Karl Alexander, Duke of Württemberg
Encyclopedia
Charles Alexander of Württemberg (24 May 1684 – 12 March 1737) was a Württemberg
noble from 1698 who governed the Kingdom of Serbia as regent from 1720 until 1733, when he assumed the position of Duke of Württemberg, which he had held until his death.
, he was the eldest son of Frederick Charles, Duke of Württemberg-Winnental, and Eleonore Juliane of Brandenburg-Ansbach
.
He succeeded his father as Duke of Württemberg-Winnental in 1698.
As a successful army-commander in service of the Holy Roman Emperor
, he had converted to Roman Catholicism in 1712. He was militarily successful under Prince Eugene of Savoy
in the Spanish War of Succession as well as in the war against the Turks
. In 1719 he was appointed imperial governor of Belgrade
.
In 1720 Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI
appointed him governor of the Kingdom of Serbia in Belgrade
. After 13 years of autocratic reigning over Serbia, in 1733 Charles Alexander inherited the Duchy of Württemberg centered around Stuttgart
from his cousin, Eberhard Louis. As Duke of Württemberg he moved the court back from Ludwigsburg
to Stuttgart
. He ruled over the duchy until his sudden death in 1737.
was succeeded by his nine-year-old son, Charles Eugene.
During his reign, he employed as his financier the ill-fated "Jew Süss", Joseph Oppenheimer, who was executed in 1738 for abuse of office during the reign of the duke.
He married Maria Augusta Anna of Thurn and Taxis (11 August 1706 – 1 February 1756).
had spread from the Serbian language
into German
and went into global usage, due to the internationalization of the vampiric legends in Serbia that Habsburgs' officers had spread onwards.
's 1925 novel
titledJud Süß based on a play that he had written in 1916 but subsequently withdrew.
Ashley Dukes
and Paul Kornfeld
also wrote dramatic adaptations of the Feuchtwanger novel. In 1934, Lothar Mendes
directed a film adaptation of the novel.
Charles Alexander and his relationship with Oppenheimer is fictionally portrayed in Veit Harlan
's 1940 Nazi propaganda film titled Jud Süß
.
Although inspired by the historical details of Süß's life, Hauff's novella, Feuchtwanger's novel, and Harlan's film only loosely correspond to the historical sources available at the Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg.
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
noble from 1698 who governed the Kingdom of Serbia as regent from 1720 until 1733, when he assumed the position of Duke of Württemberg, which he had held until his death.
Biography
Born in StuttgartStuttgart
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 ....
, he was the eldest son of Frederick Charles, Duke of Württemberg-Winnental, and Eleonore Juliane of Brandenburg-Ansbach
Eleonore Juliane of Brandenburg-Ansbach
Eleonore Juliane of Brandenburg-Ansbach was a princess of Brandenburg-Ansbach and through her marriage duchess of Württemberg-Winnental.-Life:...
.
He succeeded his father as Duke of Württemberg-Winnental in 1698.
As a successful army-commander in service of the Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
, he had converted to Roman Catholicism in 1712. He was militarily successful under Prince Eugene of Savoy
Prince Eugene of Savoy
Prince Eugene of Savoy , was one of the most successful military commanders in modern European history, rising to the highest offices of state at the Imperial court in Vienna. Born in Paris to aristocratic Italian parents, Eugene grew up around the French court of King Louis XIV...
in the Spanish War of Succession as well as in the war against the Turks
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. In 1719 he was appointed imperial governor of Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
.
In 1720 Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VI was the penultimate Habsburg sovereign of the Habsburg Empire. He succeeded his elder brother, Joseph I, as Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia , Hungary and Croatia , Archduke of Austria, etc., in 1711...
appointed him governor of the Kingdom of Serbia in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
. After 13 years of autocratic reigning over Serbia, in 1733 Charles Alexander inherited the Duchy of Württemberg centered around 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 ....
from his cousin, Eberhard Louis. As Duke of Württemberg he moved the court back from Ludwigsburg
Ludwigsburg
Ludwigsburg is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about north of Stuttgart city centre, near the river Neckar. It is the largest and primary city of the Ludwigsburg urban district with about 87,000 inhabitants...
to 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 ....
. He ruled over the duchy until his sudden death in 1737.
was succeeded by his nine-year-old son, Charles Eugene.
During his reign, he employed as his financier the ill-fated "Jew Süss", Joseph Oppenheimer, who was executed in 1738 for abuse of office during the reign of the duke.
He married Maria Augusta Anna of Thurn and Taxis (11 August 1706 – 1 February 1756).
Vampires
It is under Charles Alexanders' Serbian regency that the word vampireVampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
had spread from the Serbian language
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
into German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and went into global usage, due to the internationalization of the vampiric legends in Serbia that Habsburgs' officers had spread onwards.
In literature and film
Although the story of Duke Karl Alexander and Joseph Süß Oppenheimer constituted a relatively obscure episode in German history, it became the subject of a number of literary and dramatic treatments over the course of more than a century; the earliest of these having been Wilhelm Hauff's 1827 novella, titled Jud Süß. The most successful literary adaptation was Lion FeuchtwangerLion Feuchtwanger
Lion Feuchtwanger was a German-Jewish novelist and playwright. A prominent figure in the literary world of Weimar Germany, he influenced contemporaries including playwright Bertolt Brecht....
's 1925 novel
Jud Süß (Feuchtwanger novel)
Jud Süß is a 1925 historical novel by Lion Feuchtwanger based on the life of Joseph Süß Oppenheimer.-Historical background:Joseph Süß Oppenheimer was an 18th century Court Jew in the employ of Duke Karl Alexander of Württemberg in Stuttgart...
titledJud Süß based on a play that he had written in 1916 but subsequently withdrew.
Ashley Dukes
Ashley Dukes
Ashley Dukes was an English playwright, critic, and theatre manager.In 1933, he founded the Mercury Theatre of London and wrote plays that appeared in the London West End and on Broadway...
and Paul Kornfeld
Paul Kornfeld
Paul Kornfeld may refer to:*Paul Kornfeld , Prague-born German-language dramatist and author*Paul Kornfeld , American college swimmer...
also wrote dramatic adaptations of the Feuchtwanger novel. In 1934, Lothar Mendes
Lothar Mendes
Lothar Mendes was a German screenwriter and film director. His most important work was Jew Suss- Personal life:...
directed a film adaptation of the novel.
Charles Alexander and his relationship with Oppenheimer is fictionally portrayed in Veit Harlan
Veit Harlan
Veit Harlan was a German film director and actor.-Life and career:Harlan was born in Berlin. After studying under Max Reinhardt, he first appeared on the stage in 1915 and, after World War I, worked in the Berlin stage. In 1922 he married Jewish actress and cabaret singer Dora Gerson; the couple...
's 1940 Nazi propaganda film titled Jud Süß
Jud Süß (1940 film)
Jud Süß is an antisemitic propaganda film produced in 1940 by Terra Filmkunst at the behest of Joseph Goebbels. The movie was directed by Veit Harlan, who wrote the screenplay with Eberhard Wolfgang Möller and Ludwig Metzger, and starred Ferdinand Marian and Harlan's wife Kristina Söderbaum.The...
.
Although inspired by the historical details of Süß's life, Hauff's novella, Feuchtwanger's novel, and Harlan's film only loosely correspond to the historical sources available at the Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg.