Name Charles, Prince | Died 1674 | |
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Parents Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg Grandparents George William, Elector of Brandenburg, Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate Great-grandparents John Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg Predecessor Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg Similar People Frederick William - Elector of, Countess Louise Henriette, Frederick I of Prussia, George William - Elector of, Frederick Henry - Prince of | ||
Charles Emil, Electoral Prince of Brandenburg (16 February 1655, Berlin – 7 December 1674, Strasbourg) was a German prince as heir-apparent to the Electorate of Brandenburg.
Life
He was the second son of Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg and his first son to survive infancy - his elder brother William Henry had died less than two years old in 1649. Born on his father's thirty-fifth birthday after six years of unsuccessful pregnancies for his mother Countess Luise Henriette of Nassau, he was much hoped-for, looked like his father and was raised to be like him - spirited, quick-tempered and always in favour of war and the hunt (the most effective way of subduing him was always for his tutor to take away his sword for a few days).
In 1670 he was made colonel of the Regiment Radziwill zu Fus and four years later he and his father headed the Brandenburg force on its incursion into Alsace during the Franco-Dutch War. The campaign soon became mired into incessant maneouvring, with the imperial commanded Bournonville afraid or unwilling to give battle. A cold wet autumn arrived, leading to supply and sanitary problems and disease in the Brandenburg army. Charles became ill late in November and at the start of December was sent to Strasbourg to recover. After seven days of a rising fever, he then died of dysentery.