Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg

Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg (16 February 1620 – 29 April 1688) was Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia, thus ruler of Brandenburg-Prussia, from 1640 until his death in 1688. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he is popularly known as "the Great Elector" (der Große Kurfürst) because of his military and political achievements. Frederick William was a staunch pillar of the Calvinist faith, associated with the rising commercial class. He saw the importance of trade and promoted it vigorously. His shrewd domestic reforms gave Prussia a strong position in the post-Westphalian political order of north-central Europe, setting Prussia up for elevation from duchy to kingdom, achieved under his son and successor.

Issue

 * 1) Charles Emil, Electoral Prince of Brandenburg (16 February 1655 – 7 December 1674) died unmarried.
 * 2) Frederick I of Prussia (11 July 1657 – 25 February 1713) married three times and had issue.
 * 3) Philip William, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt (May 19, 1669 – December 19, 1711) married Princess Johanna Charlotte of Anhalt-Dessau and had issue.
 * 4) Marie Amalie of Brandenburg (26 November 1670 – 17 November 1739) married Charles of Mecklenburg-Güstrow and had a stillborn child. Remarried Moritz Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Zeitz and had issue.
 * 5) Prince Margrave Albert Frederick of Brandenburg-Schwedt (24 January 1672 – 21 June 1731) married but had no issue.
 * 6) Prince Charles Philip of Brandenburg-Schwedt (5 January 1673 – 23 July 1695)
 * 7) Princess Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg (5 April 1674 – 22 November 1748) married and had issue.
 * 8) Prince Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg-Schwedt (24 May 1677 – 3 September 1734) never married.

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