Frederick Henry, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt
| Frederick Henry, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Spouse(s) | Leopoldine Marie of Anhalt-Dessau |
| Noble family | House of Hohenzollern |
| Father | Philip William, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt |
| Mother | Princess Johanna Charlotte of Anhalt-Dessau |
| Born |
21 August 1709 Schwedt |
| Died |
12 December 1788 (aged 79) Schwedt |
Frederick Henry, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt (21 August 1709, in Schwedt – 12 December 1788, in Schwedt) was the last owner of the Prussian secundogeniture of Brandenburg-Schwedt. His father was Margrave Philip William; his mother was Charlotte Johanna, a daughter of Prince John George II of Anhalt-Dessau and Princess Henriette Catherine of Nassau.
Life
After his father's death in 1711, his mother put Frederick Henry under the guardianship of his uncle Frederick I, and after Frederick I's death in 1713, under the guardianship of his cousin Frederick William I. In 1711, Frederick Henry was made the chief of the Infantry Regiment No. 12. However, he showed little interest in military affairs. In 1733, King Frederick William I was so incensed with the disorder in Frederick Henry's regiment that he was jailed for several weeks. Frederick the Great held little of Frederick Henry's abilities and did not use him. In 1741, Frederick Henry traded the Infantry Regiment No. 12 for the Infantry Regiment No. 42, but again, he cared little, and he left its business to the respective commanders.
When his brother Frederick William died in 1771, Frederick Henry inherited the Lordship of Schwedt-Wildenbruch. As "Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt", he was a patron of the arts, especially theater. In 1755 he acquired the Prinzessinnenpalais in Berlin and in 1785, he contracted the actress Henriette Hendel-Schutz to perform in his Court Theatre.
He married his first cousin Leopoldine Marie of Anhalt-Dessau, a daughter of Prince Leopold I of Anhalt-Dessau, nicknamed the old Dessauer. After the birth of two daughters, he and his wife quarreled so often and so violently, that he banned her to Kolberg for the rest of her life.
When he died in 1788, the junior line of Brandenburg-Schwedt died out and the secundogeniture fell back to the Electorate. His daughters and nieces received a pension.
Daughters
- Louise of Brandenburg-Schwedt (10 August 1750 – 21 December 1811) married Prince (later Duke) Leopold III of Anhalt-Dessau (1740-1817)
- Friederike Charlotte of Brandenburg-Schwedt (18 August 1745 – 23 January 1808), the last Abbess of Herford Abbey
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Frederick Henry, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt. |
- Margrave Frederick Henry of Brandenburg-Schwedt - Portrait of the Margrave on the site of the Castle Association in Schwedt
- Correspondence with Frederick the Great
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