Prince Frederick William Louis of Prussia (German: Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig; 30 October 1794 – 27 July 1863) was a Prussian prince and military officer.
| Prince Frederick of Prussia | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Prince Frederick in 1836 | |||||
| Born | 30 October 1794 Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia | ||||
| Died | 27 July 1863 (aged 68) Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia | ||||
| Spouse | |||||
| Issue | Prince Alexander Prince George | ||||
| |||||
| House | Hohenzollern | ||||
| Father | Prince Louis Charles of Prussia | ||||
| Mother | Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz | ||||
Family
editBorn in Berlin, Frederick was the son of Prince Louis Charles of Prussia and Duchess Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, later Queen of Hanover, nephew of King Frederick William III of Prussia and stepson of Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover.
Princess Charlotte of Wales was interested in Frederick in 1814 and hoped to marry him. The pair met several times. However, the Prince suddenly got engaged to the daughter of Alexius Frederick Christian, Duke of Anhalt-Bernburg, Princess Louise of Anhalt-Bernburg, whom he married on 21 November 1817 at Ballenstedt.[1] The couple had two sons:
- Prince Alexander of Prussia (1820–1896), an army officer
- Prince George of Prussia (1826–1902), an army officer, poet and playwright
Although both of their sons lived to advanced age, neither of them married or fathered any children.
Life in Düsseldorf
editFrom 1815 until his death, the Prince served as the Commander of 1st (Silesian) Life Cuirassiers "Great Elector". He resided in a palace in Wilhelmstrasse until 1820, when he became Commander of the 20th Division in Düsseldorf and moved to Jägerhof Castle. He had two more wings built during his stay in the castle. The castle soon became the center of social and cultural life of the city, as the Prince and Princess Frederick were both interested in art and talented artists themselves. Prince Frederick was among the founders of the Düsseldorf art, music and drama club and served as its patron.
Much like his cousin, King Frederick William IV of Prussia, Frederick displayed interest in the Middle Ages and the castles of Rhine Province. He acquired Fatzberg Castle, turned it into his summer residence and named it Burg Rheinstein.
Last years in Berlin
editHe was recalled to Berlin during the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states. His popularity in Düsseldorf was such that he was appointed the first honorary citizen of the city in 1856. Frederick had separated from his wife the previous year, due to her chronic nervous disease. She lived at Eller near Düsseldorf, where he visited her on their common birthday.
Frederick, his wife and younger son are buried in a chapel he had built at Burg Rheinstein.
The town of Fredericksburg, Texas, also known as Fritzburg, was named after Frederick by the town's founder baron John O. Meusebach.
In popular culture
editIn the first season of the Netflix original show Bridgerton, Prince Frederick is one of the love interests of the main character, Daphne Bridgerton. He is portrayed by English actor Freddie Stroma. His name in the show is spelled as Friedrich, the traditional German spelling.
Honours
editHe received the following orders and decorations:[2]
Kingdom of Prussia:
- Knight of the Black Eagle, 30 October 1804;[3] with Collar, 1812
- Grand Commander's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern
- Iron Cross (1813) "Honour Senior", 2nd Class
- Service Award Cross
Hohenzollern: Cross of Honour of the Princely House Order of Hohenzollern, 1st Class
Ascanian duchies: Grand Cross of the Order of Albert the Bear, 14 October 1838[4]
Austrian Empire: Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, 1852[5]
Baden:[6]
- Knight of the House Order of Fidelity, 1840
- Grand Cross of the Zähringer Lion, 1840
Kingdom of Hanover:[7]
- Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order, 1821
- Knight of St. George, 1839
Electorate of Hesse: Grand Cross of the Golden Lion, 26 December 1817[8]
Grand Duchy of Hesse: Grand Cross of the Ludwig Order, 8 November 1849[9]
Netherlands: Grand Cross of the Netherlands Lion
Luxembourg: Grand Cross of the Oak Crown
Oldenburg: Grand Cross of the Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig, with Golden Crown, 27 May 1858[10]
Russian Empire:
Ancestry
editReferences
edit- ^ Williams, pp. 88–89
- ^ Preußen (1862). Königlich preußischer Staats-Kalender: für das Jahr .... 1862/63. Decker. p. 6.
- ^ Liste der Ritter des Königlich Preußischen Hohen Ordens vom Schwarzen Adler (1851), "Von Seiner Majestät dem Könige Friedrich Wilhelm III. ernannte Ritter" p. 15
- ^ Anhalt-Köthen (1851). Staats- und Adreß-Handbuch für die Herzogthümer Anhalt-Dessau und Anhalt-Köthen: 1851. Katz. p. 10.
- ^ "A Szent István Rend tagjai" Archived 22 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden (1841), "Großherzogliche Orden" pp. 29, 44
- ^ Staat Hannover (1862). Hof- und Staatshandbuch für das Königreich Hannover: 1862. Berenberg. pp. 37, 71.
- ^ Hessen-Kassel (1861). Kurfürstlich Hessisches Hof- und Staatshandbuch: 1861. Waisenhaus. p. 15.
- ^ Hessen-Darmstadt (1861). Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Großherzogtums Hessen: für das Jahr ... 1861. Staatsverl. p. 9.
- ^ Staat Oldenburg (1861). Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Großherzogtums Oldenburg: für ... 1861. Schulze. p. 32.
Bibliography
edit- Williams, Kate (2008). Becoming Queen Victoria. New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-46195-7.
- King, Irene M. (1967). John O. Meusebach: German colonizer in Texas. University of Texas Press.