Frederick (Duke of Courland)

Friedrich Ketler was born in Mitau , the capital of the Duchy of Courland. His parents were the Duke of Courland Gotthard Ketler and his wife Anna Mecklenburg-Gustrowskaya . In 1587, after the death of his father, he ruled the eastern part of the duchy ( Semigalia ), while the younger ( Wilhelm ) ruled the western ( Courland ). After his brother was forced to leave the country due to a conflict with the nobility in 1616 , Frederick began to rule the whole duchy.

The eldest of two brothers, Frederick, in his youth received a good education, traveled to many European countries. According to the testament of Gotthard Ketler, the duchy was divided between his two sons. Initially, the brothers Friedrich and William ruled the duchy together. In 1596 , when William was declared an adult, the duchy was officially divided into Courland (Frederick) and Semigalia ( Wilhelm ).

During the Polish-Swedish wars, the Dukes of Friedrich and Wilhelm on the side of the Commonwealth took part in the war against Sweden. In 1605, at the Battle of Kirchholm, Friedrich Kurlandsky commanded an equestrian detachment of 600 horsemen.

In 1617, the Courland Landtag in Skrund declared the Duke Wilhelm deprived of the title of Duke and expelled him from the country. The following 1618, Friedrich Ketler was elected the sole duke of Courland and Semigalia. He approved a new constitution, Formula Regiminis , which granted more rights to the stronger nobility. Under the new constitution, the duke could not implement his decisions without the prior consent of the ducal council. Thus, Courland became a constitutional monarchy, however, this gave rise to endless conflicts between the Duke and the Landtag.

In 1622, Swedish troops captured Mitau , the capital of the duchy, forcing Frederick to move to Goldingen .

In 1625, the childless Friedrich of Courland invited the Landtag to recognize him as the heir to Jacob's nephew, the only son of his fugitive younger brother Wilhelm . The nobility did not want to do this and the Landtag agreed to this only after several years of difficult negotiations. On July 20, 1638, Jacob was proclaimed the Landtag co-ruler of his uncle Friedrich, which ensured the continued existence of the Duchy, and then its prosperity thanks to the talents of the Duke Jacob.

On August 16, 1642, 72-year-old Frederick of Courland died in Mitau . He was buried in the Mitava Palace .

On May 4, 1600, he married Elizabeth Magdalene (1580–1649), daughter of the Duke of Pomerania-Volgast Ernst Ludwig (1545–1592) and Sofia Gedwig Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttelskaya (1561–1631).

• Matissen H. Friedrich Kettler // Neue Deutsche Biographie . - Berlin: Duncker & Humblot , 1961 .-- V. 5 .-- S. 513.