Frederick Augustus, Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Oels
Encyclopedia
Frederick Augustus of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel (29 October 1740, Wolfenbüttel
– 8 October 1805, Eisenach
) was a German nobleman and Prussian general. A prince of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel and thus one of the Dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg, in 1792 he was granted the Duchy of Oels
and the Duchy of Bernsadt and thus also became the ruling duke of these duchies.
, in 1754 he became a captain in the Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Lifeguard regiment and on 28 April 1761 became an oberst
and commander of the Zastrow Foot Regiment. During the Seven Years' War
he fought at Vellinghausen, Wilhelmsthal, Melsungen
, Homburg and Fritzlar. On 17 August 1761 he was made a major general and in October that year fought at Ölper
and thus in the liberation of the city of Brunswick
from its last siege. In her ode Über den Entsatz von Braunschweig (1761), Anna Luise Karsch wrote:
In 1764 she followed it with an Ode über die Vorzüge des Prinzen Friedrichs von Braunschweig.
He and two of his brothers (Wilhelm Adolf and Leopold
) were freemasons and from 1771 he was a Socius, Amicus et Fautor ordinis member of the Rite of Strict Observance
, in which he was made Prefect of the Temple (Berlin) in 1773 as Superior und Protector ordinis. From 1772 to 1799 he was made National Grand Master of the Grand National Mother Lodge 'Zu den drei Weltkugeln', another of whose members was Frederick II of Prussia. The Freimaurerlexikon of 1932 states he had a strong mystical predisposition and called him an alchemist, Rosicrucian
, exorcist and miracle-working doctor, in constant contact with the "great swindlers of the order" (namely Gottlieb Franz Xaver Gugomos and the Leipzig cafe owner Schröpfer). With his uncle Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick
and despite warnings from Du Bosc and Karl Eberhard von Wächter, he kept in contact with the Count of Saint Germain, an internationally-famous alchemist and occultist.
In 1763 Frederick Augustus became a lieutenant general and commander of the Tettenborn Foot Regiment (later 19th Regiment) in Prussian service, becoming a favourite of his uncle Frederick II of Prussia
and from then on always accompanying him on manoeuvres. He was also made governor of the fortress at Küstrin
. On 1 October 1763 he was made a knight of the Order of the Black Eagle
. On 20 December 1764 he was made an honorary member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences
.
On 6 September 1768 he married Princess Friederike Sophie Charlotte Auguste of Württemberg-Oels (1 August 1751 – 4 November 1789), daughter of Charles Christian Erdmann, Duke of Württemberg-Oels
(1716–1792), though the marriage remained childless right up to her death in 1789. In 1774 he was appointed provost of Brandenburg. On 21 May 1787 he was made a General of Infantry and on 13 December 1792 he was made duke of Oels in Lower Silesia. On 28 December that year he was put in command of a Prussian army corps intended to be deployed in Westphalia, but for health reasons he first delegated the command to lieutenant general Knobelsdorff
on 26 March 1793 and then on 20 March 1794 was finally dismissed. He then retired to his Schloss Sibyllenort
in Lower Silesia to translate French plays and to literary works. He died in October 1805 while visiting his sister Anna Amalia in Eisenach, and was buried in Weimar
. The duchy of Oels passed to his nephew Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
, the so-called 'Black Duke'.
Wolfenbüttel
Wolfenbüttel is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, located on the Oker river about 13 kilometres south of Brunswick. It is the seat of the District of Wolfenbüttel and of the bishop of the Protestant Lutheran State Church of Brunswick...
– 8 October 1805, Eisenach
Eisenach
Eisenach is a city in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated between the northern foothills of the Thuringian Forest and the Hainich National Park. Its population in 2006 was 43,626.-History:...
) was a German nobleman and Prussian general. A prince of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel and thus one of the Dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg, in 1792 he was granted the Duchy of Oels
Duchy of Oels
The Duchy of Oels or Duchy of Oleśnica was one of the duchies of Silesia, with the capital in Oleśnica, Poland.Initially part of the Piast Duchy of Wrocław, the Oleśnica area became part of the Duchy of Głogów in 1294, following an armed conflict between Duke Henry III and Henry V the Fat, Duke of...
and the Duchy of Bernsadt and thus also became the ruling duke of these duchies.
Life
One of thirteen children of Charles I, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and his wife Princess Philippine Charlotte of PrussiaPrincess Philippine Charlotte of Prussia
Princess Philippine Charlotte of Prussia was a daughter of Frederick William I of Prussia and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover.-Family:...
, in 1754 he became a captain in the Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Lifeguard regiment and on 28 April 1761 became an 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...
and commander of the Zastrow Foot Regiment. During the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
he fought at Vellinghausen, Wilhelmsthal, Melsungen
Melsungen
Melsungen is a small climatic spa in the Schwalm-Eder district in northern Hesse, Germany.-Geography:Melsungen lies on the river Fulda in the North Hesse Highland. The brooks Pfieffe and Kehrenbach flow into the Fulda here...
