Christian August II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg
| Christian August II | |||||
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| Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg | |||||
| Reign | 14 June 1814 - 11 March 1869 | ||||
| Predecessor | Frederick Christian II | ||||
| Successor | Frederick VIII | ||||
| Born | 19 July 1798 Copenhagen, Denmark | ||||
| Died | 11 March 1869 (aged 70) Primkenau (now Przemków), Kingdom of Prussia | ||||
| Spouse | Countess Louise Sophie of Danneskiold-Samsøe | ||||
| Issue | Hereditary Prince Alexander Princess Louise Auguste Princess Caroline Amelie Princess Wilhelmine Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein Prince Christian Princess Henriette | ||||
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| House | Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg | ||||
| Father | Frederick Christian II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg | ||||
| Mother | Princess Louise Auguste of Denmark | ||||
| Religion | Lutheranism | ||||
Christian August II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg (19 July 1798 – 11 March 1869, Christian Carl Frederik August), usually simply known by just his first name, Christian, Duke of Augustenborg, was a claimant to the rulership of the provinces of Slesvig and Holstein, and the fiefholder of Augustenborg and Sønderborg. He was a prince of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg and a cadet-line descendant of the Danish royal House of Oldenburg.
He was the eldest son and heir of Princess Louise Auguste of Denmark and Frederik Christian II, Duke of Augustenborg. As such, he was high in the line of succession to the Danish throne. He was the brother-in-law of King Christian VIII and nephew of King Frederick VI.
In 1848, German-nationalist sympathies prompted a rebellion in Schleswig-Holstein against Danish rule. A provisional government was established at Kiel under the Duke of Augustenborg, who travelled to Berlin to secure the assistance of Prussia in asserting his rights. The First War of Schleswig ensued.
However, European powers were united in opposing any dismemberment of Denmark. Among others, Emperor Nicholas I of Russia, speaking with authority as Head of the elder Holstein-Gottorp line, regarded the Duke of Augustenborg a rebel. Russia had guaranteed Schleswig to the Danish crown by the treaties of 1767 and 1773.
A treaty of peace between Prussia and Denmark was signed at Berlin on 2 July 1850. Both parties reserved their antecedent rights. Denmark was satisfied that the treaty empowered the king-duke to restore his authority in Holstein with or without the consent of the German Confederation. Augustenborg was ousted from power, as Danish troops marched in to subdue the duchies.
The question of the Augustenburg succession made an agreement between the major powers impossible, and on March 31, 1852 the duke of Augustenburg resigned his claim in return for a money payment. Duke Christian sold his rights to the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein to Denmark in aftermath of Treaty of London, but later renounced his rights to the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein in favor of his son Frederik August.
In 1864, his son Frederick of Augustenborg proclaimed himself rightful Duke of Schleswig and Holstein.
Duke Christian August died 1869.
Marriage and issue
Christian married in 1820 his second cousin Countess Lovisa-Sophie Danneskjold-Samsøe (1797–1867), a Danish noblewoman who belonged to an illegitimate branch of the Danish royal House of Oldenburg.
They had seven children:
- Prince Alexander Frederick William Christian Charles Augustus (20 July 1821 - 3 May 1823), died young
- Princess Louise Auguste (28 August 1823 - 30 May 1872)
- Princess Caroline Amelie (15 January 1826 - 3 May 1901)
- Princess Wilhelmine (24 March 1828 - 4 July 1829)
- Prince Frederick Christian August (6 July 1829 - 14 January 1880), later Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, born 1829 in Augustenborg. He was nephew of Caroline Amalie, Queen consort of Denmark, and thus nephew-in-law of the King Christian VIII of Denmark himself, as well as a great-nephew of Frederick VI. In 1863 he claimed to succeed King Frederick VII of Denmark as Duke of Schleswig-Holstein. Died 1880. He married Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, fathering a son and daughters, including Augusta Viktoria, German Empress.
- Frederick Christian Charles Augustus (22 January 1831 – 28 October 1917), later (1866) married his third cousin Princess Helena of the United Kingdom, and settled in England. They were both great-great-grandchildren of Frederick, Prince of Wales (father of George III of the United Kingdom) and of Queen Caroline Mathilde of Denmark). They were the parents of Duke Albert.
- Princess Caroline Christiane Auguste Emilie Henriette Elisabeth (2 August 1833 - 18 October 1917), married morganatically in 1872 Johann Friedrich von Esmarch (9 January 1823 - 23 February 1908)
Ancestry
References
- Johannes Heinrich Gebauer: Christian August, Herzog von Schleswig Holstein. Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der Befreiung Schleswig-Holsteins. Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart u. a. 1910.
- Karl Lorentzen: Christian Karl Friedrich August, Herzog von Schleswig-Holstein. In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Band 4, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1876, S. 205–211.
- Hans Harald Hennings: Christian Karl Friedrich August. In: Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB). Band 3, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1957, ISBN 3-428-00184-2, S. 237 f.
- Mikkel Venborg Pedersen: Die Herzöge von Augustenburg; in: Die Fürsten des Landes. Herzöge und Grafen von Schleswig, Holstein und Lauenburg, im Auftrag der Gesellschaft für Schleswig-Holsteinische Geschichte herausgegeben, S. 310–341.
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