Charles II (Palatinate)

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Copper engraving by Ulrich Kraus: Elector Karl II of the Palatinate in armor in front of a valley view of Heidelberg Castle with the thick tower
Coat of arms of Charles II as a knight of the Order of the Garter

Charles II of the Palatinate (born March 31, 1651 in Heidelberg ; † May 26, 1685 ibid) from the Palatinate line of the Wittelsbach family was Count Palatine and Elector of the Palatinate from 1680 until his death.

Life

Karl was the eldest son of Elector Karl I. Ludwig von der Pfalz (1617–1680) from his marriage to Charlotte (1627–1686), daughter of Landgrave Wilhelm V of Hesse-Kassel . Karl's younger sister was Liselotte von der Pfalz , later Duchess of Orléans. The parents separated after a broken marriage and the mother withdrew to Kassel. As a result, Karl grew up without a mother under the eyes of the authoritarian father.

The training of the Prince Elector was directed by the scholars Samuel von Pufendorf and Ezechiel Spanheim . In 1670 Karl undertook his cavalier tour to Switzerland and France. In Switzerland, Karl fell ill with the leaves that disfigured his face forever. Karl was considered very docile and published the theological text Symbola christiana under the synonym Philotheus in 1672 . The relationship with his father turned out to be difficult. The desired governorship in Kreuznach and participation in government affairs was refused to his son.

On September 20, 1671, he married in Heidelberg, under pressure from his father and through his aunt Sophie of Hanover , Princess Wilhelmine Ernestine of Denmark , a daughter of King Friedrich III. On July 7, 1671 he was also awarded the Elephant Order (123rd bearer) by the Danish king . The marriage turned unhappy and remained childless. During the wedding celebrations, Karl had to get advice about what to do as a man on the wedding night.

When the French ravaged the Palatinate office of Germersheim in the Imperial War in 1680 , Karl went to the court of King Charles II of England to get help against Louis XIV . Karl did not achieve this goal, but was accepted into the Order of the Garter and made a Doctor of Medicine by Oxford University . Karl's father died during the trip to England and the electoral prince followed in 1680 as Karl II. In the Electoral Palatinate and as treasurer of the Holy Roman Empire.

Charles' short reign was not very glamorous. He appointed his trusted and former educator Paul Hachenberg to be the leading minister, although he was incapable of holding office in government, and disgraced his half-siblings, the Raugrafen von der Pfalz, especially his hated half-brother Karl Ludwig , who was not only his father's favorite , but also to his sister Liselotte. He brought his mother back from Kassel and paid off her immense debts. Karl was of a weak and shy nature, shaped by family childhood experiences, especially the quarrels between his quarrelsome mother and the dominant father. He showed a superficial enthusiasm for the soldier's life and ruled as a strict Calvinist . Therefore, he also allowed the Calvinists expelled from their homeland to settle in the Electoral Palatinate. He was influenced by the court preacher Johann Ludwig Langhanns, who became chief minister after Hachenberg's death. Influenced by him, Karl suppressed Lutheranism , to which his wife also professed. Increasing financial difficulties in the state budget, caused by oversized court rulings, hunting and theater passion, and military spending, could no longer be regulated by tax increases. In 1682 Charles pledged the Germersheim office to France for twenty years. He liked to organize costly theatrical battles with sieges, ships, etc., and within a few years wasted the state treasure that his father had saved up over many years.

Karl was the last Palatine Elector from the Protestant Reformed House of Pfalz-Simmern , his successor Philipp Wilhelm came from the Catholic branch Pfalz-Neuburg . Both lines go back to Stefan von Pfalz-Simmern-Zweibrücken . At first, Karl managed to reach a compromise with his successor regarding the religious question in the Electoral Palatinate. However, he could not prevent that in the further course of events on the question of the inheritance claims of his sister, the Duchess of Orleans, the Palatinate War of Succession came about .

ancestors

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Friedrich IV. Elector of the Palatinate (1574–1610)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Friedrich V Elector Palatinate (1596–1632)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Luise Juliana of Orange-Nassau (1576–1644)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Karl I. Ludwig Elector Palatinate (1617–1680)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 James I (VI) King of England and Scotland (1566–1625)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Elisabeth Stuart (1596–1662)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Anna of Denmark (1574-1619)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Karl II. Elector of the Palatinate
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Moritz Landgrave of Hessen-Kassel (1572–1632)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Wilhelm V of Hessen-Kassel (1602–1637)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Agnes zu Solms-Laubach (1578–1602)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Charlotte of Hessen-Kassel (1627–1686)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Philipp Ludwig II of Hanau-Münzenberg (1576–1612)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Amalie Elisabeth von Hanau-Münzenberg (1602–1651)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Katharina Belgica of Orange-Nassau (1578–1648)
 
 
 
 
 
 

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Otto Flake : Great ladies of the baroque . Fischer-TB.-Vlg., Frankfurt am Main 1996, p. 169

Web links

Commons : Karl II.  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files
predecessor Office successor
Charles I. Elector Palatinate
1680–1685 		Philipp Wilhelm
personal data
SURNAME Charles II
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Pfalz, Karl II. Von der (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Elector Palatinate
DATE OF BIRTH March 31, 1651
PLACE OF BIRTH Heidelberg
DATE OF DEATH May 26, 1685
Place of death Heidelberg