Charles Alexander, Duke of Württemberg

Carl/Charles Alexander (1684-1737)
Duke of Württemberg
Reign	31 October 1733 – 12 March 1737
Predecessor	Eberhard Louis
Successor	Charles Eugene
Born	(1684-01-24)24 January 1684 Stuttgart
Died	12 March 1737(1737-03-12) (aged 53) Ludwigsburg
Burial	Ludwigsburg Palace
Spouse	Maria Augusta of Thurn and Taxis ​ ​ (m. 1727)​
Issue	Charles Eugene, Duke of Württemberg Louis Eugene, Duke of Württemberg Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg Auguste, Princess of Thurn and Taxis
House	Württemberg
Father	Frederick Charles, Duke of Württemberg-Winnental
Mother	Margravine Eleonore Juliane of Brandenburg-Ansbach
Religion	Roman Catholicism (previously Lutheranism)

Charles Alexander of Württemberg (24 January 1684 – 12 March 1737) first became a Württemberg Duke (for the Württemberg-Winnental branch) in 1698 after his father's death and then went on to govern the Kingdom of Serbia as regent from 1720 until 1733, and then assumed the position of Duke of Württemberg, which he held until his death.

Born in Stuttgart (a city now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany), Charles Alexander was the eldest son of Frederick Charles, Duke of Württemberg-Winnental and his wife, Margravine Eleonore Juliane of Brandenburg-Ansbach.^[1] The family lived at Castle Winnental in Winnenden near Stuttgart.

His German name was Carl Alexander, as seen in the Stiftskirche church records in Stuttgart.^[2] As a young boy, he was assigned a personal attendant named Wolffgang George Zeiher who served him for many years. On May 23, 1691, at age seven, Carl Alexander was listed as "Prinz Carl Alexander von Württemberg" on the list of baptismal sponsors for his personal attendant Wolffgang's newborn son, Christoff.^[3] (Conjecturally, given the rarity of a baptismal sponsor being so young, perhaps Carl Alexander made a request of Wolffgang, his attendant, to participate in the event, or perhaps Carl Alexander was assigned that role as early training for presenting himself ceremonially.) Other members of the royal household during Carl Alexander's boyhood are also listed as baptismal sponsors for Wolffgang's children. These royal family members include Her Highness ("Ihr Durchlaucht") Eleonora Juliana (Carl Alexander's mother), an administrator of royal estate, a royal valet, the head baker, pastry chef, button maker, and a chambermaid, along with others who would have been part of Carl Alexander's life while growing up. Each person adds a bit of color to the imagery of the household.^{[4][5][6][7][8]}

At age fourteen, he began his career as a monarch when he succeeded his father as Duke of Württemberg-Winnental (a branch of the House of Württemberg) in 1698. He went on to serve in several other roles and was Duke of Württemberg at the time of his death in 1737.

As a successful army-commander in service of the Holy Roman Emperor, he had converted to Roman Catholicism for political gain and advancement in 1712. He was militarily successful under Prince Eugene of Savoy in the Spanish War of Succession as well as in the Ottoman–Venetian War. In 1719 he was appointed imperial governor of Belgrade.

In 1720 Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI appointed him governor of the Kingdom of Serbia in Belgrade. While in this post he married Princess Marie Auguste of Thurn and Taxis (1706–56) in 1727; they had 4 children.

After 13 years of autocratically ruling over Serbia, in 1733 Charles Alexander inherited the Duchy of Württemberg from his cousin, Eberhard Louis. As Duke of Württemberg he moved the court back from Ludwigsburg to the nearby capital of Stuttgart. He ruled over the Duchy until his sudden death in 1737, and was succeeded by his nine-year-old son, Charles Eugene.

During his reign, he employed as his financier the ill-fated Joseph Süss Oppenheimer, who was executed in 1738 for abuse of office during the reign of the duke.

On 1 May 1727, he married Princess Marie Auguste of Thurn and Taxis (1706–1756). They had 6 children; four of whom survived to adulthood:

• Charles Eugene, Duke of Württemberg (1728–1793), married Princess Elisabeth Fredericka Sophie of Brandenburg-Bayreuth; no issue.
• Eugen Louis (1729)
• Louis Eugene, Duke of Württemberg (1731–1795), married Countess Sophie Albertine of Beichlingen; had issue.
• Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg (1732–1797), married Princess Friederike Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt; had issue.
• Alexander Eugen (1733–1734)
• Auguste Elisabeth (1734–1787), married Prince Karl Anselm, 4th Prince of Thurn and Taxis; had issue.

King Charles III is his descendant through his great-grandmother Mary of Teck.

Although the story of Duke Karl Alexander and Joseph Süß Oppenheimer constituted a relatively obscure episode in German history, it became the subject of a number of literary and dramatic treatments over the course of more than a century; the earliest of these having been Wilhelm Hauff's 1827 novella, titled Jud Süß.^[9] The most successful literary adaptation was Lion Feuchtwanger's 1925 novel titled Jud Süß based on a play that he had written in 1916 but subsequently withdrew.

Ashley Dukes and Paul Kornfeld also wrote dramatic adaptations of the Feuchtwanger novel. In 1934, Lothar Mendes directed "Jew Süss", a film adaptation of the novel. The role of Karl Alexander was played by Frank Vosper.^[10]

Charles Alexander and his relationship with Oppenheimer is fictionally portrayed in Veit Harlan's 1940 Nazi propaganda film titled Jud Süß. He is portrayed by Heinrich George.

Although inspired by the historical details of Süß's life, Hauff's novella, Feuchtwanger's novel, and Harlan's film only loosely correspond to the historical sources available at the Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg.

• Great Turkish War

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