Frederick Augustus, Duke of Württemberg-Neuenstadt
Encyclopedia
Frederick Augustus of Württemberg-Neuenstadt (Neuenstadt am Kocher
, 12 March 1654 – 6 August 1716 in Gochsheim
) was Duke of Württemberg
and second Duke of Württemberg-Neuenstadt
.
. His wife was Clara Augusta of Brunswick. The branch line of Württemberg-Neuenstadt
held responsibility for the town of Neuenstadt am Kocher
, Möckmühl
and parts of Weinsberg
. They bore the title of duke although they held no state sovereignty which remained within the main duchy of Württemberg
.
In 1674 the state became embroiled in the Franco-Dutch War
. Frederick Augustus sided with Brunswick-Lüneburg
, joining their regiment as a Rittmeister
(a commissioned cavalry officer in charge of a squadron). He was involved in a number of key battles, including the Battle of Konzer Brucke
outside Trier
in which the horses he was riding were killed three times. Before the end of the war his father called for his return in order to name him successor to the duchy and remove him from subsequent danger.
Frederick Augustus married Countess Albertine Sophie Esther on 9 February 1679, the last remaining member of the counts of Eberstein
(now known as Alt-Eberstein). This brought ownership of the Kraichgau
towns such as Gochsheim
, Waldangelloch and properties along the border to Lorraine. The newly weds had Gochsheim Castle
renovated and used it as their residence from 1682 onwards.
Frederick Augustus's father died in March of the same year, leaving his son to take on the business of running the duchy. In 1689 French troops crossed the river Rhine during a campaign of the War of the Grand Alliance
. Frederick Augustus withdrew to the north east corner of his duchy, taking up residence in Neuenstadt
. In his absence, the town and castle in Gochsheim
were almost completely destroyed by the French enemy.
It was not until the Treaty of Ryswick
in 1697 that reconstruction work started again and Frederick Augustus brought in 220 Waldensians
and Huguenot
s which he settled in a specially planned town coined “Augustistadt” (Augustus town) to the north of Gochsheim
. The project ran into one difficulty after another and enjoyed mediocre success such that most settlers soon moved on again. Despite this, the castle was ready for occupation again in 1700.
Duke Frederick Augustus died of dysentery
on 6 August 1716 in Gochsheim. His grave still stands in the Martinskirche church in Gochsheim, next to his wife who died in 1728. Gochsheim became an obsolete fiefdom
. As the couple had no surviving male children, Frederick Augustus’s brother, Carl Rudolf
, succeeded him as Duke of Württemberg-Neuenstadt
.
Children:
1. Friedrich Kasimir (7 – 9 October 1680)
2. Ludwig Frederick (1–9 November 1681)
3. Unnamed daughter (9 March 1683)
4. Frederick Samuel (11–23 May 1684)
5. Unnamed daughter (3 July 1685)
6. Augustus Frederick (4 April 1687 - 21 July 1687)
7. Karl (26 December 1688 - 19 March 1689)
8. Adam (30 May 1690 – 3 July 1690)
9. Auguste Sofie (24 September 1691 - 1 March 1743)
10. Eleonore Wilhelmine Charlotte (24 January 1694 - 11 August 1751)
11. Unnamed daughter (21 November 1695)
12. Unnamed son (29 August 1697)
13. Friederike (27 July 1699 - 8 May 1781)
14. Frederick (6 July 1701 - 21 October 1701)
Neuenstadt am Kocher
Neuenstadt, usually known as Neuenstadt am Kocher is a town in Baden-Württemberg in south-western Germany with 9,600 inhabitants...
, 12 March 1654 – 6 August 1716 in Gochsheim
Kraichtal
Kraichtal is a town in the north-eastern part of the Karlsruhe district in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was founded in 1971 by a merger of nine smaller municipalities.-Geography:...
) was Duke of 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....
and second Duke of Württemberg-Neuenstadt
Württemberg-Neuenstadt
Württemberg-Neuenstadt was the name of two branch lines of the ducal House of Württemberg in the 17th and 18th century. It was named after the town of residence, Neuenstadt.- First branch line :...
.
