Charles II, Elector Palatine
| Charles II, Elector Palatine | |
|---|---|
 Charles II, Elector Palatine | |
| Spouse(s) | Princess Wilhelmina Ernestine of Denmark |
| Noble family | House of Wittelsbach |
| Father | Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine |
| Mother | Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel |
| Born |
31 March 1651 Heidelberg |
| Died |
26 May 1685 (aged 34) Heidelberg |
Charles II (German: Karl II.; 31 March 1651, Heidelberg – 26 May 1685, Heidelberg) was Elector Palatine from 1680 to 1685. He was the son of Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine and Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel.
Rule
His short reign was not glamorous. He appointed his incompetent former tutor Paul Hachenberg as chief minister, leaving his half-siblings, the "Raugraves", out of favor. He brought back his mother from Kassel and paid her immense debts. Charles was of a weak and timid nature, marked by familial childhood experiences. He showed a superficial enthusiasm for military life. Charles was a strict Calvinist. In 1671, his aunt, Electress Sophia of Hanover, arranged his marriage to Princess Wilhelmine Ernestine of Denmark, daughter of King Frederick III of Denmark. Their marriage was childless.
Upon his death, the Electoral Palatinate passed to the Catholic Neuburg branch of the family. The rival claims to the Palatinate of his sister, Elizabeth Charlotte, Duchess of Orleans, Louis XIV of France's sister-in-law, was the pretext for the French invasion of the Palatinate in 1688, which began the Nine Years War.
Ancestry
| Charles II, Elector Palatine | Father: Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine |
Paternal Grandfather: Frederick V, Elector Palatine |
Paternal Great-grandfather: Frederick IV, Elector Palatine |
| Paternal Great-grandmother: Louise Juliana of Nassau | |||
| Paternal Grandmother: Elizabeth of England |
Paternal Great-grandfather: James I, King of England | ||
| Paternal Great-grandmother: Anne of Denmark | |||
| Mother: Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel |
Maternal Grandfather: William V, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel |
Maternal Great-grandfather: Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel | |
| Maternal Great-grandmother: Agnes of Solms-Laubach | |||
| Maternal Grandmother: Amalie Elisabeth of Hanau-Münzenberg |
Maternal Great-grandfather: Philip Louis II, Count of Hanau-Münzenberg | ||
| Maternal Great-grandmother: Catharina Belgica of Nassau |
| Charles II, Elector Palatine Born: 1651 Died: 1685 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Charles I Louis |
Elector Palatine 1680-1685 |
Succeeded by Philip William |
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