Charles I of Württemberg

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Charles I
King of Württemberg
Karl I von Württemberg.jpg
Reign 25 June 1864 – 6 October 1891
Predecessor William I
Successor William II
Born (1823-03-06)6 March 1823
Stuttgart, Kingdom of Württemberg
Died Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist.
Stuttgart, Kingdom of Württemberg
Spouse Olga Nikolaevna of Russia
Full name
Karl Friedrich Alexander
House House of Württemberg
Father William I of Württemberg
Mother Pauline Therese of Württemberg
Religion Lutheranism

Charles (German: Karl Friedrich Alexander, König von Württemberg; 6 March 1823 in Stuttgart – 6 October 1891 in Stuttgart) was King of Württemberg, from 25 June 1864 until his death in 1891.

Early life

He was born 6 March 1823 in Stuttgart, as HRH Charles Frederick Alexander, Crown Prince of Württemberg the son of William I, King of Württemberg (1781–1864) and his third wife (and first cousin) Pauline Therese of Württemberg (1800–1873).

He studied in Berlin and Tübingen.

Marriage and King of Württemberg

On 13 July 1846 he married Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaievna of Russia, daughter of Tsar Nicholas I and Charlotte of Prussia. Charlotte was a daughter of Frederick William III of Prussia and Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. She took the name Alexandra upon her marriage. Karl acceded to the throne upon his father's death in 1864.

The couple had no children, perhaps because of Karl's homosexuality.[1] Karl became the object of scandal several times for his closeness with various men. The most notorious of these was the American Charles Woodcock, a former chamberlain whom Karl elevated to Baron Savage in 1888.[2][3] Karl and Charles became inseparable, going so far as to appear together in public dressed identically. The resulting outcry forced Karl to renounce his favorite. Woodcock returned to America, and Karl found private consolation some years later with the technical director of the royal theater, Wilhelm George.[1]

In 1870, Olga and Karl adopted Olga's niece Vera Konstantinova, the daughter of her brother Grand Duke Konstantin.

Politics

He sided with Austria in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, but after the battle of Sadowa concluded a secret military treaty with Prussia, and took part on her side in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-'71, joining the new German Empire at the close of 1870.[4]

He died, childless, in Stuttgart on 6 October 1891, and was succeeded as King of Württemberg by his sister's son, William II. He is buried, together with his wife, in the Old Castle in Stuttgart.

Arms

Royal Monogram of King Charles I of Württemberg.svg
Royal Monogram of King Charles I of Württemberg
Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Württemberg, 1817.svg
Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Württemberg, 1817
Royal Monogram of King Charles I of Württemberg, Variant.svg
Royal Monogram of King Charles I of Württemberg, Variant

Ancestry

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Family of Charles I of Württemberg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
16. Charles Alexander, Duke of Württemberg (=24)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
8. Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg (=12)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
17. Princess Maria Augusta of Thurn and Taxis (=25)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4. Frederick I of Württemberg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
18. Margrave Frederick William of Brandenburg-Schwedt (=26)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
9. Margravine Sophia Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt (=13)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
19. Princess Sophia Dorothea of Prussia (=27)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2. William I of Württemberg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
20. Charles I, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
10. Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
21. Princess Philippine Charlotte of Prussia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5. Duchess Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
22. Frederick, Prince of Wales
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
11. Princess Augusta of Great Britain
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
23. Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1. Charles I of Württemberg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
24. Charles Alexander, Duke of Württemberg (=16)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
12. Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg (=8)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
25. Princess Maria Augusta of Thurn and Taxis (=17)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
6. Duke Louis of Württemberg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
26. Margrave Frederick William of Brandenburg-Schwedt (=18)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
13. Margravine Sophia Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt (=9)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
27. Princess Sophia Dorothea of Prussia (=19)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3. Duchess Pauline Therese of Württemberg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
28. Charles August, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
14. Charles Christian, Duke of Nassau-Weilburg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
29. Princess Augusta of Nassau-Idstein
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
7. Princess Henriette of Nassau-Weilburg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
30. William IV, Prince of Orange
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
15. Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
31. Anne, Princess Royal
 
 
 
 
 
 

Bibliography

For Karl's homosexuality and other familiar issues:

  • Queen Olga of Württemberg. Traum der Jugend goldener Stern, Reutlingen, Günther Neske, 1955
  • Jette Sachs-Colignon. Königin Olga von Württemberg, Stieglitz, 2002
  • Paul Sauer. Regent mit mildem Zepter. König Karl von Württemberg, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt Stuttgart, 1999

Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 Sabine Thomsen. Die württembergischen Königinnen. Charlotte Mathilde, Katharina, Pauline, Olga, Charlotte – ihr Leben und Wirken [The Queens of Wuerttemberg: Charlotte Matilde, Katharina, Pauline, Olga, Charlotte – Their Lives and Legacies]. Silberburg-Verlag, 2006.
  2. Jette Sachs-Colignon. Königin Olga von Württemberg, Stieglitz, 2002.
  3. [Mann für Mann, Bernd-Ulrich Hergemöller, Pages 409, 410]
  4. Wikisource-logo.svg One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainLua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.


External links

Charles I of Württemberg
Born: 6 March 1823 Died: 6 October 1891
Regnal titles
Preceded by King of Württemberg
1864 – 1891
Succeeded by
William II