Prince Frederick Charles Alexander of Prussia (German: Friedrich Karl Alexander; 29 June 1801 – 21 January 1883) was a younger son of Frederick William III of Prussia. He served as a Prussian general for much of his adult life and became the first Herrenmeister (Grand Master) of the Order of Saint John after its restoration as a chivalric order.[1] Nevertheless, he is perhaps remembered more often for his patronage of art and for his sizable collections of art and armor.
Prince Charles entered the Prussian army in 1811 at the age of ten, with the rank of lieutenant in a regiment of the guards. In 1819, he became a member of the Prussian Staatsrat. In 1820, he became a major in the First Regiment of Foot Guards. In 1822, he became colonel of the 12th Infantry Regiment. In 1824, he was promoted to major general. In 1830, he commanded the 2nd Guards Division. He was further promoted to lieutenant-general in 1832 and general of infantry in 1844. He served as Inspector-General (1848) and as Generalfeldzeugmeister and chief of the artillery (1854).
The family lived in Wilhelmstrasse, opposite the residence of German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck.[3] In possession of great wealth and a great art collector, his palace contained many art treasures.[1] Charles was also a collector of rare weaponry, and carefully acquired and preserved knives, swords, daggers, rifles, pistols, and revolvers from many different countries and time periods.[3] As a result of his vast collection, one source stated his palace was "one of the most famous repositories of bric-a-brac in Europe...his collection of arms and armor is believed to know no rival save in the great State armories at Turin and Vienna".[1]
Marie died in January 1877, only five months before what would have been the golden jubilee of their wedding. Although they had married for family and dynastic reasons, their marriage had been happy and harmonious, and they had been deeply attached to each other. After her death, Charles aged rapidly, and gradually grew infirm from ailments typical of advancing age. In 1882, his foot slipped while he was getting up from the dinner table, causing him to fall down heavily and fracture his left thighbone.[1] The fall and fracture accentuated his ailments, and it was reported that survival was unlikely.[1] He died in Berlin a few months later, on 21 January 1883, aged 81. His last words were "Long live the Emperor."[2]
^ abcdef"Prince Charles of Prussia", The New York Times, Berlin, 19 June 1882
^ abc"Kaiser William's Brother Dead", The New York Times, Berlin, 22 January 1883
^ ab"Prince Charles of Prussia", The New York Times, 8 February 1883
^Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Preußen (1882–83), Genealogy p. 2
^ abcdef"Königlich Preussische Ordensliste", Preussische Ordens-Liste (in German), 1, Berlin: 8, 20, 30, 573, 921, 964, 1877 – via hathitrust.org
^Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Herzogtum Anhalt (1867) "Herzoglicher Haus-orden Albrecht des Bären" p. 16
^Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreichs Bayern (in German). Königl. Oberpostamt. 1867. p. 10. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
^Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden (1873), "Großherzogliche Orden" pp. 59, 63, 73
^Staatshandbücher für das Herzogtums Sachsen-Altenburg (1869), "Herzogliche Sachsen-Ernestinischer Hausorden" p. 20
^Staat Hannover (1857). Hof- und Staatshandbuch für das Königreich Hannover: 1857. Berenberg. pp. 32, 64.
^Kurfürstlich Hessisches Hof- und Staatshandbuch: 1856. Waisenhaus. 1856. p. 11.
^Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Hessen (1879), "Großherzogliche Orden und Ehrenzeichen" pp. 10, 130
^Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Großherzogtums Oldenburg: für das Jahr 1872/73, "Der Großherzogliche Haus-und Verdienst Orden" p. 30
^Staatshandbuch für das Großherzogtum Sachsen / Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach (1869), "Großherzogliche Hausorden" p. 11
^Staatshandbuch für das Großherzogtum Sachsen / Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach (1880), "Großherzogliche Hausorden" p. 13
^Staatshandbuch für den Freistaat Sachsen: 1865/66. Heinrich. 1866. p. 4.
^Württemberg (Kingdom). Statistisches Landesamt (1877). Staatshandbuch für Württemberg. Druck von W. Kohlhammer. pp. 21, 52.
^"A Szent István Rend tagjai" 22 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
^H. Tarlier (1854). Almanach royal officiel, publié, exécution d'un arrête du roi (in French). Vol. 1. p. 37.
^Jørgen Pedersen (2009). Riddere af Elefantordenen, 1559–2009 (in Danish). Syddansk Universitetsforlag. p. 468. ISBN978-87-7674-434-2.
^M. & B. Wattel (2009). Les Grand'Croix de la Légion d'honneur de 1805 à nos jours. Titulaires français et étrangers. Paris: Archives & Culture. p. 510. ISBN978-2-35077-135-9.
