Christian Ludwig (24 May 1677 – 3 September 1734), a member of the House of Hohenzollern, was a

Margrave Margrave was originally the medieval title for the military commander assigned to maintain the defence of one of the border provinces of the Holy Roman Empire or of a kingdom. That position became hereditary in certain feudal families in the ...

Brandenburg-Schwedt Brandenburg-Schwedt was a secundogeniture of the Hohenzollern margraves of Brandenburg, established by Prince Philip William who took his residence at Schwedt Castle in 1689. By appanage, they administered the manors of Schwedt and Vierraden on th ...

and a military officer of the

Prussian Army The Royal Prussian Army (1701–1919, german: Königlich Preußische Armee) served as the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It became vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power. The Prussian Army had its roots in the co ...

. The margravial title was given to princes of the Prussian Royal House and did not express a territorial status. He is best known as the recipient of

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...

's ''

Brandenburg concertos The ''Brandenburg Concertos'' by Johann Sebastian Bach (BWV 1046–1051), are a collection of six instrumental works presented by Bach to Christian Ludwig, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt, MacDonogh, Giles. ''Frederick the Great: A Life in De ...

''. Malcolm Boyd. ''Bach: the Brandenburg Concertos''. Cambridge University Press, 1993.

Biography

Born in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

, Christian Ludwig was the youngest son of the "Great Elector" Frederick William (1620–1688), ruler of Brandenburg-Prussia, and his second wife Princess

Sophia Dorothea of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg Sophia means "wisdom" in Greek. It may refer to: *Sophia (wisdom) *Sophia (Gnosticism) * Sophia (given name) Places *Niulakita or Sophia, an island of Tuvalu * Sophia, Georgetown, a ward of Georgetown, Guyana *Sophia, North Carolina, an unincorp ...

(1636–1689). Like his elder brothers, he inherited large estates around Schwedt, Vierraden and Wildenbruch his mother had acquired to provide for her sons, while according to the Hohenzollern primogeniture principle the rule over Brandenburg-Prussia passed to Frederick-William's first-born son, Crown Prince Frederick III, who became King in Prussia in 1701. Even in Brandenburg-Schwedt, however, he had to accept the prerogative of his eldest brother Margrave Philip William. Moreover, sober times began in 1713 with the accession of King Frederick William I, known as the "Soldier King", who enlisted large financial resources to build up the Prussian Army. Nevertheless, Christian Ludwig, interested in the musical works of Georg Frideric Handel, was able to maintain a court orchestra at the Berlin City Palace. He also was vested with the manors of Malchow and

Heinersdorf Heinersdorf () is a locality in the borough of Pankow in Berlin, Germany. It is located close to the centre of Pankow. History Heinersdorf was first mentioned in a 1319 document when it was sold by Margrave Waldemar of Brandenburg to the Ho ...

, earning him a regular income and an officer commission. From 1695 Margrave Christian Ludwig served as a general lieutenant at the

Stettin Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major s ...

garrison and commander of the Old Prussian Infantry Regiment No.7. He also acted as administrator of the secularised Prussian

Principality of Halberstadt The Principality of Halberstadt (german: link=no, Fürstentum Halberstadt) was a state of the Holy Roman Empire ruled by Brandenburg-Prussia. It replaced the Bishopric of Halberstadt after its secularization in 1648. Its capital was Halberstadt ...

and was awarded the

Order of the Black Eagle The Order of the Black Eagle (german: Hoher Orden vom Schwarzen Adler) was the highest order of chivalry in the Kingdom of Prussia. The order was founded on 17 January 1701 by Elector Friedrich III of Brandenburg (who became Friedrich I, King i ...

for his merits. When Johann Sebastian Bach was sent to Berlin by Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Köthen in 1719, the composer met with the music-loving margrave. Bach appreciated Christian Ludwig's interest in his compositions and two years later dedicated his '' Six Concerts Avec plusieurs Instruments'' (BWV 1046–1051) to him. The concerti were never played in his lifetime, as they were considered too difficult for the court musicians to play. They were sold upon his death and placed in an attic, until discovered by a servant in 1849, who was cleaning it out. Margrave Christian Ludwig died without heirs in Malchow. He is buried in the Hohenzollern crypt of Berlin Cathedral.

Ancestry

References

External links

Pesne's painting of Margrave Christian Ludwig
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brandenburg-Schwedt, Christian Ludwig Of 1677 births 1734 deaths Lieutenant generals of Prussia Christian Ludwig Burials at Berlin Cathedral