Frederick Augustus II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg

Grand Duke of Oldenburg from 1900 to 1918

Frederick Augustus II

Frederick Augustus II in 1902

Grand Duke of Oldenburg
Reign| 13 June 1900 – 11 November 1918
Predecessor| Peter II
Successor| Monarchy abolished

Born| (1852-11-16)16 November 1852
Oldenburg, Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, German Confederation
Died| 24 February 1931(1931-02-24) (aged 78)
Rastede Palace, Rastede, Free State of Oldenburg, Weimar Republic
Burial|

Ducal (Herzogliches) Mausoleum, Gertrudenfriedhof, Oldenburg

Spouse|

Princess Elisabeth Anna of Prussia

(m. 1878; died 1895)​

Duchess Elisabeth Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

(m. 1896)​

Issue|

* Sophia Charlotte, Princess Eitel Friedrich of Prussia
* Duchess Margaret
* Nikolaus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Oldenburg
* Duke Frederick Augustus
* Duchess Alexandrine
* Ingeborg Alix, Princess Stephan Alexander of Schaumburg-Lippe
* Altburg, Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont

House| House of Holstein-Gottorp
Father| Peter II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg
Mother| Princess Elisabeth of Saxe-Altenburg
Religion| Lutheranism
Military career
Allegiance|  German Empire
Rank| Admiral

Frederick Augustus II (16 November 1852 in Oldenburg – 24 February 1931 in Rastede) was the last ruling Grand Duke of Oldenburg.

Frederick Augustus was the eldest son of Peter II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg. He grew up with an interest in the navy and studied at multiple German universities, before serving in the navy. In 1878, he married Princess Elisabeth Anna of Prussia, daughter of Princess Maria Anna of Anhalt-Dessau and Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia. After her death in 1895, he married Elisabeth Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in 1896.

He ascended to the Oldenburg throne in 1900 as Frederick Augustus II and funded multiple infrastructure projects, including the development of ports and waterways. The First World War broke out during his reign which saw the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg fight with the German Empire under Kaiser Wilhelm II on the side of the Central Powers. The German Revolution at the end of the war forced Frederick Augustus to abdicate and led to the collapse of all German monarchies. After living in exile for two decades, Frederick Augustus died at the age of 78 years old.

## Early life

[edit]

Frederick Augustus was born on 16 November 1852 in the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg as the eldest son of Peter II, the reigning Grand Duke of Oldenburg, and Princess Elisabeth of Saxe-Altenburg. From 1861, Frederick Augustus and his younger brother, Georg Ludwig, were tutored by Bavarian general Otto von Parseval, the son-in-law of former Oldenburg court marshal Alexander von Rennenkampff.[1] Frederick Augustus studied at the University of Bonn, University of Strasbourg and University of Leipzig. His education was completed following a seven month-long exchange to Asia Minor, Palestine, Egypt and Italy. Following this, he joined the military and achieved the rank of lieutenant.[2]

Frederick Augustus acquired a captain's licence at a nautical school in Elsfleth and began to regularly skipper yachts.[3] In 1888, he rescued a shipwrecked Danish sailor on Heligoland and was awarded with the Golden Rescue Medal by the Italian government for his actions. For this, he was the only German monarch appointed Admiral of the German Imperial Navy, which was ordered by Kaiser Wilhelm II.[4] Frederick Augustus personally captained the luxury yacht Lensahn on family trips through the Baltic and Mediterranean Seas.[5]

In 1899, the Shipbuilding Technical Society was founded and Frederick Augustus served as its honourary chairman until 1930. Additionally, he was one of the founders of the German School Ship Association, which campaigned for the expansion of seamanship training capacities for the German merchant navy, in January 1900.[6]

## Reign

[edit]

Frederick Augustus' reign began on 13 June 1900, when his father died. Considered conservative by the German media, Frederick Augustus was a supporter of Wilhelminism and became interested in the development of technology, seafaring and the navy. He also invested in the development of waterways, including the Hunte Canal, which expanded Oldenburg ports on the Weser and promoted the construction of new industrial factories.[2] German historian August Geerkens wrote of Frederick Augustus: "He was popular with the population; everyone smiled when his car drove through the streets with all the fanfare. But he was also headstrong. The old soldiers in the country still suspected him because, as a lieutenant, he had been a trooper."[7]