^The Royal Tourist—Kalakaua's Letters Home from Tokio to London. Editor: Richard A. Greer. Data: 10 March 1881
^"Militaire Willems-Orde: Preussen, Friedrich Karl Alexander Prinz von" [Military William Order: Prussia, Frederick Charles Alexander Prince of]. Ministerie van Defensie (in Dutch). 25 August 1878. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
^"Caballeros de la insigne orden del toisón de oro", Guía Oficial de España (in Spanish), 1882, p. 136, retrieved 14 June 2020
^"Sveriges statskalender" (in Swedish). 1877. p. 369. Retrieved 6 January 2018 – via runeberg.org.
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This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Prince Charles of Prussia news newspapers books scholar JSTOR December 2009 Learn how and when to remove this message Prince Frederick Charles Alexander of Prussia German Friedrich Karl Alexander 29 June 1801 21 January 1883 was a younger son of Frederick William III of Prussia He served as a Prussian general for much of his adult life and became the first Herrenmeister Grand Master of the Order of Saint John after its restoration as a chivalric order 1 Nevertheless he is perhaps remembered more often for his patronage of art and for his sizable collections of art and armor Prince Charles of PrussiaPortrait by Franz Kruger 1852Born 1801 06 29 29 June 1801Charlottenburg Palace Brandenburg Holy Roman EmpireDied21 January 1883 1883 01 21 aged 81 Berlin German EmpireBurialSs Peter and Paul Wannsee BerlinSpousePrincess Marie of Saxe Weimar EisenachIssuePrince Friedrich KarlLouise Landgravine of Hesse Philippsthal BarchfeldAnna Landgravine of HesseNamesGerman Friedrich Karl AlexanderEnglish Frederick Charles AlexanderHouseHouse of HohenzollernFatherFrederick William III of PrussiaMotherLouise of Mecklenburg Strelitz Contents 1 Background and family 2 Army career 3 Marriage and issue 4 Death 5 Honours 6 Ancestry 7 References 8 External linksBackground and family edit nbsp The Prussian Crown Prince and Princess arrive on the steamer Ishora in St Petersburg in June 1834 painting by Leopold Ludwig Muller Charles was born in Charlottenburg Palace near Berlin the third son of Frederick William III of Prussia by his wife Louise of Mecklenburg Strelitz He was named Frederick Charles Alexander at birth but came to be known as Charles because there were several other Fredericks in his family at that time His father was already King of Prussia by the time of Charles birth and both of his elder brothers were to succeed to the throne while his elder sister Charlotte would marry Tsar Nicholas I of Russia Charles also had two younger sisters Alexandra and Louise and a younger brother Albert His male line granddaughter Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia married Prince Arthur Duke of Connaught and Strathearn third son of Queen Victoria Army career edit nbsp Photograph of Prince Charles of Prussia c 1860 Prince Charles entered the Prussian army in 1811 at the age of ten with the rank of lieutenant in a regiment of the guards In 1819 he became a member of the Prussian Staatsrat In 1820 he became a major in the First Regiment of Foot Guards In 1822 he became colonel of the 12th Infantry Regiment In 1824 he was promoted to major general In 1830 he commanded the 2nd Guards Division He was further promoted to lieutenant general in 1832 and general of infantry in 1844 He served as Inspector General 1848 and as Generalfeldzeugmeister and chief of the artillery 1854 Charles served as Governor of Mainz from 1864 to 1866 In 1852 he became Herrenmeister of the Order of Saint John Bailiwick of Brandenburg Marriage and issue editOn 26 May 1827 in Charlottenburg Charles married Princess Marie of Saxe Weimar Eisenach a daughter of Charles Frederick Grand Duke of Saxe Weimar Eisenach and his wife Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia 2 Two years later in 1829 Marie s younger sister Augusta would marry Charles older brother Wilhelm the future Kaiser Charles and Marie had three children together Image Name Birth Death Notes nbsp Prince Friedrich Karl Nikolaus of Prussia 20 March 1828 15 June 1885 Married Princess Maria Anna of Anhalt Dessau father of 1 son and 3 daughters including Louise Margaret Duchess of Connaught and Strathearn nbsp Princess Marie Louise Anna of Prussia 1 March 1829 10 May 1901 Married Alexis Landgrave of Hesse Philippsthal Barchfeld nbsp Princess Maria Anna Friederike of Prussia 17 May 1836 12 June 1918 Married Friedrich Wilhelm