Prince Frederick of Württemberg () (21 February 1808 – 9 May 1870) was a German prince from

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 ...

, a general in the

Army of Württemberg The Württembergian Army () served as the army of the Kingdom of Württemberg. The Württembergian Army had its permanent beginnings in the Peace of Westphalia that followed the Thirty Years' War, which permitted states of the Holy Roman Empir ...

and the father of

William II of Württemberg William II (; 25 February 1848 – 2 October 1921) was the last King of Württemberg. He ruled from 6 October 1891 until the dissolution of the kingdom on 30 November 1918. He was the last German ruler to abdicate in the wake of the November Rev ...

Family

Frederick was born 21 February 1808 at Schloss Comburg (now part of

Schwäbisch Hall Schwäbisch Hall (; 'Swabian Hall'; from 1802 until 1934 and colloquially: ''Hall'') is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg located in the valley of the Kocher river, the longest tributary (together with its headwater Lein) of the N ...

Kingdom of Württemberg The Kingdom of Württemberg ( ) was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Electorate of Württemberg, which existed from 1803 to 1806. Geogr ...

, the second child and eldest son of

Prince Paul of Württemberg Prince Paul of Württemberg (Paul Heinrich Karl Friedrich August; 19 January 1785 – 16 April 1852) was the fourth child and second son of King Frederick I and his wife, Duchess Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Early life Paul was born in ...

and his wife Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Through his father, Frederick was a grandson of

Frederick I of Württemberg Frederick I (Frederick William Charles, ; 6 November 1754 – 30 October 1816) was the ruler of Württemberg from 1797 to his death. He was the last Duke of Württemberg from 1797 to 1803, then the first and only Elector of Württemberg from ...

and through his mother, a grandson of Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg. He was a younger brother of Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna of Russia and an elder brother of Pauline, Duchess of Nassau and

Prince August of Württemberg Friedrich August Eberhard, Prince of Württemberg (; 24 January 1813 in Stuttgart, Kingdom of Württemberg – 12 January 1885 in Ban de Teuffer, Zehdenick, Province of Brandenburg, Kingdom of Prussia) was a royal Prussian Colonel General of the C ...

Military career

Frederick began his military career in the

() where by the age of 15, he had reached the rank of

Rittmeister Rittmaster () is usually a commissioned officer military rank used in a few armies, usually equivalent to Captain. Historically it has been used in Germany, Austria-Hungary, Scandinavia, and some other countries. A is typically in charge of a s ...

2nd class. In 1832, he was a

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

of the

Infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

and by 1841, Frederick had attained the rank of

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 norma ...

of the

Cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

. In 1865, Frederick was promoted by

Charles I of Württemberg Charles (; 6 March 18236 October 1891) was King of Württemberg from 25 June 1864 until his death in 1891. Charles I married Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia in 1846 and ascended to the throne in 1864. Despite their marriage, the couple h ...

to General Commander of the Cavalry and the Württemberg Federal Army Corps (). In the

Austro-Prussian War The Austro-Prussian War (German: ''Preußisch-Österreichischer Krieg''), also known by many other names,Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Second War of Unification, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as ("German War"), ''Deutsc ...

against

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, ...

, Frederick held no field command, but instead served as a liaison officer at the headquarters of the

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ** Austria-Hungary ** Austria ...

Feldzeugmeister General of the Artillery () was a historical military rank in some German and Austro-Hungarian armies, specifically in artillery. It was commonly used in the 16th and 17th centuries, and survived until the beginning of the 20th century in some Euro ...

. Despite his serious eye problems, Frederick was offended when he was not offered the command of the Eighth Army Corps during the war.

Political career

Because of his position as a Prince of Württemberg, Frederick held a served as a member of the Württembergian Chamber of Lords () at which he regularly attended legislative sessions. In 1865, Charles appointed Frederick as a privy councillor in the

Geheimer Rat was the title of the highest advising officials at the imperial, royal, or princely courts of the Holy Roman Empire, who jointly formed the ''Geheimer Rat'' reporting to the ruler. The term remained in use during subsequent monarchic reigns in Ge ...

