Frederick I of Württemberg facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Frederick I |
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Portrait by Johann Baptist Seele
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| King of Württemberg | |||||
| Reign | 1 January 1806 – 30 October 1816 | ||||
| Coronation | 1 January 1806 | ||||
| Successor | William I | ||||
| Elector of Württemberg | |||||
| Reign | 25 February 1803 – 6 August 1806 | ||||
| Duke of Württemberg | |||||
| Reign | 23 December 1797 – 30 October 1816 | ||||
| Predecessor | Frederick II Eugene | ||||
| Born | 6 November 1754 Treptow an der Rega, Prussia (now Trzebiatów, Poland) |
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| Died | 30 October 1816 (aged 61) Stuttgart, Kingdom of Württemberg, Germany |
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| Burial | 1 November 1816 Schlosskirche, Ludwigsburg, Germany |
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| Spouse |
Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
(m. 1780; died 1788) |
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| Father | Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg | ||||
| Mother | Sophia Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt | ||||
| Religion | Lutheranism | ||||
Frederick I (born Friedrich Wilhelm Karl; 6 November 1754 – 30 October 1816) was a very important ruler of Württemberg. He led the region from 1797 until his death.
He was the last Duke of Württemberg from 1797 to 1803. Then, he became the first and only Elector of Württemberg from 1803 to 1806. With the help of Napoleon I, Württemberg became a kingdom in 1806. Frederick then became its first king. He was known for being very tall and heavy.
Contents
Early Life and Family Connections
Growing Up in Prussia
Frederick was born in Treptow an der Rega, which is now Trzebiatów, Poland. He was the oldest son of Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg, and Sophia Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt. His father was the third son of Charles Alexander, Duke of Württemberg. This meant Frederick was the nephew of the long-reigning Duke Charles Eugene.
Since his uncles had no sons, it was likely that Frederick's father would become Duke. Then, Frederick would take over after him. However, this was many years away. Frederick decided to join the army, just like his father. He served at the court of Frederick the Great, the King of Prussia.
These family ties were very important. In 1776, Frederick's sister Sophie married Paul, who would later become the Emperor of Russia. Paul was the son of Empress Catherine II. These connections to Russia later helped Württemberg during the changes in Europe after the 1814 Congress of Vienna.
In June 1774, Frederick joined the Prussian Army as an officer. He fought in the War of the Bavarian Succession. In 1780, he became a commander.
Frederick married Duchess Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel on 15 October 1780. She was 16 years old, ten years younger than him. Augusta was the oldest daughter of Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. She was also a niece of George III of Great Britain.
Their marriage was not a happy one. Augusta wanted to separate even during her first pregnancy. They had four children together.
Frederick had a good relationship with the King of Prussia. He often attended important meetings. However, this changed when his sister Elizabeth married Francis of Austria in 1788. Frederick the Great worried that Prussia would become isolated if Russia and Austria grew closer.
Time in Russia
In 1781, Frederick left the Prussian Army. The next year, he went with his sister Sophie and her husband to Russia. Empress Catherine II was impressed by Frederick. She made him Governor-General of Eastern Finland.
From June to October 1783, he also led a large group of soldiers in Kherson. This was during the Russo-Turkish War, but he was not involved in much fighting.
Frederick's relationship with his wife, Augusta, became worse. She asked Empress Catherine for protection during a visit to Saint Petersburg in December 1786. Catherine gave Augusta a safe place to stay and told Frederick to leave Russia. Augusta was sent to live at Lohde Castle in Western Estonia. She died on 27 September 1788.
Meanwhile, it became more and more likely that Frederick would become the ruler of Württemberg. In June 1789, he visited Paris to see the start of the French Revolution. The next year, he moved to Ludwigsburg. His uncle, Carl Eugen, who was still the Duke, was not happy about this.
Frederick's father became Duke in 1795. Finally, Frederick gained the political influence he had wanted for a long time. His father helped him connect with the British royal family. Frederick's first wife had been a niece of King George III. On 18 May 1797, Frederick married George's oldest daughter, Charlotte, at St James's Palace in London.
Frederick's Rule
From Duke to Elector
On 22 December 1797, Frederick's father died. Frederick then became the Duke of Württemberg, known as Frederick III. However, his rule was not peaceful for long. In 1800, the French army took over Württemberg. The Duke and Duchess had to flee to Vienna.
In 1801, Duke Frederick gave the area of Montbéliard to France. In return, he received Ellwangen two years later.
Europe was being reorganized after France took over lands west of the Rhine River. As a result, the Duke of Württemberg was given a higher title: Imperial Elector. Frederick took this new title on 25 February 1803. He was then known as the Elector of Württemberg. This change also gave him control over more lands, including church territories and former free cities. This greatly increased the size of his domain.
Becoming King
Frederick helped France with a large army. In return, Napoleon allowed Frederick to make Württemberg a kingdom on 26 December 1805. Frederick was officially crowned king in Stuttgart on 1 January 1806. He took the name King Frederick I.
Soon after, Württemberg left the Holy Roman Empire. It joined Napoleon's Confederation of the Rhine. Becoming a king also meant gaining more land. The territories of several nearby princes were added to Württemberg. To show his alliance with Napoleon, Frederick's daughter, Princess Catharina, married Napoleon's youngest brother, Jérôme Bonaparte.
Frederick's alliance with France meant he was technically an enemy of his father-in-law, George III. However, his family connections helped him communicate with Britain and other European powers. In 1810, Frederick sent the composer Carl Maria von Weber away from Württemberg. He claimed Weber had not managed money well for Frederick's brother, Louis.
During the German campaign of 1813, Frederick changed sides. He joined the Allies against Napoleon. His family ties were helpful here. He was the brother-in-law of the British Prince Regent (who later became George IV). He was also the uncle of the Russian emperor Alexander I.
After Napoleon was defeated, Frederick attended the Congress of Vienna. His title as King was confirmed. At Vienna, Frederick worked hard to make sure Württemberg could keep all the lands it had gained. Frederick was known for being very strict with the princes whose lands he had taken. However, Austria, a powerful country, was more interested in working with medium-sized German states like Württemberg. So, Frederick was allowed to keep his newly acquired lands.
In 1815, Frederick and other German princes joined the new German Confederation. He died in Stuttgart in October of the next year.
When he became king, he gave his children and male descendants the titles Princes and Princesses of Württemberg. They were called Royal Highness. He also gave his siblings the title Royal Highness and called them Dukes and Duchesses of Württemberg.
Frederick was very tall and heavy. People sometimes called him "The Great Belly-Gerent." Napoleon once joked about his size. Frederick, in turn, wondered how so much "poison" could fit in Napoleon's small head.
Marriages and Children
Frederick married two times:
- First, on 15 October 1780, he married Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. They had four children:
- King William I of Württemberg (1781–1864), who became king after his father.
- Princess Catharina of Württemberg (1783–1835), who married Jérôme Bonaparte, the King of Westphalia, in 1807. He was Napoleon I's youngest brother. They had children.
- Duchess Sophia Dorothea of Württemberg (1783–1784), who died as a baby.
- Prince Paul of Württemberg (1785–1852), whose grandson was King William II of Württemberg.
- Second, on 18 May 1797, he married Charlotte, Princess Royal. She was the oldest daughter of King George III of Great Britain. They had one child, a daughter who was stillborn in 1798.