In 1904, Frederick Augustus designed the "Niki Propeller", a ship propeller which he asked to be built by a Hamburg manufacturing company, however they refused as they believed it would produce a financial loss. Nonetheless, for his nautical achievements, Frederick Augustus was awarded a Doctorate at the Leibniz University Hannover in 1910. During his reign, Frederick Augustus also ordered the building of the Elisabeth-Anna-Palais, named after his first wife, who died during its construction. On 1 December 1906, a law introducing administrative jurisdiction came into effect per a decree signed by Frederick Augustus. The law had previously been drafted by lawyer Karl Dugend, but was defeated in the legislature.[6] Moreover, on 14 January 1914, the construction of a training ship was completed by Joh. C. Tecklenborg. It was christened in 1918 in Frederick Augustus' name, and the ship is still in use today by Norway, which uses the name Statsraad Lehmkuhl for the vessel.[8]

Being a state of the German Empire, the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg took part in World War I, under Frederick Augustus' rule. He personally commanded the Grand Ducal Oldenburg Cavalry Regiment during the war, in which he adhered to a group of annexationists, who wanted to secure Germany's position of power by acquiring foreign territories. He supported the invasion of Belgium and believed that France should be made a vassal state of Germany and be divided into a northern republic and southern Bourbon Kingdom.[7] On 24 September 1914, he created the Friedrich-August-Kreuz, an Oldenburg military order.[9] According to Geerkens, Frederick Augustus was pushed by Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz to approach the King of Bavaria, Ludwig III, and suggest that the German monarchs demand that Wilhelm dismiss the Chancellor of Germany, Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg, who was accused of acting too weak and slowing German victory. Many German monarchs, including Frederick Augustus, were also disappointed with Bethmann Hollweg's rejection of the Reichstag Peace Resolution in 1917.[7]

Frederick Augustus was forced to abdicate, along with all other German monarchs in the course of the German Revolution. The 11 November 1918 was soon signed, ending World War I, and the monarchy was officially abolished on 28 November 1918. Frederick Augustus' Grand Duchy was then assumed by the newly established Weimar Republic.[10]

## Life in exile

[edit]

Frederick Augustus and his family took up residence at Rastede Castle, where he took up farming and local industrial interests.[11] A year after his abdication, he asked the Oldenburg Diet for a yearly allowance of 150,000 marks, stating that his financial condition was "extremely precarious".[11] To further finance himself, Frederick Augustus sold part of his art collection which had been left to him as his own private property, instead of being given to the state. In total, a third of his former Grand Duchy's art was sold. He exported paintings, such as those of Rembrandt, to the Netherlands in 1919 with the help of industrialist Georg Bölts. Part of the proceeds was donated to the meat processing factory Bölts AG.[12] Philosopher Karl Jaspers, who grew up in Oldenburg, wrote in his memoirs of this endeavour: "The Grand Duke used some of the money from the sale of the pictures to help found a sausage factory, which subsequently collapsed."[13] Frederick Augustus' sale of arts helped to later influence the Cultural Property Protection Act 2019.

## Death

[edit]

Frederick Augustus died on 24 February 1931 in Rastede. He was subsequently buried in the Grand Ducal Mausoleum of the Gertrudenfriedhof cemetery in Oldenburg.[10]

## Marriages and issue

[edit]

On 18 February 1878, Frederick Augustus married Princess Elisabeth Anna of Prussia, a daughter of Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia.[citation needed] It was a double wedding, in which Princess Charlotte of Prussia (daughter of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Prussia) married Bernhard, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Meiningen on the same day as Elisabeth Anna in Berlin.[14] The marriages were the first such occasions performed since Prussia had become the German Empire in 1870. Due to this increased status, the weddings were attended by many important personages, including Leopold II of Belgium and his wife, Queen Marie Henriette.[15] The Prince of Wales also attended, as Charlotte, one of the brides, was his niece.[16]

Frederick Augustus and Elisabeth Anna had two children:

Name | Birth | Death | Notes

|
|
|

Duchess Sophia Charlotte | 2 February 1879 | 29 March 1964 | married Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia, a younger son of Wilhelm II of Germany.[11]
Duchess Margaret | 13 October 1881 | 20 February 1882 | died in infancy.

