Prince Paul of Württemberg

Infobox Person
name = Paul of Württemberg


caption = Prince Paul of Württemberg
birth_date = 19 January 1785
birth_place = flagicon|Russian Empire St Petersburg, Russian Empire
death_date = 16 April 1852
death_place = flagicon|France Paris, France
other_names = Paul Heinrich Karl Friedrich August von Württemberg
known_for =
occupation = Prince of Württemberg
nationality =

Prince Paul of Württemberg ( _de. Paul Heinrich Karl Friedrich August von Württemberg) (born St. Petersburg, Russian Empire, 19 January 1785; died Paris, France, 16 April 1852) was a German prince and the fourth child and second son of Frederick I of Württemberg and Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.

Biography

Soon after Paul's birth, his mother separated from his father during a stay in Russia with Frederick's sister's mother-in-law Catherine II of Russia. Augusta died in exile in Reval (now Tallinn, capital of Estonia) in 1788. In 1797, Frederick married Charlotte, Princess Royal, eldest daughter of George III of the United Kingdom, and she supervised the education of Paul and his two surviving siblings Wilhelm and Catherine. Charlotte regarded Paul as 'a very comical boy and, in my partial eyes, his manners are like Adolphus [Charlotte's younger brother] ".cite book|last=Fraser |first=Flora |title=Princesses — The Six Daughters of George III |publisher=John Murray |location=London |year=2007|pages=pp.196|isbn=0719561094] As Paul grew up, her opinion changed. During a visit to London in 1814, Paul, along with many other princes, was taken to visit the Ascot races by the Prince Regent. He behaved badly, getting the Prince of Orange blind drunk. "For thirteen years he has done nothing but offend his father with the improprieties of his conduct", his stepmother wrote.

On 28 September 1805 in Ludwigsburg, Paul married Princess Katharina Charlotte of Saxe-Hildburghausen (17 June 1787 Hildburghausen – 12 December 1847 Bamberg), second daughter of Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen. They had five children:

* Friederike Charlotte Marie (9 January 1807 – 2 February 1873); married Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia
* Frederick Karl August (21 February 1808 – 9 May 1870); married his cousin Princess Katherine of Württemberg and was the father of William II of Württemberg.
* Paul Friedrich (7 March 1809 – 28 May 1810)
* Pauline Friederike Marie (25 February 1810 – 7 July 1856); married William, Duke of Nassau; mother of Sophia of Nassau, wife of Oscar II of Sweden. Through Pauline, Paul is an ancestor of the present Belgian, Danish, Dutch, Luxembourg, Norwegian and Swedish Royal families.
* August (24 January 1813 – 12 January 1885); married (morganatically) Marie Bethge, with issue.

In 1815 Paul moved from his home in Stuttgart to Paris, leaving his wife and two sons, but taking his daughters with him. There he led a relatively modest life, but was frequently in the company of intellectuals such as Georges Cuvier. Paul's family did not approve of this, and ordered him to return to Württemberg, but he refused. [cite book|last=Zeepvat |first=Charlotte |title=Romanov Autumn |publisher=Sutton |location=Stroud |year=2006|pages=pp.21-22|isbn=0750944188] While in Paris, he fathered two illegitimate daughters by mistresses; one of these natural daughters, Karolina von Rothenburg, was an ancestor of Boris Johnson, the current Mayor of London. [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/whodoyouthinkyouare/new-stories/boris-johnson/index.shtml "Who do you Think you Are?": Boris Johnson] , "BBC", screened 20 August 2008; [http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00d56ky/ available] on BBC iPlayer]

Paul died in Paris aged 67.

References

Persondata
NAME= Württemberg, Paul Heinrich Karl Friedrich August von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Prince of Württemberg
DATE OF BIRTH= 19 January 1785
PLACE OF BIRTH= St Petersburg, Russian Empire
DATE OF DEATH= 16 April 1852
PLACE OF DEATH= Paris, France