Prince Paul | |||||
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Born |
St Petersburg, Russian Empire |
19 January 1785||||
Died | 16 April 1852 Paris, France |
(aged 67)||||
Burial | Ludwigsburg Palace Church | ||||
Spouse |
Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Hildburghausen Magdalena Fausta Angela de Creus y Ximenes |
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Issue |
Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna of Russia Prince Frederick Prince Paul Friedrich Pauline, Duchess of Nassau Prince August |
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House | House of Württemberg | ||||
Father | Frederick I of Württemberg | ||||
Mother | Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel |
Full name | |
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Paul Heinrich Karl Friedrich August |
Prince Paul of Württemberg (Paul Heinrich Karl Friedrich August; 19 January 1785 – 16 April 1852) was the fourth child and second son of King Frederick I and his wife, Duchess Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.
Paul was born in St. Petersburg during a period when his father, not yet the ruler of Württemberg, was made governor of Old Finland by Catherine the Great in Russia. The couple had traveled to Russia to visit Frederick's sister Sophie, who was married to the heir to the Russian throne, the Tsesarevich Paul. Prince Paul's parents separated shortly after his birth. The marriage was unhappy, and there were allegations of abusive treatment of his mother. His mother was granted asylum by Catherine the Great and never returned to Württemberg. She died in exile in Koluvere, Estonia, in 1788. In 1797, Frederick married Charlotte, Princess Royal, eldest daughter of King George III of the United Kingdom, who supervised the education of Paul and his two surviving siblings, Wilhelm and Catharina. Charlotte regarded Paul as "a very comical boy and, in my partial eyes, his manners are like Adolphus [Charlotte's younger brother]."
As Paul grew up, her opinion changed. During the visit of the Allied sovereigns to London in 1814, Paul, along with many other princes, was taken to visit the Ascot races by the Prince Regent. He behaved badly and got 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.