Charles I, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

Charles I, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Charles I, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Spouse(s)	Princess Philippine Charlotte of Prussia
Noble family	House of Guelph
Father	Ferdinand Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Mother	Antoinette Amalie of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Born	1 August 1713 Brunswick
Died	26 March 1780 (aged 66) Brunswick

Charles (German: Karl; 1 August 1713, Braunschweig – 26 March 1780, Braunschweig), Duke of Brunswick-Lunenburg (Bevern line), was ruling as Prince of Wolfenbüttel from 1735 until his death.

Life

Silver coin of Charles I, dated 1764.

Painting by Antoine Pesne.

Charles was the eldest son of Ferdinand Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. He fought under Prince Eugene of Savoy against the Ottoman Empire before inheriting the Principality of Wolfenbüttel from his father in 1735.

On the suggestion of his priest, Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Jerusalem, in 1745 he founded the Collegium Carolinum, an institute of higher education which is today known as the Technical University of Brunswick. He also hired Gotthold Ephraim Lessing as the librarian for the Bibliotheca Augusta, the ducal library. Lorenz Heisters of the University of Helmstedt named the botanical genus Brunsvigia in his honour, in recognition of his encouragement of botany and the study of B. orientalis.^[1]

Charles attempted to promote the economic development of his state; for example, he founded the Fürstenberg Porcelain Company, and he installed mandatory fire insurance. However, he did not manage to keep the state finances in check. As a consequence, in 1773 his eldest son Charles William Ferdinand took over government.

Marriage and children

In 1733, Charles married Philippine Charlotte, daughter of King Frederick William I of Prussia. They had the following children that reached adulthood:

• Charles William Ferdinand (1735–1806)
• Sophie Caroline Mary (1737–1817), married Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
• Anna Amalia (1739–1807), married Ernest Augustus II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
• Frederick Augustus (1740–1805)
• Albert Henry (1742–1761), died childless
• William Adolf (1745–1770), died childless
• Elizabeth Christine Ulrike (1746–1840), married King Frederick William II of Prussia (divorced)
• Augusta Dorothea, Abbess of Gandersheim (1749–1803)
• Maximilian Jules Leopold (1752–1785), died childless

Charles also had a child out of wedlock, Christian Theodor von Pincier (1750–1824), the adopted son of Baron von Pincier of Sweden.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Charles I, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

16. Henry III, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg               8. Augustus the Younger, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (=#24)                       17. Princess Ursula of Saxe-Lauenburg-Ratzeburg               4. Ferdinand Albert I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg                             18. John Albert II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow               9. Duchess Elisabeth Sophia of Mecklenburg-Gustrow (=#25)                       19. Duchess Elisabeth of Mecklenburg-Gadebusch               2. Ferdinand Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg                                   20. Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel               10. Frederick, Landgrave of Hesse-Eschwege                       21. Countess Juliana of Nassau-Dillenburg               5. Landgravine Christina Wilhelmina of Hesse-Eschwege                             22. John Casimir, Count Palatine of Kleeburg               11. Countess Palatine Eleonora Catherine of Zweibrücken                       23. Princess Katharina of Sweden               1. Charles I, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel                                         24. Augustus the Younger, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (=#8)               12. Anthony Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel                       25. Duchess Elisabeth Sophia of Mecklenburg-Gustrow (=#9)               6. Louis Rudolph, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg                             26. Frederick, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sønderburg-Norburg               13. Princess Elisabeth Juliana Schleswig-Holstein-Sønderborg-Norborg                       27. Princess Eleanor of Anhalt-Zerbst               3. Duchess Antoinette of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel                                   28. Joachim Ernest, Count of Oettingen-Oettingen               14. Albert Ernest I, Prince of Oettingen-Oettingen                       29. Countess Anna Dorothea of Hohenlohe-Neuenstein               7. Princess Christine Louise of Oettingen-Oettingen                             30. Eberhard III, Duke of Württemberg               15. Duchess Christine Friederike of Württemberg                       31. Countess Anna Katherina of Salm-Kyrburg

References

1. Snijman, Dee (April 2005). "Brunsvigia". www.plantzafrica.com. South African National Biodiversity Institute. Retrieved 14 April 2016. The name Brunsvigia was first published in 1755 by Lorenz Heisters (1683-1758), a botanist and professor of medicine at the University of Helmstädt. It honours Karl, the Sovereign of Braunschweig, who promoted the study of plants, including the beautiful Cape species B. orientalis.

• At the House of Welf site (in German)