Frederick William von Hessenstein
File:Friedrich Wilhelm Hessenstein.jpg
Frederick William, Prince von Hessenstein (17 March 1735, Stockholm — 27 July 1808, Panker), was a Swedish statesman and a soldier of German ancestry.
Biography
He was the eldest extramarital son of King Frederick I of Sweden, member of the House of Hesse, and his royal mistress Hedvig Ulrika Taube.[https://runeberg.org/sbh/a0492.html Fredrik Vilhelm von Hessenstein Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon]
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King Gustav III treated him with great respect. He was appointed Field Marshal in 1773, Privy Councillor in 1776, and Governor-General of Pomerania between 1776 and 1791.{{citation|last= Durchman|first= Osmo|title= Genos|chapter-url= http://www.genealogia.fi/genos/5/5_137.htm|access-date= 28 February 2009|language= sv|chapter= Ätten Horns ättlingar inom furstehus|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160304191713/http://www.genealogia.fi/genos/5/5_137.htm|archive-date= 4 March 2016|url-status= dead}} Hessenstein was made a count of the Holy Roman Empire (in which his father's German realm, the landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, was located) on 28 February 1741, and created a Swedish count on 29 March of the following year. He was elevated to Prince von Hessenstein in the Empire in November 1772, and hereditary Prince von Hessenstein also in Sweden on 28 April 1785. In 1773, he was also made one of the Lords of the Realm.
According to unverified rumors, he might have been the father of an extramarital daughter by Princess Sofia Albertina, Gustav III's sister. Named Sophia, she was allegedly born in 1786, a year before the princess was sent to Germany as Abbess of Quedlinburg.[https://runeberg.org/nfbk/0328.html Fredrik Vilhelm von Hessenstein] ( Nordisk familjebok)
Honors
{{House of Hesse (Sweden)}}
- Knight of the Royal Order of the Seraphim
- Commander of the Royal Order of the Sword
References
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Other sources
- Lindquist, Herman (2002) Historien om Sverige. Gustavs dagar (Norstedts Förlag) {{ISBN|978-91-1-301455-5}})
- Lagerqvist, Lars O. (1976) Sveriges regenter - från forntid till nutid (Bonnier) {{ISBN|978-91-0-041538-9}}
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Category:People from Plön (district)
Category:Illegitimate children of Swedish monarchs
Category:Field marshals of Sweden
Category:Governors-general of Sweden
Category:18th-century Swedish nobility
Category:Swedish people of German descent
Category:18th-century Swedish military personnel
Category:Commanders of the Order of the Sword
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