Frédéric de Hesse-Philippsthal

Portrait of the Comte d'Augustenau by Pompeo Batoni c. 1741

### Born

14th August, 1729, Château de Wilhelmsburg, Landgraviate of Hesse-Philippsthal, Hesse, Kingdom of Prussia

### Died

27th November, 1751, Château de Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia (aged 22)

### Burial

Nécropole des Landgraves, Château de Wilhelmsburg, Smalcalde, Landgraviat de Hesse-Philippsthal, Kingdom of Prussia

### Father

Charles I, Landgrave de Hesse-Philippsthal

### Siblings

Guillaume de Hesse-PhilippsthalCaroline de Hesse-Philippsthal (1728-1746) †

Charlotte-Amélie de Hesse-Philippsthal

Philippine de Hesse-Philippsthal

### Religion

Protestant Lutheranism

***Frédéric de Hesse-Philippsthal*** (14th August 1729 - Présent) is a Hessian nobleman residing at the Prussian court and is the current-reigning ***Comte d'Augustenau***, an appanage of the Landgraviate of Hesse-Philippsthal.

## Early Life

### Birth

The occasion of Frédéric's birth was set to take place on the morning of Sunday, August 14th, 1729. The day was remarked by many to be a sweltering day, as the summers in Wilhelmsburg were notably hot throughout much of the 18th-century. It was to become a painful and strenously long labour for the mother, Landgravine Catherine de Saxe-Eisenach, so much so that it was said that her husband, the Landgrave, had fallen asleep in his armchair beside the bed; The midwives struggled to keep their eyes open. The labour had begun at dawn, around 4:00 AM, not long before the local physician, a Doctor Heinrich Schuleymeyer, arrived at 5:15 AM. At last, at 1:37 PM, the infant made its debut.

#### *Christening*

As it happened to be a Sunday on the day of his birth, Frédéric's christening was immediate and took place in the local parish church in the synonymous village of Barchfeld. The newly-born child would be given the name \*Frédéric\*- in honour of his uncle, the King of Sweden, Frédéric de Hesse-Cassel.

### Childhood & Education

#### *Lineage*

Frédéric's birth was a welcome, though less-celebrated birth then that of his elder brother, Hereditary Prince Guillaume, who was born in 1726. For Frédéric, he would soon find himself in the role as the ''spare'' to his family, given his broth was heir to the fortune. Frédéric was not expected to inherit the throne of Hesse-Philippsthal, and was treated thus.

The House of Hesse was one of great bounty, in terms of aristocratic stock. It provided some of Europe's greatest military commanders and theological figures; Frédéric's own father, Charles I, was a decorated Danish general, well-respected for his victories at Helsingborg (1710), Rügen (1715) and the successful besiegement, later capture of Stralsund (1711-1715). For Frédéric, this legacy weighed heavily upon him. However, a military legacy was not the destiny for Frédéric, but that of his elder brother, Guillaume. In essence, Tartarus to Pluto. On his mother's side, Frédéric was descended from the Rotenburg Hessians; the more peaceful, yet, just as skillful relatives.

#### *Under a Chaplain's Influence*

Frédéric's childhood was governed by the influence of his tutor, an elderly Huguenot priest: Reverend Hercules Rochambert- a refugee who had fled France in the wake of Louis XIV's *Édit de Fontainebleau* in 1685 and arrived in Germany around 1686, taking a post at the church in Barchfeld. Reverend Rochambert made a great influence on Frédéric's education to pursue the arts of peace: Theology, literature, mathematics, languages, manners and even horseback riding. Whereas his brother would spend the morning hunting, Frédéric sojourned in the stables to learn about animal husbandry and the maintenance of a good stable with his father's equerry. Unlike many noble children of his time, however, Frédéric was notably diligent and a considerable bookworm. He'd spend much of his time indoors studying and reading, which would ultimately pay off with his intelligence and his eventual good book-keeping of his finances.

### Adolescence

#### *The Arts & The Hours*

Frédéric's adolescence found him taking his education further, attending the Université de Giessen, of which he enrolled as a pupil in 1743. He fashioned himself in the advanced studying of literature (Defoe's 1719 Robinson Crusoe, Shakesphearean plays, German mythology), music (*F. Couperin. J. B. Lully, J. P. Rameau,* and *Handel*), etiquette, geo-politics and history; Notably, however, he embarked in a great infatuation with the philosophical figures of his time: *Voltaire, Rousseau*, and the Greco-Roman classics.

Ever more, Frédéric's love for the arts of peace grew, filling him with a disdain for his brother, Guillaume, and the latter's adoration for the spirit of war- hunting, fencing, shooting, fortifications and gambling. Not long before his debut into society, Frédéric found himself chastisising his brother, and later found himself the victim of crude pranks and cold-hearted jokes as a result for his peaceful tendencies. Where his brother soared in popularity with a shining spotlight, Frédéric retracted further into the shadows, surrounding himself with books, music and writing.

