Frederick Christian inherited
Augustenborg Castle and
Gråsten
Gråsten (; ) is a town with a population of 4,298 (1 January 2025) on the east coast of the Jutland peninsula in south Denmark by the Nybøl Nor at an inlet of the Flensburg Fjord. It belongs to the Sønderborg municipality in Region of Souther ...
. However, these estates were deeply in debt. He waived his claims on the duchies of
Schleswig
The Duchy of Schleswig (; ; ; ; ; ) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km (45 mi) south of the current border between Germany and Denmark. The territory has been di ...
and
Holstein
Holstein (; ; ; ; ) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider (river), Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost States of Germany, state of Germany.
Holstein once existed as the German County of Holstein (; 8 ...
and in return the King of Denmark (who was also Duke of Schleswig and Holstein) granted him a favourable settlement. This allowed him to purchase
Als
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, terminal neurodegenerative disorder that results in the progressive loss of both upper and low ...
and
Sundeved
Sundeved ( German: ''Sundewitt'') is a peninsula on the east coast of the Jutland peninsula in south Denmark. It lies between Åbenrå Fjord and Als Fjord to the north, Alssund to the east and Flensborg Fjord to the south. The westernmost par ...
, making him the largest landowner in Schleswig. He was also able to expand
Augustenborg Castle, the family residence.
Duke Frederick Christian served as a
general
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry.
In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
in the Danish army. He was also made 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 ...
.
Marriage and issue
On 26 May 1762, Frederick Christian married
(1744–1770), the youngest but one daughter of
Frederick Charles, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön
Frederick Charles of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön (4 August 1706, in Sønderborg18–19 October 1761, in Traventhal), known as ''Friedrich Karl'' or ''Friedrik Carl'' of Holstein-Plön, was a member of a cadet branch of the Danish Royal Fa ...
by his wife, 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, ...
(1711–1779), niece of the Danish queen consort
Anne Sophie von Reventlow.
[https://www.genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00100235&tree=LEO]
The couple had seven children:
* Louise Christine Caroline (16 February 1763 – 27 January 1764);
* Louise Christine Caroline (17 February 1764 – 2 August 1815);
*
Frederick Christian II (28 September 1765 – 14 June 1814), married
Princess Louise Auguste of Denmark
Louise Augusta of Denmark and Norway (7 July 1771 – 13 January 1843) was the daughter of the Queen of Denmark-Norway, Caroline Matilda of Great Britain. Though officially regarded as the daughter of King Christian VII, it is widely accepted t ...
;
* Frederick Charles Emil (8 March 1767 – 14 June 1841), Danish General, married Sofie Eleonore Friederike of
Scheel (1776–1836); daughter of
Jürgen Eric of Scheel;
*
Christian August (9 July 1768 – 28 May 1810), Danish general and, later, Crown Prince of Sweden as ''Karl August'' (died before he could ascend the throne);
* Sophie Amelie (10 August 1769 – 6 October 1769);
* Charles William (4 October 1770 – 22 February 1771).
Ancestors
References
*
Dansk biografisk Lexikon
''Dansk Biografisk Leksikon'' (usually abbreviated DBL; title of first edition written ''Dansk biografisk Lexikon'') is a Danish biographical dictionary that has been published in three editions. The first edition, ''Dansk biografisk Lexikon, til ...
/ V. Bind. Faaborg – Gersdorff / S.345
Digitalisat
External links
* https://web.archive.org/web/20100405222104/http://www.geschichte-s-h.de/vonabisz/augustenburger.htm
*
Den Store Danske
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frederick Christian 01 of Schleswig Holstein Sonderburg Augustenburg
Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg
Danish military personnel
House of Augustenburg
1721 births
1794 deaths
18th-century German nobility