Prince Frederick Henry Charles of Prussia (german: Friedrich Heinrich Karl, 30 December 1747 – 26 May 1767) was the second son of Prince Augustus William, the brother of

Frederick the Great Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Sil ...

. His older brother was

Frederick William II of Prussia Frederick William II (german: Friedrich Wilhelm II.; 25 September 1744 – 16 November 1797) was King of Prussia from 1786 until his death in 1797. He was in personal union the Prince-elector of Brandenburg and (via the Orange-Nassau inherita ...

Biography

In his early life, the prince received several military promotions and honours; on 16 January 1748 he became a member of 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 ...

, and on 20 September 1764 he became captain and company commander of the 1st Battalion Guard of the

Gardes du Corps A ''Garde du Corps'' (French for lifeguard) is a military unit, formed of guards. A '' Garde du Corps'' was first established in France in 1445. From the 17th century onwards, the term was used in several German states and also, for example, in t ...

. In September later that year he was raised to commander, and on 26 April 1767 he was made

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

by Frederick II. At the age of 17, Colonel Hans von Blumenthal, commander of the Gardes du Corps, became the prince's governor. As a result, he and his brother Frederick William spent much time at the Colonel's estate at

Paretz Paretz is a village in the German state of Brandenburg in the district of Havelland, west of Berlin. Recently, a district reform made Paretz into a borough of the city of Ketzin. It has a population of approximately 400. In the late 18th and earl ...

. Prince Henry was a promising young captain in the guards and his uncle the King had high hopes for him. However, in May 1767 he was leading his cuirassier squadron to Berlin for a parade and review when he stopped at the von Kleist estate of Protzen. Here he caught

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

and died on the 26th, much to his uncle's grief.

Ancestry

References

1747 births 1767 deaths Prussian princes Deaths from smallpox Infectious disease deaths in Germany Burials at Berlin Cathedral {{Germany-noble-stub