Duke William Frederick Philip of Württemberg
Encyclopedia
William Frederick Philip, Duke of Württemberg (27 December 1761, Stettin – 10 August 1830, Schloss von Stetten im Remstal) was a prince of the House of Württemberg
and a minister for war.
, a niece of Frederick II of Prussia
.
and quickly rose to the rank of Oberst
. In 1781 he commanded his own regiment, being promoted to major general in 1783, moved to the Danish Foot Guards in 1785 and promoted to lieutenant general in 1795. In 1801 he became governor of Copenhagen
and later the same year faced the Battle of Copenhagen in that role.
In 1806 he paid 10,000 Reichstaler to leave the Danish army. His brother Frederick
had just been made king of Württemberg and in Stuttgart
made William a field marshal and Württemberg's minister for war
. From 1810 to 1821 William temporarily lived in his manor house at Hirrlingen
near Rottenburg but more often in the Schloss Stetten in Remstal. On 29 June 1811 he took on Freiherr Friedrich von Phull as vice-president of the War Department (and de facto Minister for War, though William remained minister de jure until 1815).
In 1815, on leaving office, William shifted to studying science and successfully practised as a physician. In 1817 the University of Tübingen awarded him an honorary degree in medicine. As a member of the royal house of Württemberg, William also held a seat in the Kammer der Standesherren (House of Lords) of the Württembergische Landstände parliament from 1819 to his death in 1830.
, Frederick married one of his mother's ladies in waiting, Wilhelmine Freiin von Tunderfeld-Rhodis (* 1777; † 1822), daughter of Baron Karl August Wilhelm von Tunderfeld-Rhodis. This was a scion of a military family from Sweden, originally from the Baltic. Since this was a morganatic marriage, on 1 August 1801 William renounced his descendents' claim to the throne.
The couple had six children, only three of whom reached adulthood:
House of Württemberg
The Württemberg family is a European royal family and a German dynasty from Württemberg. The House has its origins, according to recent research, probably in the vicinity of the Salian dynasty.-History:...
and a minister for war.
Early life
William was the fourth son of Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg and Sophia Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt, eldest daughter of Frederick William, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt and Princess Sophia Dorothea of PrussiaPrincess Sophia Dorothea of Prussia
Princess Sophia Dorothea of Prussia was the ninth child and fifth daughter of Frederick William I of Prussia and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover...
, a niece of Frederick II of Prussia
Frederick II of Prussia
Frederick II was a King in Prussia and a King of Prussia from the Hohenzollern dynasty. In his role as a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, he was also Elector of Brandenburg. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel...
.
Military career
In 1779 he joined the Royal Danish ArmyRoyal Danish Army
The Royal Danish Army is the land warfare branch of the Danish Defence Forces, together with the Danish Home Guard.For the last decade, the Royal Danish Army has undergone a massive transformation of structures, equipment and training methods, abandoning its traditional role of anti-invasion...
and quickly rose to the rank of Oberst
Oberst
Oberst is a military rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway. The Swedish rank överste is a direct translation, as are the Finnish rank eversti...
. In 1781 he commanded his own regiment, being promoted to major general in 1783, moved to the Danish Foot Guards in 1785 and promoted to lieutenant general in 1795. In 1801 he became governor of Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
and later the same year faced the Battle of Copenhagen in that role.
In 1806 he paid 10,000 Reichstaler to leave the Danish army. His brother Frederick
Frederick I of Württemberg
Frederick I William Charles of Württemberg was the first King of Württemberg. He was known for his size: at and about , he was in contrast to Napoleon, who recognized him as King of Württemberg.-Biography:...
had just been made king of Württemberg and in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
made William a field marshal and Württemberg's minister for war
Ministry of War of Württemberg
The Ministry of War of Württemberg was a ministry of the Kingdom of Württemberg, that existed from 1806 to 1919. Its predecessor, the Kriegsratskollegium, was established on 14 March 1705...
