Frederick William, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt

Frederick William of Brandenburg-Schwedt (17 November 1700 – 4 March 1771) was a German nobleman. In his lifetime, from 1711 to 1771, he held the titles Prince in Prussia and Margrave of Brandenburg, with the style Royal Highness. He was made a knight of the Order of the Black Eagle.

In the 19th century he was retrospectively known by the title Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt, in order to differentiate his branch of the Hohenzollern dynasty. He was the second owner of the Prussian secundogeniture of Brandenburg-Schwedt. His parents were Philip William, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt, and Princess Johanna Charlotte of Anhalt-Dessau. He was the nephew of King Frederick I of Prussia.

Life Frederick William was known as a brutal man because of his short temper, severity, and coarse manners. He was born at Oranienbaum Castle (modern-day Oranienbaum-Wörlitz, Wittenberg), and was educated and raised by his uncle, King Frederick I, and then by his cousin, King Frederick William I. His character closely resembled that of his second royal guardian, who like himself, hated idleness and was a terror to all loungers. The clergy were especial objects of his ridicule and persecution. His cane was as much feared as that of his royal namesake.

He made the fashionable Grand Tour, travelling to Geneva 1715, and in 1716 to Italy. He returned in 1719 to Prussia, where he received the Order of the Black Eagle from Frederick William I. On 15 June 1723 he was made a Prussian major-general. On 10 July 1737 he was appointed lieutenant-general.

The existence of the Schwedt branch of the Hohenzollern dynasty, descended as they were from Frederick I's father and being 'princes of the blood', posed a theoretical threat to the Prussian kings. Frederick William I tried to neutralise this threat by keeping his cousins close, bringing the Schwedt brothers into his own household, acting as their guardian, and later marrying Frederick William to his daughter. Following the margrave's reaching adulthood the king was so fearful of any covert political activity on his cousin's part that he sent spies to Schwedt to find out who met with Frederick William and his brother.

Issue In 1734, the Margrave married Sophia Dorothea of Prussia and they had five children.

Sophia Dorothea (18 December 1736 – 9 March 1798); married Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg Elisabeth Louise (22 April 1738 – 10 February 1820); married her uncle Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia George Philip (10 September 1741 – 28 April 1742) died in infancy. Philippine (10 October 1745 – 1 May 1800); married Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) George Frederick (3 May 1749 – 13 August 1751) died young.

He also fathered an illegitimate son named Georg Wilhelm von Jägersfeld (1725–1797).

Genealogy Frederick William belonged to a junior branch of the House of Hohenzollern; the senior branch were the Counts of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. The junior line produced electors of Brandenburg and kings and emperors of Prussia and Germany. Frederick William was a descendant of Burkhard I, Count of Zollern. Through his daughter Sophia Dorothea he is an ancestor of Mary of Teck, the wife of George V, and therefore an ancestor of the present British royal family.

Ancestry