. During this time, Frederick resided mainly at

Ludwigsburg Palace Ludwigsburg Palace, nicknamed the "Versailles of Swabia", is a 452-room palace complex of 18 buildings located in Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Its total area, including the gardens, is the largest palatial estate in the country. T ...

near

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 ...

and at the hunting lodge Schloss Katharinenhof in

Oppenweiler Oppenweiler is a town in the Rems-Murr district in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. History Oppenweiler merged with Reichenberg on 1 April 1938. Geography The municipality ('' Gemeinde'') of Oppenweiler is located in the Rems-Murr district of Bad ...

Marriage and issue

Frederick married his

first cousin A cousin is a relative who is the child of a parent's sibling; this is more specifically referred to as a first cousin. A parent of a first cousin is an aunt or uncle. More generally, in the lineal kinship, kinship system used in the English-s ...

Princess Catherine of Württemberg, daughter of

William I of Württemberg William I (; 27 September 178125 June 1864) was King of Württemberg from 30 October 1816 until his death. Upon William's accession, Württemberg was suffering crop failures and famine in the "Year Without a Summer", in 1816. After taking office, ...

and his wife

Pauline Therese of Württemberg Pauline of Württemberg (4 September 1800 – 10 March 1873) was Queen consort of Württemberg, Queen of Württemberg by marriage to her first cousin William I of Württemberg, King William I of Württemberg. Early life Pauline Therese was b ...

, on 20 November 1845 in

. Frederick and Catherine had one son: *

(25 February 1848 – 2 October 1921)

Later life and death

Frederick died on 9 May 1870 in

of an

ulceration An ulcer is a discontinuity or break in a bodily membrane that impedes normal function of the affected Organ (biology), organ. According to Robbins's pathology, "ulcer is the breach of the continuity of skin, epithelium or mucous membrane caus ...

, which was most likely a later consequence of a facial injury he sustained in a hunting accident. Sophie, Queen of the Netherlands wrote of her cousin Frederick to Lady Malet upon learning of his death. According to Sophie, Frederick died after having suffered "cancer in the face" for eight years. Frederick was

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and object ...

in the family

crypt A crypt (from Greek κρύπτη (kryptē) ''wikt:crypta#Latin, crypta'' "Burial vault (tomb), vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, Sarcophagus, sarcophagi, or Relic, religiou ...

in the Schlosskirche at Ludwigsburg Palace.

Honours

* : ** Grand Cross of the Württemberg Crown, ''1822'' ** Grand Cross of the

Friedrich Order The Friedrich Order ( or ''Friedrichsorden'') was an order of merit of the German Kingdom of Württemberg. It was instituted on 1 January 1830 by the second king of Württemberg, Wilhelm I in remembrance of his father, King Friedrich I. In 1918, ...

* : Knight of St. Hubert, ''1830'' * : Knight of the Rue Crown, ''1834'' *

Ernestine duchies The Ernestine duchies (), also known as the Saxon duchies (, although the Albertine appanage duchies of Weissenfels, Merseburg and Zeitz were also "Saxon duchies" and adjacent to several Ernestine ones), were a group of small states whose numb ...

: Grand Cross of the

Saxe-Ernestine House Order The Saxe-Ernestine House Order ()Hausorden
Herzogliche Haus Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha was a ...

, ''February 1837'' * : ** Knight of the

House Order of Fidelity The House Order of Fidelity () is a dynastic order of the Margraviate of Baden. It was established by Charles III William, Margrave of Baden-Durlach as a reward for merit and to mark the laying of the foundation stone of his residence at Kar ...

, ''1845'' ** Grand Cross of the Zähringer Lion, ''1845'' * : Grand Cross of the Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig, with Golden Crown, ''17 October 1853'' * : Knight of St. George, ''1855'' * : Knight of the Gold Lion of Nassau, ''November 1858''''Staats- und Adreß-Handbuch des Herzogthums Nassau'' (1866), "Herzogliche Orden" p
8
/ref>

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frederick Of Wurttemberg, Prince 1808 births 1870 deaths People from Schwäbisch Hall German Protestants People from the Kingdom of Württemberg Princes of Württemberg Members of the Württembergian Chamber of Lords Generals of Cavalry of Württemberg Members of the Privy Council of Württemberg People of the Austro-Prussian War Military personnel from Baden-Württemberg Heirs presumptive