Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein

Friedrich Ferdinand
Duke of Schleswig-Holstein
Head of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
Predecessor	Friedrich
Successor	Wilhelm Friedrich
Born	(1855-10-12)12 October 1855 Kiel, Danish Holstein, Germany)
Died	21 January 1934(1934-01-21) (aged 78) Primkenau, Province of Silesia, Free State of Prussia, Nazi Germany[1]
Spouse	Princess Karoline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg ​ ​ (m. 1885; died 1932)​
Issue	Victoria Adelaide, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Alexandra Victoria, Princess August Wilhelm of Prussia Helena, Princess Harald of Denmark Adelaide, Princess of Solms-Baruth Wilhelm Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein Karoline Mathilde, Countess Hans of Solms-Baruth
Names Frederick Ferdinand George Christian Charles William German: Friedrich Ferdinand Georg Christian Karl Wilhelm
House	Glücksburg
Father	Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
Mother	Princess Adelheid of Schaumburg-Lippe

Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, then Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein (12 October 1855 – 21 January 1934), was the fourth Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and became the fifth Duke of Schleswig-Holstein in 1931 and the head of the House of Oldenburg.

Family and succession

Friedrich Ferdinand was born in Kiel, Duchy of Holstein, the eldest son of Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and Princess Adelheid of Schaumburg-Lippe and a nephew of Christian IX of Denmark. Friedrich Ferdinand succeeded to the headship of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and title duke upon the death of his father on 27 November 1885. When the Head of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg Albert, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein died on 27 April 1931, Friedrich Ferdinand became the Head of the House of Oldenburg and inherited the title Duke of Schleswig-Holstein.

Marriage and issue

Friedrich Ferdinand married Princess Karoline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, daughter of Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg and his wife Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (and sister of Augusta Victoria, German Empress), on 19 March 1885 at Primkenau. Friedrich Ferdinand and Karoline Mathilde had six children:

• Princess Viktoria Adelheid Helene Luise Marie Friederike of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (31 December 1885 – 3 October 1970)
• Princess Alexandra Viktoria Auguste Leopoldine Charlotte Amalie Wilhelmine of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (21 April 1887 – 15 April 1957)
• Princess Helene Adelheid Viktoria Marie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (1 June 1888 – 30 June 1962)
• Princess Adelheid Luise of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (19 October 1889 – 11 June 1964)
• Wilhelm Friedrich Christian Günther Albert Adolf Georg, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein (23 August 1891 – 10 February 1965)
• Princess Karoline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (11 May 1894 – 28 January 1972)

Death

Friedrich Ferdinand died in 1934 at Hause Eckernförde close to Güby in Schleswig-Holstein,^[citation needed] Germany, aged 78.

Honours

He received the following orders and decorations:[2]

• Duchy of Anhalt: Grand Cross of Albert the Bear, 1886[3]
•  Denmark: Knight of the Elephant, 8 April 1876[4]
• Ernestine duchies: Grand Cross of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order
• Kingdom of Greece: Grand Cross of the Redeemer
•  Oldenburg: Grand Cross of the Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig, with Golden Crown and Collar
• Kingdom of Prussia:
  • Knight of the Red Eagle, 1st Class, 22 March 1886;[5] Grand Cross, 7 September 1890[6]
  • Knight of the Black Eagle, 24 December 1892; with Collar, 17 January 1893[7]
•  United Kingdom: Honorary Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, 11 October 1905[8]
•  Württemberg: Grand Cross of the Württemberg Crown, 1877[9]

Ancestry

Ancestors of Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein

8. Friedrich Karl Ludwig, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck 4. Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg 9. Countess Friederike of Schlieben 2. Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg 10. Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel 5. Princess Louise Caroline of Hesse-Kassel 11. Princess Louise of Denmark 1. Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein 12. Philip II, Count of Schaumburg-Lippe 6. George William, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe 13. Princess Juliane of Hesse-Philippsthal 3. Princess Adelheid of Schaumburg-Lippe 14. Georg I, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont 7. Princess Ida of Waldeck and Pyrmont 15. Princess Augusta of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen

References

1. H. Sandner, in his biography of his son-in-law, Carl Eduard of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Hitlers Herzog (2010), states on p. 257 that Friedrich Ferdinand dies at Primkenau, Silesia (now Przemków, Poland).
2. Handbuch über den Königlich Preußischen Hof und Staat (1908), Herrenhaus p. 219
3. Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Herzogtum Anhalt (1894) "Herzoglicher Haus-orden Albrecht des Bären" p. 17
4. Bille-Hansen, A. C.; Holck, Harald, eds. (1900) [1st pub.:1801]. Statshaandbog for Kongeriget Danmark for Aaret 1900 [State Manual of the Kingdom of Denmark for the Year 1900] (PDF). Kongelig Dansk Hof- og Statskalender (in Danish). Copenhagen: J.H. Schultz A.-S. Universitetsbogtrykkeri. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 30 April 2020 – via da:DIS Danmark.
5. "Rother Adler-orden", Königlich Preussische Ordensliste (in German), vol. 1, Berlin, 1886, p. 43
6. "Rother Adler-orden", Königlich Preussische Ordensliste (supp. 1890-1891) (in German), vol. 1, Berlin, 1886, p. 6 – via hathitrust.org
7. "Schwarzer Adler-orden", Königlich Preussische Ordensliste (supp.) (in German), vol. 1, Berlin, 1886, p. 5 – via hathitrust.org
8. The Edinburgh Gazette, issue 11771, p. 1013
9. Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Württemberg (1907), "Königliche Orden" p. 28

Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg Cadet branch of the House of Oldenburg Born: 12 October 1855 Died: 21 January 1934
German nobility
Preceded by Friedrich	Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg 27 November 1885–27 April 1931	Succeeded by Himself as Duke of Schleswig-Holstein
Preceded by Albert	Duke of Schleswig-Holstein 27 April 1931–21 January 1934	Succeeded by Wilhelm Friedrich