, Homburg and Fritzlar. On 17 August 1761 he was made a major general and in October that year fought at Ölper
Battle of Ölper (1761)
The Battle of Ölper was a battle at Ölper, now a district of Brunswick, on 13 October 1761. It occurred between a Franco-Saxon force and a Brunswick-Hanoverian force, lasted long into the night and ended in a Brunswickian victory. It was part of the Seven Years' War....
and thus in the liberation of the city of Brunswick
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
from its last siege. In her ode Über den Entsatz von Braunschweig (1761), Anna Luise Karsch wrote:
In 1764 she followed it with an Ode über die Vorzüge des Prinzen Friedrichs von Braunschweig.
He and two of his brothers (Wilhelm Adolf and Leopold
Leopold of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Maximilian Julius Leopold of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and nominal duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg was a Prussian general....
) were freemasons and from 1771 he was a Socius, Amicus et Fautor ordinis member of the Rite of Strict Observance
Rite of Strict Observance
The Rite of Strict Observance was a Rite of Freemasonry, a series of progressive degrees that were conferred by the Order of Strict Observance, a Masonic body of the 18th century....
, in which he was made Prefect of the Temple (Berlin) in 1773 as Superior und Protector ordinis. From 1772 to 1799 he was made National Grand Master of the Grand National Mother Lodge 'Zu den drei Weltkugeln', another of whose members was Frederick II of Prussia. The Freimaurerlexikon of 1932 states he had a strong mystical predisposition and called him an alchemist, Rosicrucian
Rosicrucian
Rosicrucianism is a philosophical secret society, said to have been founded in late medieval Germany by Christian Rosenkreuz. It holds a doctrine or theology "built on esoteric truths of the ancient past", which, "concealed from the average man, provide insight into nature, the physical universe...
, exorcist and miracle-working doctor, in constant contact with the "great swindlers of the order" (namely Gottlieb Franz Xaver Gugomos and the Leipzig cafe owner Schröpfer). With his uncle Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick
Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick
Ferdinand, Prince of Brunswick-Lüneburg , was a Prussian field marshal known for his participation in the Seven Years' War...
and despite warnings from Du Bosc and Karl Eberhard von Wächter, he kept in contact with the Count of Saint Germain, an internationally-famous alchemist and occultist.
In 1763 Frederick Augustus became a lieutenant general and commander of the Tettenborn Foot Regiment (later 19th Regiment) in Prussian service, becoming a favourite of his uncle 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...
and from then on always accompanying him on manoeuvres. He was also made governor of the fortress at Küstrin
Küstrin
Before 1945 Küstrin was a town in the former Prussian province of Brandenburg in Germany, situated on both sides of the Oder river...
. On 1 October 1763 he was made a knight of the Order of the Black Eagle
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 . In his Dutch exile after WWI, deposed Emperor Wilhelm II continued to award the order to his family...
. On 20 December 1764 he was made an honorary member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences
Prussian Academy of Sciences
The Prussian Academy of Sciences was an academy established in Berlin on 11 July 1700, four years after the Akademie der Künste or "Arts Academy", to which "Berlin Academy" may also refer.-Origins:...
.
On 6 September 1768 he married Princess Friederike Sophie Charlotte Auguste of Württemberg-Oels (1 August 1751 – 4 November 1789), daughter of Charles Christian Erdmann, Duke of Württemberg-Oels
Charles Christian Erdmann, Duke of Württemberg-Oels
Karl Christian Erdmann of Württemberg-Oels was ruling duke of Württemberg-Oels and Bernstadt....
(1716–1792), though the marriage remained childless right up to her death in 1789. In 1774 he was appointed provost of Brandenburg. On 21 May 1787 he was made a General of Infantry and on 13 December 1792 he was made duke of Oels in Lower Silesia. On 28 December that year he was put in command of a Prussian army corps intended to be deployed in Westphalia, but for health reasons he first delegated the command to lieutenant general Knobelsdorff
Alexander von Knobelsdorff
Alexander Friedrich von Knobelsdorff was a Prussian field marshal....
on 26 March 1793 and then on 20 March 1794 was finally dismissed. He then retired to his Schloss Sibyllenort
Szczodre
Szczodre is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Długołęka, within Wrocław County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Prior to 1945 it was in Germany....
in Lower Silesia to translate French plays and to literary works. He died in October 1805 while visiting his sister Anna Amalia in Eisenach, and was buried in Weimar
Weimar
Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
. The duchy of Oels passed to his nephew Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel
Prince Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was a German prince and Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Oels. Nicknamed "The Black Dude", he was a military officer who led the Black Brunswickers against Napoleonic domination in Germany...
, the so-called 'Black Duke'.
Works
- Militärische Geschichte des Prinzen Friedrich August von Braunschweig-Lüneburg, Oels 1797