Charles II, Elector Palatine

Charles II (German: Karl II.; 10 April 1651, in Heidelberg – 26 May 1685, in Heidelberg) was Elector Palatine from 1680 to 1685.[1] He was the son of Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine, and Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel.

Charles II, Elector Palatine
Portrait by Willem Wissing, c.1680
Elector Palatine
Reign28 August 1680 – 26 May 1685
PredecessorCharles I Louis
SuccessorPhilip William
Born(1651-04-10)10 April 1651
(O.S.: 31 March 1651)
Heidelberg
Died26 May 1685(1685-05-26) (aged 34)
Heidelberg
Burial
SpousePrincess Wilhelmina Ernestine of Denmark
HousePalatine Simmern
FatherCharles I Louis, Elector Palatine
MotherCharlotte of Hesse-Kassel

Rule

His short reign was not glamorous. He appointed his incompetent former tutor Paul Hachenberg as chief minister, leaving his half-siblings, the "Raugraves", out of favour. He brought back his mother from Kassel and paid her immense debts. Charles was of a weak and timid nature, marked by familial childhood experiences. He showed a superficial enthusiasm for military life. Charles was a strict Calvinist. In 1671, his aunt, Electress Sophia of Hanover, arranged his marriage to Princess Wilhelmine Ernestine of Denmark, daughter of King Frederick III of Denmark. Their marriage was childless.[1]

Upon his death, the Electoral Palatinate passed to the Catholic Neuburg branch of the family. The rival claims to the Palatinate of his sister, Elizabeth Charlotte, Duchess of Orleans, Louis XIV of France's sister-in-law, was the pretext for the French invasion of the Palatinate in 1688, which began the Nine Years War.

Ancestry

References

  1. Biographie, Deutsche. "Karl II. - Deutsche Biographie". www.deutsche-biographie.de (in German). Retrieved 2018-11-01.
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