Friedrich Eugen, Duke of Württemberg (21 January 1732 – 23 December 1797) was the fourth son of
Karl Alexander, Duke of Württemberg, and
Princess Maria Augusta of Thurn and Taxis.
He was born 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 ...
. From 1795 until 1797, he was Duke of Württemberg.
Soldier
After serving with
Frederick the Great
Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself ''King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prussia ...
during the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...
, he took up residence in 1769 at his family's
exclave
An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...
, the
County of Montbéliard
The Princely County of Montbéliard (; ), was a prince, princely Graf, county of the Holy Roman Empire seated in the city of Montbéliard in the present-day Franche-Comté region of France. From 1444 onwards it was held by the House of Württembe ...
, of which he was also made
lieutenant-general
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normall ...
in March 1786 by his eldest brother,
Charles Eugene, Duke of Württemberg,
who had begun to come into the inheritance of portions of the County of Limpurg in the 1780s. He bought the castle and lordship of Hochberg in 1779, but re-sold it in 1791 to his brother.
The next year he was named governor of the
margraviate of
Ansbach-Bayreuth by King
Frederick William II of Prussia
Frederick William II (; 25 September 1744 – 16 November 1797) was King of Prussia from 1786 until his death in 1797. He was also the prince-elector of Brandenburg and (through the Orange-Nassau inheritance of his grandfather) sovereign princ ...
, to whom it had been sold by the
last prince of that branch of the
House of Hohenzollern
The House of Hohenzollern (, ; , ; ) is a formerly royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) German dynasty whose members were variously princes, Prince-elector, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern Castle, Hohenzollern, Margraviate of Bran ...
.
Montbéliard was taken over by the short-lived
Rauracian Republic in 1792, then
annexed
Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held to ...
by the
French Republic
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
in 1793.
Duke
His elder brothers had only daughters, so following Charles Eugene's death in 1793 and then that of their brother
Duke Ludwig Eugen (1731–1795), Frederick Eugene became reigning duke until his own death two years later.
He acquiesced to the with
revolutionary France, in which his claims to Montbéliard and all other territories on the left bank of the
Rhine River
The Rhine ( ) is one of the major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Swiss-Austrian border. From Lake Cons ...
were renounced.
Frederick Eugene retained, however, France's recognition of the integrity of the
Duchy of Württemberg
The Duchy of Württemberg () was a duchy located in the south-western part of the Holy Roman Empire. It was a Imperial Estate, state of the Holy Roman Empire from 1495 to 1803. The dukedom's long survival for over three centuries was mainly du ...
itself.
Marriage and children
Frederick Eugene married
''Friederike'' Sophia Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt, a niece of
Frederick the Great
Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself ''King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prussia ...
, by whom he had twelve children:
#
Frederick I (6 November 1754 – 30 October 1816), his successor, who would later become the first King of Württemberg;
#
Louis
Louis may refer to:
People
* Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name
* Louis (surname)
* Louis (singer), Serbian singer
Other uses
* Louis (coin), a French coin
* HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy
See also
...
(30 August 1756 – 20 September 1817), commander of the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...
's army, married Polish princess
Maria Anna Czartoryska and later
Princess Henriette of Nassau-Weilburg;
#
Eugene (21 November 1758 – 20 June 1822);
#
Sophie Dorothea (25 October 1759 – 5 November 1828), married to
Paul I, Emperor of Russia and became Empress Marie Feodorovna;
#
William Frederick Philip (27 December 1761 – 10 August 1830); father of
Wilhelm, 1st Duke of Urach;
#
Ferdinand Frederick Augustus (22 October 1763 – 20 January 1834), married firstly Princess Albertine of
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was a small principality in Germany, in the present day state of Thuringia, with its capital at Sondershausen.
History
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was a county (earldom) until 1697. In that year, it became a principal ...
(1771–1829) and secondly Princess Pauline von
Metternich-Winneburg (1771–1855), elder sister of
Klemens Wenzel, Prince von Metternich;
#
''Friederike'' Elisabeth Amalie (27 July 1765 – 24 November 1785), married to
Peter I, Grand Duke of Oldenburg
Peter I or Peter Frederick Louis of Holstein-Gottorp () (17 January 1755 – 21 May 1829) was the Regent of the Duchy of Oldenburg for his incapacitated cousin Wilhelm, Duke of Oldenburg, William I from 1785 to 1823, and then served himself as Du ...
;
#
''Elisabeth'' Wilhelmine Luise (21 April 1767 – 18 February 1790), married to
Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis II and I (; 12 February 1768 – 2 March 1835) was the last Holy Roman Emperor as Francis II from 1792 to 1806, and the first Emperor of Austria as Francis I from 1804 to 1835. He was also King of Hungary, List of rulers of Croatia, Croa ...
;
# Friederike Wilhelmine Katharina (3 June 1768 – 22 October 1768);
# Charles Frederick Henry (3 May 1770 – 22 August 1791);
#
''Alexander'' Frederick Charles (24 April 1771 – 4 July 1833), the founder of the fifth branch of Württemberg, to which today's head of the House,
Duke Wilhelm of Württemberg, belongs;
# Charles Henry (3 July 1772 – 28 July 1838), married under the name "Count von Sontheim" in 1798 Christianne-Caroline Alexeï (1779–1853), who was created Baroness von Hochberg und Rottenburg in 1807 and was raised, along with her children, to the rank and title of ''
Countess von Urach'' on 12 November 1825. Of their five daughters three died young, while Countess Marie von Urach (1802–1882) wed Karl, Prince of
Hohenlohe-Kirchberg (1780-1861) in 1821 and Countess Alexandrine von Urach (1803–1884) married Charles, Count
Arpeau de Gallatin (1802–1877) in 1825, from whom she was divorced in 1843.
The duke died at
Hohenheim, aged 65.
Ancestry
External links
Family tree with portraitPosthumous drawing of him as a young manby
Adolph Menzel
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frederick 02 Eugene of Wurttemberg, Duke
1732 births
1797 deaths
18th-century dukes of Württemberg
Nobility from Stuttgart
Soldiers of the Imperial Circles
Prussian military personnel of the Seven Years' War
Lieutenant generals of Prussia
People of the Silesian Wars
Military personnel from Stuttgart
People of the War of the First Coalition