of Hesse Kassel The family lived in Wilhelmstrasse opposite the residence of German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck 3 In possession of great wealth and a great art collector his palace contained many art treasures 1 Charles was also a collector of rare weaponry and carefully acquired and preserved knives swords daggers rifles pistols and revolvers from many different countries and time periods 3 As a result of his vast collection one source stated his palace was one of the most famous repositories of bric a brac in Europe his collection of arms and armor is believed to know no rival save in the great State armories at Turin and Vienna 1 Death edit nbsp The Study of Prince Karl of Prussia by Eduard Gaertner Marie died in January 1877 only five months before what would have been the golden jubilee of their wedding Although they had married for family and dynastic reasons their marriage had been happy and harmonious and they had been deeply attached to each other After her death Charles aged rapidly and gradually grew infirm from ailments typical of advancing age In 1882 his foot slipped while he was getting up from the dinner table causing him to fall down heavily and fracture his left thighbone 1 The fall and fracture accentuated his ailments and it was reported that survival was unlikely 1 He died in Berlin a few months later on 21 January 1883 aged 81 His last words were Long live the Emperor 2 At the time of his death Charles was the only surviving brother of Emperor Wilhelm I His death disrupted plans for the celebration of the silver wedding anniversary of his nephew Crown Prince Frederick William as well as plans for a visit from the Prince and Princess of Wales to Berlin 1 2 Honours editHe received the following decorations and awards 4 German honours nbsp Prussia Knight of the Black Eagle 29 June 1811 with Collar 1841 5 Grand Commander s Cross of the House Order of Hohenzollern 1851 with Star 17 March 1863 with Swords 1873 5 Master of Knights of the Johanniter Order 1853 5 Grand Cross of the Red Eagle with Oak Leaves 18 October 1861 with Swords 1864 5 Knight of the Crown Order 1st Class 18 October 1861 5 Iron Cross 1870 1st Class Pour le Merite military 28 July 1866 5 Service Award Cross nbsp Ascanian duchies Grand Cross of the Order of Albert the Bear 16 December 1839 with Swords 18 November 1864 6 nbsp Bavaria Knight of St Hubert 1853 7 Grand Cross of the Military Merit Order nbsp Brunswick Grand Cross of the Order of Henry the Lion nbsp Baden 8 Knight of the House Order of Fidelity 1847 Grand Cross of the Zahringer Lion 1847 Grand Cross of the Military Karl Friedrich Merit Order 1871 nbsp nbsp nbsp Ernestine duchies Grand Cross of the Saxe Ernestine House Order January 1850 9 with Swords nbsp Hanover 10 Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order 1835 Knight of St George 1839 nbsp Hesse Kassel Grand Cross of the Golden Lion 5 September 1841 11 nbsp Hesse Darmstadt 12 Grand Cross of the Ludwig Order 29 June 1851 Military Merit Cross for 1870 71 16 March 1871 nbsp Hohenzollern Cross of Honour of the Princely House Order of Hohenzollern 1st Class with Swords nbsp Mecklenburg Grand Cross of the Wendish Crown with Crown in Ore Military Merit Cross 1st Class Schwerin Cross for Distinction in War Strelitz nbsp Oldenburg Grand Cross of the Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig with Golden Crown and Collar 16 May 1850 13 nbsp Saxe Weimar Eisenach Grand Cross of the White Falcon 15 December 1826 14 with Swords 1875 15 nbsp Saxony Knight of the Rue Crown 1846 16 Grand Cross of the Order of Merit with Swords nbsp Schaumburg Lippe Military Merit Medal nbsp Wurttemberg 17 Grand Cross of the Wurttemberg Crown 1841 Grand Cross of the Military Merit Order 30 December 1870 Foreign honours nbsp Austrian Empire Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of St Stephen 1835 18 Military Merit Cross with War Decoration nbsp Belgium Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold 6 May 1853 19 nbsp Denmark Knight of the Elephant 26 May 1853 20 nbsp French Empire Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour August 1867 21 nbsp Kingdom of Greece Grand Cross of the Redeemer nbsp Kingdom of Hawaii Grand Cross of the Order of Kalakaua 1881 22 nbsp Monaco Grand Cross of St Charles 6 April 1869 23 nbsp Netherlands Commander of the Military William Order 25 August 1878 24 Grand Cross of the Netherlands Lion nbsp Ottoman Empire Order of Osmanieh 1st Class in Diamonds nbsp