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:
- Luise of Holstein-Gottorp-Oldenburg (1756-1759) – died in childhood
- Hedwig Sophie Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp-Oldenburg (1759-1818) – married King Karl XIII of Sweden, had issue
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.
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Oldenburg Resources at Unofficial Royalty