Reign 1730–1737 Noble family Kettler Name Ferdinand Kettler | Successor Ernst Johann Biron Father Jacob Kettler | |
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Predecessor Friedrich Wilhelm Kettler Mother Louise Charlotte of Brandenburg Died May 4, 1737, Gdansk, Poland Spouse Johanna Magdalene of Saxe-Weissenfels Parents Jacob Kettler, Margravine Louise Charlotte of Brandenburg Grandparents George William, Elector of Brandenburg, Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, Sophie Hohenzollern, Wilhelm Kettler Great-grandparents John Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg Similar People Wilhelm Kettler, Jacob Kettler, Margravine Louise Charlotte, George William - Elector of, Sophie Hohenzollern | ||
Ferdinand Kettler (1655 – May 4,1737) was the Duke of Courland and Semigallia from 1730 to 1737. The son of Jacob Kettler and Louise Charlotte of Brandenburg, he married Johanna Magdalene of Saxe-Weissenfels in 1730.
Biography
Ferdinand Kettler was born on November 1, 1655, in Jelgava. He and his family, held captive by the Swedes in Riga, were moved to Ivangorod and held there from 1658-1660.
After the death of Jacob Kettler in 1682, the duchy passed to Ferdinand's older brother, Friedrich Casimir. He was in the Polish army, where he reached the rank of Lieutenant-General. He participated in many battles against the Ottoman Empire. After Friedrich Casimir's death in 1698, Ferdinand and his widow became guardians of the minor, Friedrich Wilhelm. They ruled the duchy in his name as regents. When the Great Northern War started in 1700, Kettler fought in battles near Riga. After his defeat in the Battle of Daugava, he fled to Danzig, where he stayed until his death. The council of the duchy (landtag) under Swedish occupation refused to recognize Ferdinand as duke.
Meanwhile, Friedrich Wilhelm had married Anna of Russia. Friedrich died, leaving Kettler the last candidate to the throne of Courland from the House of Kettler. However, Kettler was reluctant to return. The duchy was instead ruled by Anna of Russia, who acted as a regent. In 1725, the Council of the Duchy elected Maurice de Saxe as the new duke. He soon left Courland because of friction with the Russian imperial administration.
In 1730, Kettler (then 75 years old) married young Johanna Magdalene of Saxe-Weissenfels. In that same year, Anna of Russia became tsarina of the Russian Empire. The Council of Duchy finally recognized Ferdinand as a duke. Yet, in 1736, the king of Poland, August III, in a private meeting, offered the throne of Courland to Ernst Johann Biron. Biron was the lover of Anna and had a great influence on state affairs.
Ferdinand Kettler died in Danzig on May 4, 1737. He had no children. A month later, the Council of the Duchy elected Ernst Johan Biron as the new duke of Courland and Semigallia.