. From 1810 to 1821 William temporarily lived in his manor house at Hirrlingen
Hirrlingen
Hirlingen is a municipality in the district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany....
near Rottenburg but more often in the Schloss Stetten in Remstal. On 29 June 1811 he took on Freiherr Friedrich von Phull as vice-president of the War Department (and de facto Minister for War, though William remained minister de jure until 1815).
In 1815, on leaving office, William shifted to studying science and successfully practised as a physician. In 1817 the University of Tübingen awarded him an honorary degree in medicine. As a member of the royal house of Württemberg, William also held a seat in the Kammer der Standesherren (House of Lords) of the Württembergische Landstände parliament from 1819 to his death in 1830.
Marriage and issue
On 23 August 1800,in CoswigCoswig, Anhalt
Coswig is a town in the district of Wittenberg of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Elbe, approx. 12 km west of Wittenberg, and 15 km east of Dessau.- History :...
, Frederick married one of his mother's ladies in waiting, Wilhelmine Freiin von Tunderfeld-Rhodis (* 1777; † 1822), daughter of Baron Karl August Wilhelm von Tunderfeld-Rhodis. This was a scion of a military family from Sweden, originally from the Baltic. Since this was a morganatic marriage, on 1 August 1801 William renounced his descendents' claim to the throne.
The couple had six children, only three of whom reached adulthood:
- Count Alexander of WürttembergAlexander of Württemberg (1801–1844)Alexander Christian Frederick, Count of Württemberg was a German army officer and poet. He was the eldest surviving son of William Frederick Philip, Duke of Württemberg, who was a younger brother of Frederick I of Württemberg...
(* 1801; † 1844), poet
∞ Helene, Countess FesteticsFesteticsFestetics is a noble Hungarian family, prominent during the Austro-Hungarian Empire.On August 8, 1746, Josef and Kristof Festetics added de Tolna to their surname...
(* 1812; † 1886), daughter of Ladislas Graf Festetics of Tolna - August (* 1805; † 1808)
- Wilhelm, 1st Duke of UrachWilhelm, 1st Duke of UrachCount Friedrich Wilhelm Alexander Ferdinand of Württemberg, 1st Duke of Urach , was the son of Duke Wilhelm of Württemberg , younger brother of King Frederick I of Württemberg, by his morganatic wife, Baroness Wilhelmine von Tunderfeldt-Rhodis , who had married in 1800...
, Count of Württemberg (* 1810; † 1869)
∞ (I.) Théodolinde de BeauharnaisThéodolinde de BeauharnaisThéodolinde de Beauharnais, Princess of Leuchtenberg, Countess of Wurttemberg was a Franco-German princess.- Biography :...
(* 1814; † 1857); ∞ (II.) Florestine of MonacoPrincess Florestine of MonacoPrincess Florestine Gabrielle Antoinette of Monaco was the youngest child and only daughter of Florestan I, Prince of Monaco and his wife Maria Caroline Gibert de Lametz...
(* 1833; † 1897) - Friedrich August (* 1811; † 1812)
- Franz (* 1814; † 1824)
- Marie, Countess of Württemberg (* 1815; † 1866) ∞ Wilhelm, Count of Taubenheim (* 1805; † 1894)
Honours
- Grand Cross of the Order of the Württemberg CrownOrder of the Crown (Württemberg)The Order of the Württemberg Crown was an order of chivalry in Württemberg.-History:First established in 1702 as the St.-Hubertus-Jagdorden , in 1807 it was renamed the "Ritterorden vom Goldenen Adler" by Frederick I, and on 23 September 1818 renewed and restructured by William I as the "Order of...
- Grand Cross of the Württemberg Military Merit OrderMilitary Merit Order (Württemberg)The Military Merit Order was a military order of the Kingdom of Württemberg, which joined the German Empire in 1871. The order was one of the older military orders of the states of the German Empire...
- 1803 Knights' Cross of the Danish Order of the ElephantOrder of the ElephantThe Order of the Elephant is the highest order of Denmark. It has origins in the 15th century, but has officially existed since 1693, and since the establishment of constitutional monarchy in 1849, is now almost exclusively bestowed on royalty and heads of state.- History :A Danish religious...
- Grand Cross of the French Legion of Honour