#### *Tartarus & Pluto*

Throughout their brotherly conflicts, Landgrave Charles I found himself as the increasingly pragmatic and steadfast mediator, no different than his time in a military tribunal or dispensing internal conflicts in the camps of his soldiers. Much to his children's chagrin, *Maréchal Philippsthal*- as the locals referred to him, was stern and steadfast in his punishments. On one occassion, Frédéric found Guillaume in his study, burning his French books. When questioned, the latter declared *''One would rather wipe their ass, or use these donkey's handbooks as fuel for a fire, would one not?''* -In complete anguish, Frédéric lept onto Guillaume, tackling him in an ensuing brawl. It was only after the casualty of Frédéric's glasses, a torn waistcoat, a bruised arm and blackened eye that Reverend Rochambert and a handful of servants pried the brawling brothers apart, later making them report to their father for an investigation. What followed was a strict, military-esque interogation of the brothers- much to the amusement of their other siblings, but to the embarassment of Frédéric himself. Guillaume's punishment was the halving of his allowances and a set curfue from his daily outings. For Frédéric, he was awarded a dozen lashings from his father's horse whip; This cemented an apathetic relationship between Frédéric and his mother, as he had never truly grown close to him, and now, dispensed from this ''tribunal'', Frédéric grew to merely tolerate his father for the time.

### The Grand Tour

As the years passed, the brotherly rivalry only continued to ferment and grow. It was blatantly obvious to their father that the two siblings were not a happy pair. The spring of 1746 saw Frédéric conclude his formal education with his graduation from the Université de Giessen. Unbeknowngst to the brothers, their father had ordained for the advent of their Grand Tour. However, to their rejoice, the two siblings would embark on complete different itineraries and were to seldom cross paths over the course of the time that they would spend on the continent. Frédéric was bound for Amsterdam, while Guillaume would embark for Den Bosch to study fortifications and participate in military maneuvres against the French.

It was Frédéric's moment of jubilation. At last, he would be free from the shackles of his father's whip and the constant chagrin of his brother's medling. The occassion was a relief to the court of Philippsthal, as the ''heir'' and ''spare'' would be away from home and out of the powder of their hair. For the purpose of his tour, Frédéric's father had appointed a green-black coach with yellow wheels and a team of two horses and an entourage of footmen, postillons and lackeys. As the frailer of the two brothers, the Landgrave dispatched a handful of men from the Gendarmerie to act as a bodyguard for Frédéric.

With a credit of 12,000 and enough enlightenned charm to satisfy the salons of Paris, Frédéric set out across the continent for the next year-and-a-half, building boats in Amsterdam, indulging in London's coffeehouse scene, and making an eloquent debut in Paris at the opera, attending masquerades and frequenting the numerous salons; At Versailles, he made a good first impression, according to some nobles, never butchering his words, nor stumbling over the rituals of the court. Nonetheless, he took up another love: Gambling, dancing and horseback riding. The indulgences of Versailles made much of an impression; Finding the extravagance and the rituals there to be fascinating, entertaining and the perfect life for him- Frédéric sought to return to Philippsthal and bring these ideas with him.

## Death & Legacy

During the postbellum of the War of the Austrian Succession, Frédéric de Hesse-Philippsthal, colloqially known as *Monsieur d'Augustenau,* spent his leisure time at the Prussian Court or frequenting the Landgravial House- his family's hôtel particulier in the Hanseatic City of Lübeck. In the fall of 1751, whilst returning to Philippsthal from a holiday in Lübeck, Frédéric unexpectedly fell dangerously ill whilst in his coach, decoming delirious and suffering from a severe headache.

Uppon arrival in Philippsthal, Frédéric was severely weak, barely able to stand. He had to be carried indoors, where he was put to bed. Few people were home to greet him, apart from a handful of servants and but one exception- his old friend, *Reverend Rochambert*. Throughout much of his life, Rochambert had provided the moral, spiritual and comforting support that the rest of his family could not. As soon as the Comte was put to bed, Rochambert called for the town's physician, Doctor Schuleymeyer- the very same who delivered the Comte d'Augustenau at his birth some 22 years earlier. The Comte's sudden coming in-and-out of consciousness, his severe headache and a high temperature led to the diagnosis of the contraction of Typhoid Fever. Many treatments were tested and performed on him, but none of them would have any effect on his health; Quinine, boiled lemons, bloodleatting and even milk and oat bathing. It was to no avail.

Since his arrival and until the Comte's last breath, Reverend Rochambert was constantly at his side, reciting Rosaries, Hail Mary's and Te Deum's. It was an agonizing, slow and painful night on the 26th of November, 1751. The Château de Philippsthal was empty, apart from the agonizing grones of the dying Comte as he got closer to his expiry. All, but the servants, and Reverend Rochambert, remained in the town, whilst the rest of the Philippsthal family were attending court in Berlin or elsewhere. Not even the Landgrave knew that his son lay dying at their family's estate.

At 01:15 AM on the morning of 27th November, 1751, Frédéric de Hesse-Philippsthal, Comte d'Augustenau, expired- his body standing no more, losing the fight to the fever. He was barely 22. News of his death reached the Prussian court in Berlin and the Hessian court in Kassel later that day. Few wept, however, it was to be noted that his brother- his ever quarrelsome and steadfast brother, Guilluame, was seen weeping in an armchair as he read the letter containing the news of his late brother.

## Marriage & Issue

Frederic Is currently unmarried and has no children as of yet