Life
Frederick Augustus was the first-born child of Duke Frederick of Neuenstadt who established the second branch line of the Duchy of Württemberg-NeuenstadtWürttemberg-Neuenstadt
Württemberg-Neuenstadt was the name of two branch lines of the ducal House of Württemberg in the 17th and 18th century. It was named after the town of residence, Neuenstadt.- First branch line :...
. His wife was Clara Augusta of Brunswick. The branch line of Württemberg-Neuenstadt
Württemberg-Neuenstadt
Württemberg-Neuenstadt was the name of two branch lines of the ducal House of Württemberg in the 17th and 18th century. It was named after the town of residence, Neuenstadt.- First branch line :...
held responsibility for the town of Neuenstadt am Kocher
Neuenstadt am Kocher
Neuenstadt, usually known as Neuenstadt am Kocher is a town in Baden-Württemberg in south-western Germany with 9,600 inhabitants...
, Möckmühl
Möckmühl
Möckmühl is a town in the district of Heilbronn, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the river Jagst, 22 km northeast of Heilbronn....
and parts of Weinsberg
Weinsberg
Weinsberg is a town in the north of the German state Baden-Württemberg. It was founded ca. 1200 and is situated in the Heilbronn district. The town has about 11,800 inhabitants. It is noted for its wine...
. They bore the title of duke although they held no state sovereignty which remained within the main duchy of 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....
.
In 1674 the state became embroiled in the Franco-Dutch War
Franco-Dutch War
The Franco-Dutch War, often called simply the Dutch War was a war fought by France, Sweden, the Bishopric of Münster, the Archbishopric of Cologne and England against the United Netherlands, which were later joined by the Austrian Habsburg lands, Brandenburg and Spain to form a quadruple alliance...
. Frederick Augustus sided with Brunswick-Lüneburg
Brunswick-Lüneburg
The Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , or more properly Duchy of Brunswick and Lüneburg, was an historical ducal state from the late Middle Ages until the late Early Modern era within the North-Western domains of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, in what is now northern Germany...
, joining their regiment as a Rittmeister
Rittmeister
Rotamaster was the military rank of a commissioned cavalry officer in charge of a squadron , the equivalent of O3 or Captain, in the German-speaking armies, Austro-Hungarian, Polish-Lithuanian, Russian and some other states.The exact name of this rank maintains a variety of spellings in different...
(a commissioned cavalry officer in charge of a squadron). He was involved in a number of key battles, including the Battle of Konzer Brucke
Battle of Konzer Brucke
The Battle of Konzer Brücke was fought as part of the Franco-Dutch War on 11 August 1675 and resulted in an Imperial victory.-Prelude:...
outside Trier
Trier
Trier, historically called in English Treves is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC....
in which the horses he was riding were killed three times. Before the end of the war his father called for his return in order to name him successor to the duchy and remove him from subsequent danger.
Frederick Augustus married Countess Albertine Sophie Esther on 9 February 1679, the last remaining member of the counts of Eberstein
Alt Eberstein
File:Ebersteinburg Mosaik.jpgThe ruins of Alt-Eberstein, previously known as Schloss Eberstein . It is near the town of Ebersteinburg, just outside of the city of Baden-Baden, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany....
(now known as Alt-Eberstein). This brought ownership of the Kraichgau
Kraichgau
The Kraichgau is a hilly region in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Odenwald and the Neckar to the North, the Black Forest to the South, and the Upper Rhine Plain to the West. To the east, its boundary is considered to be the Stromberg, the Hardt, and the...
towns such as Gochsheim
Kraichtal
Kraichtal is a town in the north-eastern part of the Karlsruhe district in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was founded in 1971 by a merger of nine smaller municipalities.-Geography:...
, Waldangelloch and properties along the border to Lorraine. The newly weds had Gochsheim Castle
Gochsheim Castle
Gochsheim Castle is an old royal residence in the Kraichtal area of Baden-Württemberg, in the north-eastern part of Karlsruhe, Germany. It currently houses a museum and holds around 100 works of local artist Karl Hubbuch who died in 1979....
renovated and used it as their residence from 1682 onwards.
Frederick Augustus's father died in March of the same year, leaving his son to take on the business of running the duchy. In 1689 French troops crossed the river Rhine during a campaign of 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...
