Ludwig von Württemberg

Ludwig Friedrich Alexander of Württemberg, usually known as Louis, was born on 30 August 1756 in Treptow an der Rega and died on 20 September 1817 in Kirchheim unter Teck. He was a Württemberg prince who rose to the rank of field marshal in Prussian service. Ludwig was the second son of Duke Friedrich Eugen of Württemberg and his wife, Friederike Dorothea Sophia of Brandenburg-Schwedt. Through his mother, he was related to the Prussian King Frederick II, since she was a sister of Frederick’s mother, Sophie Dorothea Marie of Prussia. His family connections to European ruling houses also played an important role later in his life. On 18 June 1775, Ludwig entered the Prussian army as a lieutenant colonel. The following year, he joined the Möllendorff Infantry Regiment, which he took command of in 1778. During the War of the Bavarian Succession, he took part in the engagements at Georgenthal and Brüx. He was promoted to colonel in 1779. Three years later, he became regimental commander of the Mauschwitz Cuirassier Regiment and was promoted to major general. In 1786, he was admitted as a knight of the Order of St. John. His position became particularly significant when Prussia and Poland formed an alliance against Russia in 1790. Ludwig was then regarded as a possible claimant to the Polish crown. With Prussian approval, he entered Polish service, becoming lieutenant general and governor of Warsaw. At the same time, he remained in the Prussian army and received the rank of lieutenant general there as well. His connection with Poland was also familial: he was married to Maria Anna Czartoryska, a member of one of the most influential Polish magnate families. The Russo-Polish War of 1792, however, marked a decisive turning point in Ludwig’s reputation. When Russian troops invaded Poland, Prussia unilaterally withdrew from the defensive alliance directed against Russia. Ludwig was then serving in Poland as commander of Lithuanian troops. Although he was closely connected to the Russian ruling house through his sister Sophie Dorothee, who had married the Russian heir to the throne, Paul, he refused to fight the Russian forces. He claimed to be ill. His conduct contributed to the Polish defeat at the Battle of Mir on 10 June 1792. Among Polish aristocratic circles that had supported the Constitution of 3 May—and had thereby provoked Russia into war against Poland—Ludwig was thereafter regarded as a traitor. His marriage to Maria Anna Czartoryska also broke down. The divorce was finalized in 1793 and was attributed both to his conduct during the war and to his violence toward his wife. Ludwig is said to have beaten her repeatedly, even immediately after the birth of one of their children. The marriage produced only one son, Adam, born in 1792. After the divorce, he remained with his father against the wishes of the Czartoryski family and later became a Russian lieutenant general. As a result of the divorce, Maria Anna lost her children, who had to remain with the Württemberg family. Ludwig subsequently took part in the First Coalition War against France. In 1796, he was appointed governor of Ansbach and Bayreuth, and in 1798 he was promoted to general of cavalry. That same year, he acquired the lordship of Wallisfurth in the County of Glatz. Because of illness, he left active service in 1800 and was granted the rank of field marshal. Financially, Ludwig’s life remained troubled. He was permanently heavily indebted, lived far beyond his means, and maintained an extravagant lifestyle. According to his biography, he had married into the wealthy Czartoryski family partly to improve his financial situation. The marriage and subsequent divorce, however, further intensified his economic difficulties. His family ties to the Russian imperial house later opened new opportunities for him. His sister was the Russian Empress Maria Feodorovna, and Ludwig served for a time in the Russian army and as governor of Riga. In 1797, Ludwig married his second wife in Bayreuth, Princess Henriette of Nassau-Weilburg, the youngest daughter of Prince Karl Christian of Nassau-Weilburg and Wilhelmina Karolina of Orange-Nassau. They had five children: Maria Dorothea, Amalie, Pauline, Elisabeth Alexandrine, and Alexander. The children married into various European ruling houses. Maria Dorothea became the wife of Archduke Joseph Anton of Austria, Amalie married Duke Joseph of Saxe-Altenburg, and Pauline married King William I of Württemberg. Elisabeth Alexandrine married Prince William of Baden. Alexander later entered into a morganatic marriage with Claudine, Countess Rhédey von Kis-Rhéde. In 1807, Ludwig moved to Württemberg with his family. King Frederick I assigned his younger brother command of the guard and household troops, known as the Maison du roi. The royal court alternated between Stuttgart and Ludwigsburg, where Ludwig and his family were provided with a suitable palace in each city. From 1811 onward, Kirchheim Castle became their residence. Ludwig died there in 1817 at the age of 61. His military career and dynastic connections brought him numerous honors. These included the Prussian Order of the Black Eagle, the Polish Order of the White Eagle, several Russian grand crosses, and Württemberg orders, including the Grand Cross of the Military Merit Order. His life was thus marked by high military offices, extensive family connections, and a changing political role, but also by financial difficulties, personal misconduct, and a lasting reputation for having betrayed Poland during a decisive historical crisis.