The Duchy of Württemberg suffered under the extravagant lifestyle of the young Duke Carl Eugen (1728–1793). He only became more enlightened at the ripe old age of 50. Carl Eugen is particularly known for the buildings he had constructed.
Portrait of an approximately 12-year-old Carl Eugen.
After the early death of his father, Carl Eugen was declared of age when he was only 16 year old. In 1744, he ascended the throne of the Protestant Duchy of Württemberg as a Catholic sovereign. Even an experienced successor would have found ruling in these circumstances difficult. Disagreements and domestic political disputes were a given.
A little summer palace: Monrepos Palace.
Duke Carl Eugen's primary contribution consists of the many palaces, gardens, and theaters he had built in Württemberg. Many of these can be seen today: the New Palace in Stuttgart, the Carl Eugen Apartment in Ludwigsburg Residential Palace, Monrepos Lakeside Palace, Solitude Palace, and Hohenheim Palace. He brought his ideas and knowledge of architecture to these construction projects. The duke personally took on the planning of Solitude Palace.
Red deer parks facilitated easy hunting.
Carl Eugen's expensive court hunts, his many mistresses, and the expensive festivals and theatrical plays are legendary. Particularly in the early years, he celebrated his birthday and name day each year with ostentatiously staged opera productions, court balls, and gala dinners. Artists and servants spent months preparing for these events.
His second wife, Franziska von Hohenheim.
The duke was not skilled in foreign and domestic politics. His style of government, the taxes he collected, and his expenditures had a catastrophic effect on the duchy. Carl Eugen behaved with much more moderation in his later years. His second wife, Franziska von Hohenheim, likely influenced him. In 1770, he founded a military academy and academy of the arts, the later Hohe Karlsschule, which primarily educated his subjects, sometimes against their will. In this way, the duke promoted the education of artists in Württemberg and attracted a leadership elite bound to the court.
