| Charles Eugene | |
|---|---|
 Portrait byPompeo Batoni,c. 1753–56 | |
| Duke of Württemberg | |
| Reign | 12 March 1737 –24 October 1793 |
| Predecessor | Charles Alexander |
| Successor | Louis Eugene |
| Born | (1728-02-11)11 February 1728 Brussels,Austrian Netherlands,Holy Roman Empire |
| Died | 24 October 1793(1793-10-24) (aged 65) Hohenheim,Württemberg, Holy Roman Empire |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Princess Elisabeth Friederike Sophie of Brandenburg-Bayreuth Countess Franziska von Hohenheim |
| Issue | Frederic von Franquemont (illegitimate) |
| Father | Charles Alexander, Duke of Württemberg |
| Mother | Princess Marie Auguste of Thurn and Taxis |
Charles Eugene (German:Carl Eugen; 11 February 1728 – 24 October 1793) was theDuke of Württemberg, and the eldest son, and successor, ofCharles Alexander; his mother wasPrincess Marie Auguste of Thurn and Taxis.
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Born inBrussels, he succeeded his father as ruler of Württemberg at the age of 9, but the real power was in the hands of RegentsCarl Rudolf, Duke of Württemberg-Neuenstadt (1737–1738) andCarl Frederick von Württemberg-Oels (1738–1746).
He was educated at the court ofFrederick II of Prussia. He also studied keyboard withCarl Philipp Emanuel Bach in the 1740s (Bach's "Württemberg" sonatas, published in 1744, were dedicated to Charles Eugene).
In his early years he ruled with an iron fist. In 1744 he ordered that the corpse ofJoseph Süß Oppenheimer, his father's financial advisor executed by the Duke of Württemberg-Neuenstadt, whose decaying corpse had been suspended in an iron cage by Stuttgart'sPrag gallows for six years, be taken down and given a decent burial. He was also well known for his extensive library, his extravagant interest in opera, and interest in large scale horticulture for the feeding of the masses.
Charles Eugene made the first of his five trips toParis and thePalace of Versailles in 1748 with his first wife. He used these trips to sightsee and acquire Parisian goods forLudwigsburg Palace while touring the workshops those goods were manufactured in. From 1776 Etienne Sollicoffre, a banker Charles Eugene had met in Paris, befriended the Duke and acted as the agent of his purchases in the city.[1]
Between 1751 and 1759 Karl Eugen was involved in an increasingly bitter struggle with his adviser, the eminentLiberal juristJohann Jakob Moser who strongly opposed the Duke'sabsolutist tendencies. In 1759 Charles Eugene had Moser charged with authoring "a subversive writing" and cast into prison for the next five years. However, in 1764 Moser was released, due in part to the intercession ofFriedrich the Great of Prussia, and was rehabilitated and restored to his position, rank and titles.
Having accepted a subsidy from the French, in theSeven Years' War againstPrussia, Charles Eugene advanced intoSaxony.[2]
In 1761, Charles Eugene founded an Académie des Arts inStuttgart (now theState Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart), in 1765 a public library inLudwigsburg (now theWürttembergische Landesbibliothek, Stuttgart), and he was responsible for the construction of a number of other key palaces and buildings in the area including theNew Palace which still stands at the centre of theSchlossplatz,Solitude Palace,Einsiedel Palace andCastle Hohenheim.
Charles Eugene was known for his interest in agriculture and travel and is considered the inspiration behind today'sHohenheim university,[3] part of which now occupies his formersummer estate.[4] His original botanical gardens form the basis for today'sLandesarboretum Baden-Württemberg andBotanischer Garten der Universität Hohenheim, which still contain some of the specimens he planted. He was also involved inAviculture.[5] He built a large number of palaces and bankrupted his lands through courtly extravagance, accepting huge French government loans in exchange for maintaining large numbers of support troops in Württemberg.
He was an early patron ofFriedrich Schiller.[6] However, in 1780 he had him arrested for deserting his post as a regimental doctor in Stuttgart in order to attend the first performance of his playThe Robbers in Mannheim. Schiller was sentenced to 14 days of imprisonment, and forbidden by Karl Eugen from publishing any further works.[7]
Hermann Sacher, writing in theCatholic Encyclopedia called Charles Eugene "a despot, spendthrift, and profligate".[8] Charles Eugene ruled until his death in 1793, when he was succeeded by his younger brother. He died inHohenheim.
Charles Eugene married twice, first inBayreuth on 26 September 1748 toMargravine Elisabeth Fredericka Sophie of Brandenburg-Bayreuth with whom he had one daughter, Friederike Wilhelmine Augusta Luise Charlotte, who was born in Stuttgart on 19 February 1750 and died after 13 months in Stuttgart on 12 March 1751. Elisabetha left Charles Eugene in 1756 to return to her parents' court inBayreuth although they never divorced.
In the meantime, Charles Eugene kept a string of mistresses and fathered eleven children by them. The last of these mistresses wasFranziska von Hohenheim, whom he raised to the status of Countess and married in Stuttgart on 10 or 11 January 1785.
By an unknown mistress he had:
By Luisa Toscani he had:
By an unknown mistress he had:
By Teresa Bonafoni he had:
ByAnna Eleonora Franchi he had:
By an unknown mistress he had:
By Katharina Kurz he had:
By Regina Monti he had:
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This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
Media related toCharles Eugene, Duke of Württemberg at Wikimedia CommonsCharles Eugene, Duke of Württemberg Born: 11 February 1728 Died: 24 October 1793 | ||
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| Preceded by | Duke of Württemberg 1737–1793 | Succeeded by |
