Prince Frederick Henry Charles of Prussia (, 30 December 1747 – 26 May 1767) was the second son of Prince Augustus William, the brother 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 ...

. His older brother was

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 ...

Biography

In his early life, the prince received several military promotions and honours; on 16 January 1748 he became a member of the

Order of the Black Eagle The Order of the Black Eagle () was the highest order of chivalry in the Kingdom of Prussia. The order was founded on 17 January 1701 by Elector Friedrich III of Brandenburg (who became Friedrich I of Prussia, Friedrich I, King in Prussia, the ...

, and on 20 September 1764 he became captain and company commander of the 1st Battalion Guard of the Gardes du Corps. In September 1764 he was made Colonel of the 2nd Cuirassier Regiment, and on 26 April 1767 he was promoted to Major General by Frederick II. At the age of 17, Colonel Hans von Blumenthal, commander of the Gardes du Corps, became the prince's governor. As a result, he and his brother Frederick William spent much time at the Colonel's estate at Paretz. Prince Henry was a promising young officer and his uncle the King had high hopes for him. However, in May 1767 he was leading his unit to Berlin for a parade and review when he stopped at the

von Kleist The House of Kleist is the name of an old and distinguished Prussian noble family, originating in Pomerania, whose members obtained many important military and administrative positions within the Kingdom of Prussia and later in the German Empire. ...

estate of Protzen. Here he caught

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

and died on the 26th, much to his uncle's grief.

Ancestry

References

1747 births 1767 deaths Prussian princes Deaths from smallpox Infectious disease deaths in Germany Burials at Berlin Cathedral {{Germany-noble-stub