Elisabeth died on 28 August 1895, before he succeeded as Grand Duke.[17] Before her death, her husband had been building a new residential palace; once she died, Frederick named the new building the Elisabeth-Anna-Palais in her honor.

On 24 October 1896, Frederick Augustus married Duchess Elisabeth Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, a daughter of Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg.[11] He succeeded as Grand Duke of Oldenburg in 1900.

Frederick Augustus and Elisabeth had five children:

Name | Birth | Death | Notes

|
|
|

Nicolas Frederick William, Hereditary Grand Duke of Oldenburg | 10 August 1897 | 3 April 1970 | Married Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont.
Duke Frederick Augustus | 25 March 1900 | 26 March 1900 | Twin with Alexandrine, died in infancy.
Duchess Alexandrine | 25 March 1900 | 26 March 1900 | Twin with Frederick Augustus, died in infancy.
Duchess Ingeborg Alix | 20 July 1901 | 10 January 1996 | Married Prince Stephan Alexander of Schaumburg-Lippe, a younger son of Georg, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe.
Duchess Altburg Marie Mathilde Olga | 19 May 1903 | 16 June 2001 | Married Josias, Hereditary Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont.

## Honours

[edit]

* Oldenburg: Grand Cross of the Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig, 16 November 1852;[18] Grand Prior, ca. 1853[19]
* Brunswick: Grand Cross of Henry the Lion, 1871[20]
* Württemberg: Grand Cross of the Württemberg Crown, 1873[21]
* Ernestine duchies: Grand Cross of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order, 1874[22]
* Kingdom of Prussia: Knight of the Black Eagle, with Collar, 1 January 1878[23]
* Grand Duchy of Hesse: Grand Cross of the Ludwig Order, 18 February 1878[24]
* Belgium: Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold (military), 25 February 1878[25]
* Duchy of Anhalt: Grand Cross of Albert the Bear, 1885[26]
* Kingdom of Bavaria: Knight of St. Hubert, 1888[27]
* Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach: Grand Cross of the White Falcon, 1890[28]
* Baden: Knight of the House Order of Fidelity, 1900[29]
* Kingdom of Saxony: Knight of the Rue Crown, 1898[30]
* Kingdom of Italy: Knight of the Annunciation, 16 July 1902[31]
* United Kingdom: Honorary Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, 10 June 1907[32]
* Austria-Hungary: Grand Cross of St. Stephen, 1908[33]
* Denmark: Knight of the Elephant, 28 April 1909[34]
* Sweden: Knight of the Seraphim, 12 July 1912[35]

## Ancestry

[edit]

Ancestors of Frederick Augustus II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 16\. Prince Georg Ludwig of Holstein-Gottorp

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

| 8\. Peter I, Grand Duke of Oldenburg|

|  |  |
| 17\. Princess Sophie Charlotte of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck

| 4\. Augustus, Grand Duke of Oldenburg|

|  |  |  |  |
| 18\. Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg

| 9\. Duchess Frederica of Württemberg|

|  |  |
| 19\. Friederike Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt

| 2\. Peter II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg|

|  |  |  |  |  |  |
| 20\. Karl Louis, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym

| 10\. Victor II, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym|

|  |  |
| 21\. Princess Amalie Eleonore of Solms-Braunfels

| 5\. Princess Ida of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym|

|  |  |  |  |
| 22\. Charles Christian, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg

| 11\. Princess Amelia of Nassau-Weilburg|

|  |  |
| 23\. Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau

| 1\. Frederick Augustus II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg|
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| 24\. Ernest Frederick III, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen

