Karl August, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Encyclopedia
Karl August Friedrich of Waldeck and Pyrmont (September 24, 1704 – August 29, 1763) was Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont and Commander of the Dutch forces in the War of Austrian Succession.
and Countess Palatine Louise of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld.
In 1728 his father and his elder brother Christian Philip died, and so he became Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont .
The Waldecks had a tradition of military service in the Dutch Army.
Prince Georg Friedrich of Waldeck
had already led the Dutch army in the War of the Grand Alliance
. In the War of Austrian Succession, Karl was appointed as commander of the Dutch Army by the States-General of the Netherlands
, as counterbalance to William IV, Prince of Orange
, who relied completely on his brother-in-law the Duke of Cumberland. The Dutch army under Waldeck's command was defeated in the Battle of Fontenoy
, the Battle of Rocoux
and the Battle of Lauffeld
.
In 1746, Karl became Fieldmarshal of the Holy Roman Empire
.
, on August 19, 1741, Karl August married his first cousin Christiane Henriette, Countess Palatine of Zweibrücken
(1725–1816), daughter of Christian III, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken
.
The couple had seven children:
Royal life and military career
Karl was the second son of Friedrich Anton Ulrich, Prince of Waldeck and PyrmontFriedrich Anton Ulrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont
-Notes and sources:**...
and Countess Palatine Louise of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld.
In 1728 his father and his elder brother Christian Philip died, and so he became Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont .
The Waldecks had a tradition of military service in the Dutch Army.
Prince Georg Friedrich of Waldeck
Prince Georg Friedrich of Waldeck
Prince Georg Friedrich of Waldeck was a German and Dutch Field Marshal .In 1641, Waldeck entered the service of the States-General of the Netherlands; later in 1651, in the service of Brandenburg, he reached the highest rank as minister...
had already led the Dutch army in the War of the Grand Alliance
War of the Grand Alliance
The Nine Years' War – often called the War of the Grand Alliance, the War of the Palatine Succession, or the War of the League of Augsburg – was a major war of the late 17th century fought between King Louis XIV of France, and a European-wide coalition, the Grand Alliance, led by the Anglo-Dutch...
. In the War of Austrian Succession, Karl was appointed as commander of the Dutch Army by the States-General of the Netherlands
States-General of the Netherlands
The States-General of the Netherlands is the bicameral legislature of the Netherlands, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The parliament meets in at the Binnenhof in The Hague. The archaic Dutch word "staten" originally related to the feudal classes in which medieval...
, as counterbalance to William IV, Prince of Orange
William IV, Prince of Orange
William IV, Prince of Orange-Nassau , born Willem Karel Hendrik Friso, was the first hereditary stadtholder of the Netherlands.-Early life:...
, who relied completely on his brother-in-law the Duke of Cumberland. The Dutch army under Waldeck's command was defeated in the Battle of Fontenoy
Battle of Fontenoy
The Battle of Fontenoy, 11 May 1745, was a major engagement of the War of the Austrian Succession, fought between the forces of the Pragmatic Allies – comprising mainly Dutch, British, and Hanoverian troops under the nominal command of the Duke of Cumberland – and a French army under Maurice de...
, the Battle of Rocoux
Battle of Rocoux
The Battle of Rocoux was a French victory over an allied Austrian, British, Hanoveran and Dutch army outside Liège during War of the Austrian Succession.-Preliminary maneuvers:...
and the Battle of Lauffeld
Battle of Lauffeld
The Battle of Lauffeld, also known as the Battle of Lafelt or Battle of Maastricht, also Battle of Val, took place on 2 July 1747, during the French invasion of the Netherlands. It was part of the War of the Austrian Succession...
.
In 1746, Karl became Fieldmarshal of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
.
Marriage and children
In ZweibrückenZweibrücken
Zweibrücken is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Schwarzbach river.- Name :Zweibrücken appears in Latin texts as Geminus Pons and Bipontum, in French texts as Deux-Ponts. The name derives from Middle High German Zweinbrücken...
, on August 19, 1741, Karl August married his first cousin Christiane Henriette, Countess Palatine of Zweibrücken
Christiane Henriette, Countess Palatine of Zweibrücken
Christiane Henriette of Palatinate-Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld was a Countess of Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld by birth and by marriage a Princess of Waldeck-Pyrmont.- Life :...
(1725–1816), daughter of Christian III, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken
Christian III, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken
Christian III, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld was Duke of Zweibrücken from 1731–1735. He was the son of Christian II of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld and Katharina Agathe, Countess of Rappoltstein...
.
The couple had seven children:
- Charles (1742–1756)
- Friedrich Karl AugustFriedrich Karl August, Prince of Waldeck and PyrmontFriedrich Karl August, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont was Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont from 1763 to 1812.-Early life:He was the second son of Karl August, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont and Countess Palatine Christiane of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld...
, (1743–1812), Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont - Christian (1744–1798), a Field Marshal in the Portuguese army
- GeorgeGeorge I, Prince of Waldeck and PyrmontGeorge I, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont was Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont from 1812 to 1813.He was the son of Karl August, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont and Countess Palatine Christiane Henriette of Birkenfeld-Bischweiler.-Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont:...
(1747–1813), Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, married Princess Augusta of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen - Caroline (1748–1782), married Peter von BironPeter von BironPeter von Biron was the last Duke of Courland from 1769 to 1795.Peter was born in Jelgava as the son of Ernst Johann von Biron, future Duke of Courland, and his wife Benigna von Trotha. When 16 years old, he was forced to follow his family into the Siberian exile. In 1769, Peter was given the...
, last Duke of Courland and Semigallia - Louise (1751–1816), married Frederick Augustus, Duke of NassauFrederick Augustus, Duke of NassauFriedrich August, Duke of Nassau, Prince of Nassau-Usingen was the last Prince of Nassau-Usingen and, jointly with his cousin, Friedrich Wilhelm of Nassau-Weilburg, first Duke of Nassau...
- Louis (1752–1793), killed in action near KortrijkKortrijkKortrijk ; , ; ) is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province West Flanders...