Christian III, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken

Christian III
Count Palatine of Zweibrücken

Born 7 November 1674
Strassburg
Died 3 February 1735
Zweibrücken
Burial Alexander Church in Zweibrücken
Spouse Caroline of Nassau-Saarbrücken
Issue See issue link
House House of Wittelsbach
Father Christian II of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld
Mother Katharina Agathe, Countess of Rappoltstein
Another portrait of Christian III

Christian III, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld (Strassburg, 7 November 1674 Zweibrücken, 3 February 1735) was a German nobleman. He was a member of the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld, a cadet branch of the House of Wittelsbach. He was the son of Christian II of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld and Katharina Agathe, Countess of Rappoltstein. He was Duke and Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld from 1717 to 1731. In 1731, he inherited the sovereign duchy of Palatinate-Zweibrücken and thus became Count Palatine and Duke of Zweibrücken. He was also Count of Rappoltstein from 1699 until his death.

Life

Christian was born in Strasbourg in 1674. He was the only son of Christian II, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld to survive into adulthood.

He began his career in the French military in 1697 and took over the Alsatian regiment. In 1699, he inherited the County of Rappoltstein from his mother. In 1702 he became Field marshal and in 1704 he was promoted to Lieutenant General. He excelled militarily at the Battle of Oudenaarde in 1708.

In 1717, his father died. He left the army and took up administration of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld, which was a small part of the County of Sponheim. In 1731, Count Palatine Gustavus Samuel Leopold of Zweibrücken died childless and Christian III inherited his territory. His relatives objected, but in a treaty with Elector Palatine Charles III Philip concluded in Mannheim on 24 December 1733, it was agreed that Christian would receive Palatinate-Zweibrücken.

He died in Zweibrücken in1735 and was buried in the Alexander Church in Zweibrücken.

Marriage and issue

In 1719, at Schloss Lorentzen, he married Caroline of Nassau-Saarbrücken (1704–1774) and had four children.

NamePortraitBirthDeathNotes
Caroline Henriette Christine
Landgravine of Hesse-Darmstadt
9 March 1721 30 March 1774 Married in 1741 Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, had issue
Christian IV
Count Palatine of Zweibrücken
6 September 1722 5 November 1775 Married morganatically in 1751 Maria Johanna Camasse, had issue
Frederick Michael
Count Palatine of Zweibrücken
27 February 1724 15 August 1767 Married in 1746 Countess Palatine Maria Franziska of Sulzbach, had issue
Christiane Henriette
Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont
16 November 1725 11 February 1816 Married in 1741 Karl August, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, had issue

Ancestry

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Christian III of Palatinate-Zweibrücken.
Christian III, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken
Born: 7 November 1674 Died: 3 February 1735
Preceded by
Katharina Agathe
Count of Rappoltstein
1699-1735
Succeeded by
Christian IV
Preceded by
Christian II
Count at Sponheim
1717–1735
Preceded by
Gustav
Duke of Zweibrücken
1731–1735
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, March 27, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.