Category Archives: Oldenburg Royals

Peter I, Grand Duke of Oldenburg

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Grand Duchy of Oldenburg: The Counts of Oldenburg died out in 1667, after which Oldenburg became a duchy until 1810, when it was annexed by the First French Empire under Napoleon, Emperor of the French. After the final defeat of Napoleon, the Congress of Vienna elevated the Duchy of Oldenburg to a Grand Duchy in 1815. The Grand Duchy of Oldenburg consisted of three widely separated territories – Oldenburg, Eutin, and Birkenfeld – now in the German states of Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, and Rhineland-Palatinate. With the fall of the German Empire at the end of World War I, Friedrich August II, the last Grand Duke of Oldenburg was forced to abdicate his throne on November 11, 1918.

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Peter I, Grand Duke of Oldenburg – source: Wikipedia

Peter I was the second Grand Duke of Oldenburg and like his predecessor, he did not formally use the title of Grand Duke. He was born Prince Peter Friedrich Ludwig of Holstein-Gottorp in Riesenberg, Kingdom of Prussia now Prabuty, Poland, on January 17, 1755, to Prince Georg Ludwig of Holstein-Gottorp and Princess Sophie Charlotte of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck. Peter had two older brothers:

  • Friedrich (1751-1752) – died in infancy
  • Wilhelm (1753-1772) – died in his teens

After both parents died in 1763, Peter was raised at the court of his uncle, Friedrich August, Prince-Bishop of Lübeck and later the first Duke of Oldenburg, and later at the court of Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia. He received his initial education privately before studying for four years in Bern and then another four years in Bologna. He also embarked on a military career, serving as an officer during the Russian-Turkish War in 1774.

Duchess Friederike of Württemberg. source: Wikipedia

On June 6, 1781, Peter married Duchess Friederike of Württemberg, the daughter of Friedrich II Eugen, Duke of Württemberg and Friederike Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt. Before her death in 1785, Peter and Friederike had two sons:

Friedrich August I, Duke of Oldenburg. source: Wikipedia

In July 1785, Peter’s uncle, Friedrich August I, Duke of Oldenburg, died and was succeeded by his son Wilhelm. However, Wilhelm was mentally incapacitated, and Peter was appointed Regent, as well as Prince-Bishop of Lübeck. As Regent, Peter established one of the first public Savings Banks, which helped to support widows and orphans. In 1803, the Prince-Bishopric of Lübeck was secularized and became the Principality of Lübeck. This new principality was given to Peter and became part of the Duchy of Oldenburg.

Despite having previously agreed to the Sovereignty of Oldenburg in 1807, Napoleon’s forces occupied the Duchy in 1810, sending Peter into exile in Russia. He returned in November 1813 and once again took control of Oldenburg. Two years later, his son oversaw the duchy’s elevation to a Grand Duchy at the Congress of Vienna. Peter established a new government for the Grand Duchy, introduced general conscription, and established the Oldenburg Infantry Regiment. Upon his cousin’s death in 1823, Peter became the reigning Grand Duke of Oldenburg. However, like Wilhelm, he chose not to use the title of Grand Duke and was styled as Duke of Oldenburg.

Just short of six years after assuming the throne, Peter suffered a stroke and died in Wiesbaden, Duchy of Nassau, now in Hesse, Germany, on May 21, 1829. He was buried nearly two months later, in the Ducal Mausoleum in St. Gertrude’s Cemetery in Oldenburg, Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, now in Lower Saxony, Germany. He was succeeded by his elder son August who became the first ruler of Oldenburg to use the title of Grand Duke.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Oldenburg Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Peter Friedrich Wilhelm, Grand Duke of Oldenburg

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Grand Duchy of Oldenburg: The Counts of Oldenburg died out in 1667, after which Oldenburg became a duchy until 1810, when it was annexed by the First French Empire under Napoleon, Emperor of the French. After the final defeat of Napoleon, the Congress of Vienna elevated the Duchy of Oldenburg to a Grand Duchy in 1815. The Grand Duchy of Oldenburg consisted of three widely separated territories – Oldenburg, Eutin, and Birkenfeld – now in the German states of Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, and Rhineland-Palatinate. With the fall of the German Empire at the end of World War I, Friedrich August II, the last Grand Duke of Oldenburg was forced to abdicate his throne on November 11, 1918.

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Coat of Arms of the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg. source: Wikipedia

Peter Friedrich Wilhelm, Grand Duke of Oldenburg

Peter Friedrich Wilhelm, known as Wilhelm, was the first Grand Duke of Oldenburg, although he never formally used the title. He was born a Prince of Holstein-Gottorp on January 3, 1754, at Eutin Castle in the Principality of Holstein-Gottorp, now in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. He was the only son of Friedrich August I, later Duke of Oldenburg, and Princess Ulrike Friederike Wilhelmine of Hesse-Kassel. Wilhelm had two younger sisters:

Wilhelm studied for a year at the University of Kiel before embarking on a grand tour of Europe. In June 1773, the Treaty of Tsarskoye Selo was signed between Russia and Denmark. As part of the agreement, Russia ceded the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein to Denmark, while Denmark ceded control of the County of Oldenburg to Russia. Oldenburg was given to the Prince Bishops of Lübeck, with Wilhelm’s father becoming Count, and later the first Duke of Oldenburg.

By 1777, Wilhelm was suffering from mental illness. An intended engagement to Princess Charlotte of Hesse-Darmstadt was called off, and he lived the remainder of his life in seclusion. King Christian VII of Denmark provided him with Plön Castle, then in Denmark now in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where Wilhelm lived the rest of his life, with a large household.

Upon his father’s death on July 6, 1785, Wilhelm became the reigning Duke of Oldenburg. But due to his illness, it was in name only. Instead, his cousin, Peter, Prince-Bishop of Lübeck, served as Regent during his entire reign. Peter would eventually succeed Wilhelm as Peter I. Thirty years later, as a result of the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Oldenburg was elevated to a Grand Duchy. Although technically now a Grand Duke, Wilhelm never formally used the title.

Plön Castle, c1864. source: Wikipedia

At the age of 69, Grand Duke Wilhelm died at Plön Castle in Plön, Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, now in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, on July 2, 1823. He is buried in the Prince-Bishop’s Mausoleum at Lübeck Cathedral. in the independent free city of Lübeck, now in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Oldenburg Resources at Unofficial Royalty