Louis Frederick of Württemberg-Montbéliard (29 January 1586 in

Montbéliard Montbéliard (; traditional ) is a town in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France, about from the border with Switzerland. It is one of the two subprefectures of the department. History Montbéliard is ...

– 26 January 1631 in

) was the founder of a cadet line of the

House of Württemberg The House of Württemberg is an uradel, ancient German nobility, German dynasty and former royal family of the Kingdom of Württemberg. History County The House probably originated in the vicinity of the Salian dynasty. Around 1080 the ancestors ...

known as the Dukes of Württemberg-Montbéliard. Louis Frederick of Württemberg was born at Montbéliard Castle as the fifth child and second son of Duke

Frederick I Frederick I or Friedrich I may refer to: * Frederick of Utrecht or Frederick I (815/16–834/38), Bishop of Utrecht. * Frederick I, Duke of Upper Lorraine (942–978) * Frederick I, Duke of Swabia (1050–1105) * Frederick I ...

of Württemberg, and princess

Sibylla of Anhalt Sibylla of Anhalt (28 September 1564 – 26 October 1614) was a German princess from the House of Ascania who became Duchess of Württemberg as the wife of Duke Frederick I. Life Sibylla of Anhalt was born in Bernburg on 28 September 1564, as th ...

Life

In 1608 Louis Frederick came to England with Benjamin von Buwinckhausen to return his father's insignia of the

Order of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. The most senior order of knighthood in the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system, it is outranked in ...

and visited Scotland, where he was hosted by Andrew Melville of Garvock. He was in England again in 1610 on a diplomatic mission.''HMC Downshire'', vol. 2 (London, 1936), pp. 278, 306. On 28 May 1617 Louis Frederick agreed with older brother Duke John Frederick to divide the Württemberg possessions. Louis Frederick received the possessions on the left bank of the Rhine (

Riquewihr Riquewihr (; Alsatian: ; ) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. A popular tourist attraction for its historical architecture, Riquewihr is also known for the Riesling and other wines produced in the ...

and Horburg) with full sovereignty. Thus, Louis Frederick became the founder of the younger Württemberg-Montbéliard line. During the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

, his territory suffered badly from

starvation Starvation is a severe deficiency in caloric energy intake, below the level needed to maintain an organism's life. It is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation can cause permanent organ damage and eventually, de ...

and the plague. After his brother John Frederick died on 28 July 1628, Louis Frederick moved to Stuttgart, to act as guardian and regent for his fourteen-year-old cousin

Eberhard III Eberhard III may refer to: * Eberhard III, Count of Württemberg (died 1417) * Eberhard III, Duke of Württemberg (1614–1674) See also * Eberhard I (disambiguation) * Eberhard II (disambiguation) * Eberhard IV (disambiguation) {{hndis ...

. His tenure as regent was dominated by conflicts with Emperor Ferdinand II, after Württemberg lost about a third of its territory due to the

Edict of Restitution The Edict of Restitution was proclaimed by Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor in Vienna, on 6 March 1629, eleven years into the Thirty Years' War. Following Catholic League (German), Catholic military successes, Ferdinand hoped to restore control ...

. In November 1630, Louis Frederick returned to Montbéliard, where he died on 26 January 1631.

Marriage and issue

Louis Frederick married on 14 July 1617 with Elisabeth Magdalena of Hesse-Darmstadt (1600-1624), daughter of

Louis V, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt Louis V of Hesse-Darmstadt (; 24 September 1577 – 27 July 1626) was the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1596 to 1626. Early life He was born on 24 September 1577 as the son of George I, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Magdalene of ...

. The marriage produced three children: * Christopher (24 December 1620 – 1 January 1621) * Henriette Louise (20 June 1623 – 24 August 1650) married on 21 August 1642 with Margrave Albert II of Brandenburg-Ansbach * Leopold Frederick (30 May 1624 – 15 June 1662), his successor After Elisabeth Magdalena's death, Louis Frederick married on 15 May 1625 with Anna Eleonora (1602-1685), daughter of Count John Casimir of Nassau-Weilburg (1577-1602). This marriage also produced three children: * George II (5 October 1626 – 1 June 1699) * Henry (19 December 1627 – January 1628) * Georgia Ludovica (1 February 1630 – 11 April 1630)

External links

References

1586 births 1631 deaths 17th-century dukes of Württemberg Counts of Montbéliard {{Germany-noble-stub