. Frederick Augustus withdrew to the north east corner of his duchy, taking up residence in Neuenstadt
Neuenstadt am Kocher
Neuenstadt, usually known as Neuenstadt am Kocher is a town in Baden-Württemberg in south-western Germany with 9,600 inhabitants...
. In his absence, the town and castle in Gochsheim
Gochsheim
Gochsheim is a municipality in the district of Schweinfurt in Bavaria, Germany. Historically, along with its neighboring village of Sennfeld, it had the rare situation of being a Reichsdorf or Imperial Village....
were almost completely destroyed by the French enemy.
It was not until the Treaty of Ryswick
Treaty of Ryswick
The Treaty of Ryswick or Ryswyck was signed on 20 September 1697 and named after Ryswick in the Dutch Republic. The treaty settled the Nine Years' War, which pitted France against the Grand Alliance of England, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire and the United Provinces.Negotiations started in May...
in 1697 that reconstruction work started again and Frederick Augustus brought in 220 Waldensians
Waldensians
Waldensians, Waldenses or Vaudois are names for a Christian movement of the later Middle Ages, descendants of which still exist in various regions, primarily in North-Western Italy. There is considerable uncertainty about the earlier history of the Waldenses because of a lack of extant source...
and Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
s which he settled in a specially planned town coined “Augustistadt” (Augustus town) to the north of Gochsheim
Gochsheim
Gochsheim is a municipality in the district of Schweinfurt in Bavaria, Germany. Historically, along with its neighboring village of Sennfeld, it had the rare situation of being a Reichsdorf or Imperial Village....
. The project ran into one difficulty after another and enjoyed mediocre success such that most settlers soon moved on again. Despite this, the castle was ready for occupation again in 1700.
Duke Frederick Augustus died of dysentery
Shigellosis
Shigellosis, also known as bacillary dysentery or Marlow Syndrome, in its most severe manifestation, is a foodborne illness caused by infection by bacteria of the genus Shigella. Shigellosis rarely occurs in animals other than humans and other primates like monkeys and chimpanzees...
on 6 August 1716 in Gochsheim. His grave still stands in the Martinskirche church in Gochsheim, next to his wife who died in 1728. Gochsheim became an obsolete fiefdom
Fiefdom
A fee was the central element of feudalism and consisted of heritable lands granted under one of several varieties of feudal tenure by an overlord to a vassal who held it in fealty in return for a form of feudal allegiance and service, usually given by the...
. As the couple had no surviving male children, Frederick Augustus’s brother, Carl Rudolf
Carl Rudolf, Duke of Württemberg-Neuenstadt
Carl Rudolf was third and last Duke of Württemberg-Neuenstadt, army commander in Danish service and Field Marshal of the Holy Roman Empire.- Life :...
, succeeded him as Duke of Württemberg-Neuenstadt
Württemberg-Neuenstadt
Württemberg-Neuenstadt was the name of two branch lines of the ducal House of Württemberg in the 17th and 18th century. It was named after the town of residence, Neuenstadt.- First branch line :...
.
Family
Frederick Augustus fathered 14 children of which four children died the day they were born and only three daughters surviving to their first birthday and all three living into adulthood. The duke had autopsies done on all children to ascertain the reason of death, without success. Historians now believe that premature death was often the result of poor hygiene, spoilt milk and mistakes made during childbirth.Children:
1. Friedrich Kasimir (7 – 9 October 1680)
2. Ludwig Frederick (1–9 November 1681)
3. Unnamed daughter (9 March 1683)
4. Frederick Samuel (11–23 May 1684)
5. Unnamed daughter (3 July 1685)
6. Augustus Frederick (4 April 1687 - 21 July 1687)
7. Karl (26 December 1688 - 19 March 1689)
8. Adam (30 May 1690 – 3 July 1690)
9. Auguste Sofie (24 September 1691 - 1 March 1743)
10. Eleonore Wilhelmine Charlotte (24 January 1694 - 11 August 1751)
11. Unnamed daughter (21 November 1695)
12. Unnamed son (29 August 1697)
13. Friederike (27 July 1699 - 8 May 1781)
14. Frederick (6 July 1701 - 21 October 1701)