| 12\. Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg|

|  |  |
| 25\. Princess Ernestine of Saxe-Weimar

| 6\. Joseph, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg|

|  |  |  |  |
| 26\. Charles II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg

| 13\. Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz|

|  |  |
| 27\. Princess Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt

| 3\. Princess Elisabeth of Saxe-Altenburg|

|  |  |  |  |  |  |
| 28\. Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg = 18

| 14\. Duke Louis of Württemberg|

|  |  |
| 29\. Friederike Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt = 19

| 7\. Duchess Amelia of Württemberg|

|  |  |  |  |
| 30\. Charles Christian, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg = 22

| 15\. Princess Henriette of Nassau-Weilburg|

|  |  |
| 31\. Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau = 23

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Zeitschrift für bayerische Landesgeschichte. Vol. 63\. 2000. pp. 63, 79. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
2. ^ a b Hans Friedl (Hrsg.) (1992). Biographisches Handbuch zur Geschichte des Landes Oldenburg. Isensee Verlag. pp. 211–212\. ISBN 3-89442-135-5.
3. ^ "Prager Tagblatt". 19 August 1888.
4. ^ Andreas Welp (18 August 2007). "Wo Hoheit sich als Seemann bewährte". Wilhelmshavener Zeitung. p. 38.
5. ^ Friedrich August von Oldenburg (1910). "Heißdampfanlagen mit Ventilmaschinen". Jahrbuch der Schiffbautechnischen Gesellschaft: 418–419.
6. ^ a b Hans Friedl, Wolfgang Günther, Hilke Günther-Arndt, Heinrich Schmidt (Hrsg.) (1992). Biographisches Handbuch zur Geschichte des Landes Oldenburg (PDF). Oldenburg. pp. 160–161\. ISBN 3-89442-135-5. Retrieved 23 January 2025.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
7. ^ a b c August Geerkens. Meine Erinnerungen aus den ersten zehn Jahren der Oldenburgischen Landwirtschaftskammer. Vol. 5.
8. ^ "History". Statsraad Lehmkuhl. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
9. ^ Ehrenrangliste. p. 238.
10. ^ a b "Duchess Elisabeth". The New York Times. Oldenburg. 5 September 1955.
11. ^ a b c d "Former Grand Duke of Oldenburg Dies", The New York Times, Oldenburg, 25 February 1931
12. ^ Malve Anna Falk (2017). Sebastian Dohe, Malve Anna Falk, Rainer Stamm (ed.). Auflösung und Neubeginn. Die Oldenburger Galerie und ihre Gemälde nach 1918. Petersberg: Michael Imhof Verlag. pp. 49–66\. ISBN 978-3-7319-0447-2.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link)
13. ^ Karl Jaspers (1967). Schicksal und Wille. Autobiographische Schriften. München: Piper. p. 99.
14. ^ Radziwill, pp. 116–17.
15. ^ Radziwill, pp. 117–18.
16. ^ Radziwill, p. 118.
17. ^ "Princess Elizabeth of Prussia Dead", The New York Times, Berlin, 29 August 1895
18. ^ Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Großherzogtums Oldenburg: 1853. Schulze. 1853. p. 28.
19. ^ Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Großherzogtums Oldenburg: 1854. Schulze. 1854. p. 26.
20. ^ Braunschweig, Staat (Hg.) (1905): Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Herzogtums Braunschweig für 1905. In: Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Herzogtums Braunschweig 1905. p. 11
21. ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Württemberg (1907), "Königliche Orden" p. 28
22. ^ Staatshandbücher für das Herzogtum Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha (1865), "Herzogliche Sachsen-Ernestinischer Hausorden" p. 32
23. ^ "Schwarzer Adler-orden", Königlich Preussische Ordensliste (in German), vol. 1, Berlin, 1886, p. 8 - via hathitrust.org`{{citation}}`: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
24. ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Hessen (1879), "Großherzogliche Orden und Ehrenzeichen" p. 12
25. ^ Almanach royal officiel: 1879. 1879. p. 51.
26. ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Herzogtum Anhalt (1894) "Herzoglicher Haus-orden Albrecht des Bären" p. 17
27. ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Bayern (1908), "Königliche Orden" p. 7
28. ^ Staatshandbuch für das Großherzogtum Sachsen / Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach (1900), "Großherzogliche Hausorden" p. 16 Archived 2020-09-06 at the Wayback Machine
29. ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden (1910), "Großherzogliche Orden" p. 40
30. ^ Sachsen (1901). "Königlich Orden". Staatshandbuch für den Königreich Sachsen: 1901. Dresden: Heinrich. p. 5 - via hathitrust.org.
31. ^ Italy. Ministero dell'interno (1920). Calendario generale del regno d'Italia. p. 57.
32. ^ The London Gazette, issue 28030, p. 4083
33. ^ "A Szent István Rend tagjai" Archived 22 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
34. ^ Bille-Hansen, A. C.; Holck, Harald, eds. (1912) [1st pub.:1801]. Statshaandbog for Kongeriget Danmark for Aaret 1912 [State Manual of the Kingdom of Denmark for the Year 1912] (PDF). Kongelig Dansk Hof- og Statskalender (in Danish). Copenhagen: J.H. Schultz A.-S. Universitetsbogtrykkeri. p. 5. Retrieved 16 September 2019 - via da:DIS Danmark.
35. ^ Sveriges Statskalender (in Swedish), 1915, p. 671, retrieved 20 February 2019 - via runeberg.org

