Charles Alexander, Duke of Württemberg

Charles Alexander, Duke of Württemberg
Charles Alexander of Württemberg
Spouse(s)	Maria Augusta of Thurn and Taxis
Noble family	House of Württemberg
Father	Frederick Charles, Duke of Württemberg-Winnental
Mother	Eleonore Juliane of Brandenburg-Ansbach
Born	24 May 1684 Stuttgart
Died	12 March 1737 (aged 52) Ludwigsburg
Religion	Roman Catholicism (previously Lutheranism)

Charles Alexander of Württemberg (24 May 1684 – 12 March 1737) was a Württemberg noble from 1698 who governed the Kingdom of Serbia as regent from 1720 until 1733, when he assumed the position of Duke of Württemberg, which he had held until his death.

Biography

Born in Stuttgart, he was the eldest son of Frederick Charles, Duke of Württemberg-Winnental, and Eleonore Juliane of Brandenburg-Ansbach.^[1]

He succeeded his father as Duke of Württemberg-Winnental in 1698. As a successful army-commander in service of the Holy Roman Emperor, he had converted to Roman Catholicism in 1712. He was militarily successful under Prince Eugene of Savoy in the Spanish War of Succession as well as in the war against the Turks. In 1719 he was appointed imperial governor of Belgrade.

In 1720 Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI appointed him governor of the Kingdom of Serbia in Belgrade. After 13 years of autocratic reigning over Serbia, in 1733 Charles Alexander inherited the Duchy of Württemberg centered around Stuttgart from his cousin, Eberhard Louis. As Duke of Württemberg he moved the court back from Ludwigsburg to Stuttgart. He ruled over the duchy until his sudden death in 1737, and was succeeded by his nine-year-old son, Charles Eugene.

During his reign, he employed as his financier the ill-fated Joseph Süss Oppenheimer, who was executed in 1738 for abuse of office during the reign of the duke.

He married Maria Augusta Anna of Thurn and Taxis (11 August 1706 – 1 February 1756).

In literature and film

Although the story of Duke Karl Alexander and Joseph Süß Oppenheimer constituted a relatively obscure episode in German history, it became the subject of a number of literary and dramatic treatments over the course of more than a century; the earliest of these having been Wilhelm Hauff's 1827 novella, titled Jud Süß.^[2] The most successful literary adaptation was Lion Feuchtwanger's 1925 novel titled Jud Süß based on a play that he had written in 1916 but subsequently withdrew.

Ashley Dukes and Paul Kornfeld also wrote dramatic adaptations of the Feuchtwanger novel. In 1934, Lothar Mendes directed "Jew Süss", a film adaptation of the novel.^[3]

Charles Alexander and his relationship with Oppenheimer is fictionally portrayed in Veit Harlan's 1940 Nazi propaganda film titled Jud Süß.

Although inspired by the historical details of Süß's life, Hauff's novella, Feuchtwanger's novel, and Harlan's film only loosely correspond to the historical sources available at the Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg.

Ancestors

Ancestors of Charles Alexander, Duke of Württemberg

16. Frederick I, Duke of Württemberg               8. Johann Frederick, Duke of Württemberg                       17. Sibylla of Anhalt               4. Eberhard III, Duke of Württemberg                             18. Joachim Frederick, Elector of Brandenburg               9. Barbara Sophie of Brandenburg                       19. Catherine of Brandenburg-Küstrin               2. Frederick Charles, Duke of Württemberg-Winnental                                   20. Otto I, Wild- and Rhinegrave of Kyrburg-Mörchingen               10. John Casimir, Wild- and Rhinegrave of Salm-Kyrburg                       21. Otillie of Nassau-Weilburg               5. Anna Catherine, Wild- and Rhinegravine of Salm-Kyrburg                             22. John George I, Count of Solms-Laubach (= 26)               11. Dorothea of Solms-Laubach                       23. Margaret of Schönberg-Glauchau (= 23)               1. Charles Alexander, Duke of Württemberg                                         24. John George, Elector of Brandenburg               12. Joachim Ernst, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach                       25. Elisabeth of Anhalt-Zerbst               6. Albert II, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach                             26. John George I, Count of Solms-Laubach (= 22)               13. Sophie of Solms-Laubach                       27. Margaret of Schönburg-Glauchau (= 23)               3. Eleonore Juliane of Brandenburg-Ansbach                                   28. Louis Eberhard, Count of Oettingen-Oettingen               14. Joachim Ernst, Count of Oettingen-Oettingen                       29. Margaret of Erbach               7. Sophie Margarete of Oettingen-Oettingen                             30. Henry William I, Count of Solms-Sonnewalde               15. Anna Sibylle of Solms-Sonnewalde                       31. Sophia Dorothea of Mansfeld-Arnstein

See also

• Great Turkish War

Notes

1. Encyclopædia Britannica (mentioned as "Charles Alexander")
2. Magill, Frank Northen (1985). Magill's survey of cinema, foreign language films. Salem Press. ISBN 978-0-89356-247-2. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
3. Haines, B.; Parker, S. (17 March 2010). AESTHETICS AND POLITICS IN MODERN GERMAN CULTURE. Peter Lang. pp. 42–44. ISBN 978-3-03911-355-2. Retrieved 27 October 2011.