Friedrich Karl Ludwig, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck

Friedrich Karl Ludwig of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck (20 August 1757  – 24 April 1816  ) was the fifth and penultimate Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck. Friedrich Karl Ludwig was the son of Prince Karl Anton August of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck and his wife Countess Charlotte of Dohna-Schlodien.

Life
Friedrich Karl Ludwig was born in Königsberg, East Prussia. He joined the Prussian Army in 1777 upon the request of King Frederick the Great. By 1781 he was a staff officer in the Regiment von Schlieben and by 1787 he commanded a grenadier battalion based in Königsberg. He assisted in the suppression of the 1794 Kościuszko Uprising and was Governor of Kraków in 1795. He retired from Prussian service as a lieutenant general in 1797 and spent the rest of his life improving agriculture in Holstein. He died in Wellingsbüttel Manor, now part of Hamburg.

He was a recipient of the Order of the Elephant, Order of St. Alexander Nevsky, Order of the Red Eagle, and the Order of Saint Hubert.

Marriage and issue
Friedrich married Countess Friederike of Schlieben (28 February 1757 – 17 December 1827) on 9 March 1780 in Königsberg. At the time, the marriage was not looked upon favorably because the Schlieben family was not an ancient noble family. Friedrich and Friederike had three children:


 * Princess Friederike of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck (13 December 1780 – 19 January 1862)
 * Princess Luise of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck (28 September 1783 – 24 November 1803)
 * Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (4 January 1785 – 27 February 1831)

Friedrich was succeeded as duke by his son, Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.

Titles and styles

 * 20 August 1757 – 12 September 1759: His Serene Highness Prince Friedrich Karl Ludwig of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck
 * 12 September 1759 – 24 February 1775: His Serene Highness The Hereditary Prince of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck
 * 24 February 1775 – 24 April 1816: His Serene Highness The Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck

Descendants
He is the agnatic ancestor to the current monarchs/pretenders to the thrones of Denmark, Norway and Greece. This list will eventually include the British royal family as Friedrich is the male-line ancestor of The Prince of Wales and The Duke of Cambridge.