## Bibliography

[edit]

* Radziwill, Catherine (1915). Memories of Forty Years. London: Funk & Wagnalls Company.

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Frederick Augustus II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg

House of Oldenburg

Born: 16 November 1852 Died: 24 February 1931

Regnal titles
Preceded by

Peter II

|  Grand Duke of Oldenburg
13 June 1900 – 11 November 1918  | Monarchy abolished

German Revolution

Titles in pretence
Loss of title

Republic declared

| — TITULAR —
Grand Duke of Oldenburg
11 November 1918 – 24 February 1931
Reason for succession failure:
Grand Duchy abolished in 1918 | Succeeded by

Duke Nikolaus

* v
* t
* e

Final hereditary rulers of the states of the German Empire

Emperor|

* Wilhelm II

Kings|

* Wilhelm II of Prussia
* Ludwig III of Bavaria
* Friedrich August III of Saxony
* Wilhelm II of Württemberg

Grand dukes|

* Friedrich II of Baden
* Ernst Ludwig of Hesse
* Friedrich Franz IV of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
* Adolf Friedrich VI of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
* Friedrich August II of Oldenburg
* William Ernest of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

Dukes|

* Joachim Ernst of Anhalt
* Ernst August of Brunswick
* Ernst II of Saxe-Altenburg
* Karl Eduard of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
* Bernhard III of Saxe-Meiningen

Principalities|

* Leopold IV of Lippe
* Heinrich XXVII of Reuss-Gera
* Heinrich XXIV of Reuss-Greiz
* Adolf II of Schaumburg-Lippe
* Günther Victor of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt-Sondershausen
* Friedrich of Waldeck and Pyrmont

* v
* t
* e

Dukes of Oldenburg

The generations are numbered from the ascension of Frederick August I as Duke of Oldenburg in 1774.

1st Generation|

* Duke Wilhelm I
* Grand Duke Peter I

2nd Generation|

* Grand Duke Augustus I
* Duke George

3rd Generation|

* Grand Duke Peter II
* Duke Elimar*
* Duke Peter Georgievich

4th Generation|

* Frederick Augustus II
* Duke Alexander Petrovich
* Duke Constantine Petrovich*

5th Generation|

* Hereditary Grand Duke Nikolaus
* Duke Peter Alexandrovich

6th Generation|

* Anton-Günther, Duke of Oldenburg
* Duke Friedrich August

7th Generation|

* Christian, Duke of Oldenburg

All Dukes were also by right Princes of Holstein-Gottorp
* may have lost his title due to an unequal marriage

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany

People|

* Deutsche Biographie
* DDB

Other|

* IdRef
* Yale LUX

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