Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia
Portrait of Prince Augustus Ferdinand at age 43
Portrait by Anna Dorothea Therbusch, 1773
Born(1730-05-23)23 May 1730
Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia
Died2 May 1813(1813-05-02) (aged 82)
Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia
Spouse
​
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(m. 1755)​
Issue
Names
German: August Ferdinand
English: Augustus Ferdinand
HouseHouse of Hohenzollern
FatherFrederick William I of Prussia
MotherSophia Dorothea of Hanover
Prussian Royalty
House of Hohenzollern
Frederick William I
Children
Prince Frederick Louis
Wilhelmine, Margravine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
Prince Friedrich William
Princess Charlotte Albertine
Frederick II
Friederike Luise, Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach
Philippine Charlotte, Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Prince Ludwig Karl Wilhelm
Sophia Dorothea, Margravine of Brandenburg-Schwedt
Louisa Ulrika, Queen of Sweden
Prince Augustus William
Anna Amalie, Princess-Abbess of Quedlinburg
Prince Henry
Prince Augustus Ferdinand

Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia (German: August Ferdinand; 23 May 1730 – 2 May 1813) was a Prussian prince and general, as well as Herrenmeister ("Master of the Knights") of the Bailiwick of Brandenburg of the Order of Saint John. He belonged to the House of Hohenzollern, and was the youngest son of Frederick William I of Prussia by his wife, Queen Sophia Dorothea.

Life

He was the youngest child of King Frederick William I of Prussia and his wife Sophia Dorothea of Hanover. He was also a younger brother of King Frederick the Great (Frederick II of Prussia), Queen Louisa Ulrika of Sweden, and Wilhelmine Margravine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth.

Already at the age of 5, he joined the Infantry regiment „Kronprinz“. In 1740, his brother named him commander of Infantry regiment Nr 34. In 1756, he became Major General and accompanied his brother the King on his campaigns in Saxony, Bohemia, and Silesia. He fought in the Battle of Breslau and the Battle of Leuthen. But in 1758, bad health forced him to leave the army. In 1762, he purchased Friedrichsfelde Palace near Berlin. Ferdinand is also remembered for having the Schloss Bellevue in the Berliner Tiergarten built in 1786, today seat of the Presidents of Germany.

On 12 September 1763 Ferdinand was elected as Master of the Knights of the Bailiwick of Brandenburg of the Order of Saint John, a post he held until 1812.

Augustus died in Berlin on 2 May 1813, as the last surviving grandchild of George I of Great Britain. Elisabeth Louise would die seven years later, on 10 February 1820.

Marriage and children

Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia and family

He married his niece, Margravine Elisabeth Louise of Brandenburg-Schwedt, on 27 September 1755. She was a daughter of his older sister Sophia Dorothea and her husband Margrave Frederick William of Brandenburg-Schwedt. Despite this family tie, she was only eight years younger than him, due to the significant age difference between him and his sister.

They had seven children:

Gallery

Ancestry

References

  1. ^ Genealogie ascendante jusqu'au quatrieme degre inclusivement de tous les Rois et Princes de maisons souveraines de l'Europe actuellement vivans [Genealogy up to the fourth degree inclusive of all the Kings and Princes of sovereign houses of Europe currently living] (in French). Bourdeaux: Frederic Guillaume Birnstiel. 1768. p. 16.
Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia House of HohenzollernBorn: 23 May 1730 Died: 2 May 1813 Preceded byMargrave Charles Frederick of Brandenburg-Schwedt Herrenmeister (Grand Master) of the Order of Saint John 1762–1812 Succeeded byPrince Karl of Prussia
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