Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg


Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg inherited the title of Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck in 1816. He subsequently changed his title to Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg in 1825 and founded a line that includes the Royal Houses of Denmark, Greece, Norway, and the Commonwealth realms.

Early life

Friedrich Wilhelm was born in Lindenau, East Prussia, to Friedrich Karl Ludwig, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck and Countess Friederike of Schlieben. He was the third and youngest child of the couple, and the only son. In 1804, he was sent to Denmark, where he was an officer of the Danish army during the Napoleonic Wars.

Marriage and issue

On 26 January 1810, Friedrich Wilhelm married Princess Louise Caroline of Hesse-Kassel, a granddaughter of Frederik V of Denmark through her mother, Princess Louise of Denmark. Friedrich Wilhelm and Louise Caroline had ten children:
On 25 March 1816, Friedrich Wilhelm succeeded his father as Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck. On 6 July 1825, he became Duke of Glücksburg and changed his title to Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, after the elder Glücksburg line became extinct in 1779. Friedrich Wilhelm died on 17 February 1831 at Gottorp.
His grandchildren include among others Frederick VIII of Denmark, Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, George I of Greece, Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia, Crown Princess Thyra of Hanover, Duchess of Cumberland and Teviotdale, and Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein.

Titles and styles