Frederick August Braunschweig-Wolfenbuttelsky

One of thirteen children and the fourth son of Duke Charles I of Braunschweig-Wolfenbuttelsky (1713-1780) and Princess of the Philippines Charlotte of Prussia (1716-1801).

In 1754, Prince Frederick Augustus was promoted to captain of the Braunschweig-Wolfenbuttel Life Guards Regiment, and on August 28, 1761, he became an Oberst and commander of the Braunschweig-Wolfenbuttel Infantry Regiment. During the Seven Years' War , Prin fought in the battles of Felinghausen , Wilhelmstahl , Melsungen , Homburg and Fritzlar. On August 17, 1761 he was promoted to major general , and in October of that year he participated in the battle of Elper and participated in the liberation of Braunschweig from the last siege.

Frederick Augustus and his two brothers (Adolf Wilhelm and Leopold ) were Masons . Since 1771 - Member of the Statute of Strict Compliance , and since 1773 - Prefect of Berlin. In the years 1772 - 1799, Prince Frederick Augustus was the national great master of the Great National Maternal Lodge Three Globes , of which the Prussian King Frederick II the Great was also a member. In 1932 Freimaurerlexikon it was written that the prince had a strong mystical disposition. The prince was named an alchemist , a Rosicrucian , an exorcist, and a miracle doctor. Prince Friedrich August Braunschweig-Wolfenbuttelsky, together with his uncle Ferdinand Braunschweig, maintained contact with Count Saint-Germain , a world-renowned alchemist and occultist.

In 1763, Prince Frederick Augustus received the rank of lieutenant general and was appointed commander of the Tettenborn Infantry Regiment (later the 19th Regiment) of the Prussian Army. The prince became the favorite of his uncle, King Frederick II the Great, and since then accompanied him on maneuvers. He also served as governor of the Kyustrin fortress. October 1, 1763 he became a holder of the Order of the Black Eagle . On December 20, 1764, the prince became an honorary member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences .

In 1774, Prince Frederick Augustus was appointed rector of Brandenburg . May 21, 1787 he was promoted to general from the cavalry . On December 13, 1792, after the death of his father-in-law, Duke Karl Christian Erdmann of Württemberg- Els , Frederick Augustus inherited the Duchy of Els in Lower Silesia. On December 28 of the same year, he was appointed commander of the Prussian army corps sent to Westphalia , but for health reasons he first transferred the command to Lieutenant General Alexander von Knobelsdorf on March 26, 1793 , and then, on March 20, 1794, he finally quit military service. Prince Friedrich August Braunschweig-Wolfenbuttelsky retired to his castle Sibillenort in Lower Silesia , where he translated French plays and literary works.

On October 8, 1805, Prince Friedrich August Braunschweig-Wolfenbuttel died in Eisenach during a visit to his sister, Anna Amalia . He was buried in Weimar . After the death of Frederick Augustus, the duchy of Els was inherited by his nephew Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel (1771–1815), the so-called “Black Duke”.

On September 6, 1768, Prince Friedrich August Braunschweig-Wolfenbuttelsky married Princess Sofia Charlotte Augusta Württemberg-Els (August 1, 1751 - November 4, 1789), the only daughter of Karl Christian Erdmann, Duke of Württemberg-Els (1716-1792) and Countess Marigold of Sofia -Laubach (1721-1793). Their marriage was childless.

• Hermann Hengst: Die Ritter des Schwarzen Adlerordens . 1901 (German)
• Benno von Knobelsdorff-Brenkenhoff: Die Städte Braunschweig und Wolfenbüttel und d Gefecht bei Ölper am 13/14/10/1761 , In: Braunschweigisches Jahrbuch Nr. 71, Braunschweig 1990, S. 7-26 (German)
• Eugen Lennhoff, Oskar Posner: Internationales Freimaurerlexikon . 1932 (German)
• Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). - Lpz. : Duncker & Humblot, 1875-1912. (German)

• Anna Louise Karschin's Ode Ueber den Entsatz von Braunschweig (German)
• Correspondence with Frederick the Great