Beylik of Tunis Husainid Family Order in Diamonds nbsp Kingdom of Portugal Grand Cross of the Tower and Sword with Collar nbsp Russian Empire Knight of St Andrew 25 June 1820 Knight of St Alexander Nevsky Knight of the White Eagle Knight of St Anna 1st Class Knight of St Stanislaus 1st Class Knight of St George 4th Class 26 November 1869 3rd Class 22 October 1872 Knight of St Vladimir 1st Class nbsp Kingdom of Sardinia Knight of the Annunciation nbsp Siam Knight of the Crown of Siam 1st Class nbsp Spain Knight of the Golden Fleece 5 May 1865 25 nbsp nbsp Sweden Norway Knight of the Seraphim 22 March 1873 26 nbsp Two Sicilies Grand Cross of St Ferdinand and MeritAncestry editAncestors of Prince Charles of Prussia8 Prince Augustus William of Prussia4 Frederick William II of Prussia9 Duchess Luise of Brunswick Wolfenbuttel2 Frederick William III of Prussia10 Louis IX Landgrave of Hesse Darmstadt5 Princess Frederica Louisa of Hesse Darmstadt11 Countess Palatine Caroline of Zweibrucken1 Prince Charles of Prussia12 Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg Strelitz6 Charles II Grand Duke of Mecklenburg Strelitz13 Princess Elisabeth Albertine of Saxe Hildburghausen3 Duchess Louise of Mecklenburg Strelitz14 Prince George William of Hesse Darmstadt7 Princess Friederike of Hesse Darmstadt15 Countess Maria Louise Albertine of Leiningen Dagsburg FalkenburgReferences edit a b c d e f Prince Charles of Prussia The New York Times Berlin 19 June 1882 a b c Kaiser William s Brother Dead The New York Times Berlin 22 January 1883 a b Prince Charles of Prussia The New York Times 8 February 1883 Hof und Staats Handbuch des Konigreich Preussen 1882 83 Genealogy p 2 a b c d e f Koniglich Preussische Ordensliste Preussische Ordens Liste in German 1 Berlin 8 20 30 573 921 964 1877 via hathitrust org Hof und Staats Handbuch des Herzogtum Anhalt 1867 Herzoglicher Haus orden Albrecht des Baren p 16 Hof und Staats Handbuch des Konigreichs Bayern in German Konigl Oberpostamt 1867 p 10 Retrieved 15 July 2019 Hof und Staats Handbuch des Grossherzogtum Baden 1873 Grossherzogliche Orden pp 59 63 73 Staatshandbucher fur das Herzogtums Sachsen Altenburg 1869 Herzogliche Sachsen Ernestinischer Hausorden p 20 Staat Hannover 1857 Hof und Staatshandbuch fur das Konigreich Hannover 1857 Berenberg pp 32 64 Kurfurstlich Hessisches Hof und Staatshandbuch 1856 Waisenhaus 1856 p 11 Hof und Staats Handbuch des Grossherzogtum Hessen 1879 Grossherzogliche Orden und Ehrenzeichen pp 10 130 Hof und Staatshandbuch des Grossherzogtums Oldenburg fur das Jahr 1872 73 Der Grossherzogliche Haus und Verdienst Orden p 30 Staatshandbuch fur das Grossherzogtum Sachsen Sachsen Weimar Eisenach 1869 Grossherzogliche Hausorden p 11 Staatshandbuch fur das Grossherzogtum Sachsen Sachsen Weimar Eisenach 1880 Grossherzogliche Hausorden p 13 Staatshandbuch fur den Freistaat Sachsen 1865 66 Heinrich 1866 p 4 Wurttemberg Kingdom Statistisches Landesamt 1877 Staatshandbuch fur Wurttemberg Druck von W Kohlhammer pp 21 52 A Szent Istvan Rend tagjai Archived 22 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine H Tarlier 1854 Almanach royal officiel publie execution d un arrete du roi in French Vol 1 p 37 Jorgen Pedersen 2009 Riddere af Elefantordenen 1559 2009 in Danish Syddansk Universitetsforlag p 468 ISBN 978 87 7674 434 2 M amp B Wattel 2009 Les Grand Croix de la Legion d honneur de 1805 a nos jours Titulaires francais et etrangers Paris Archives amp Culture p 510 ISBN 978 2 35077 135 9 The Royal Tourist Kalakaua s Letters Home from Tokio to London Editor Richard A Greer Data 10 March 1881 Sovereign Ordonnance of 6 April 1869 Militaire Willems Orde Preussen Friedrich Karl Alexander Prinz von Military William Order Prussia Frederick Charles Alexander Prince of Ministerie van Defensie in Dutch 25 August 1878 Retrieved 14 June 2020 Caballeros de la insigne orden del toison de oro Guia Oficial de Espana in Spanish 1882 p 136 retrieved 14 June 2020 Sveriges statskalender in Swedish 1877 p 369 Retrieved 6 January 2018 via runeberg org External links edit nbsp Media related to Carl of Prussia at Wikimedia Commons Prince Charles of PrussiaHouse of HohenzollernBorn 29 June 1801 Died 21 January 1883 Preceded byAugust Ferdinand Prinz von Preussen Herrenmeister Grand Master of the Order of Saint John1853 1883 Succeeded byAlbrecht Prinz von Preussen Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Prince Charles of Prussia amp oldid 1221649133, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
