Ober Nord Westfalen - The Family

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Ober Nord Westfalen
An Imagi-nation for the "Emperor and Elector" Campaign

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	The von Schwerin Family The von Schwerin family claims to have ruled Ober Nord Westfalen since the 13th century. The family seat is Schloss Neuhaus, which has given its name to the small town that has grown around the Schloss. Situated with half a day's journey from the coast, it receives the benefit of an invigorating climate while being sheltered from the worst of the effects of the North Sea's unpredictable weather.
The family motto is "Virtute et Armis" - "By Virtue and Arms" and is borne as a label on all military badges, colours, standards and guidons together with the family achievement of arms on all diplomatic communications The ancestral seat, "der Alte Schloss", was destroyed by fire in 1507, and was replaced by "Schloss Neuhaus", completed in 1519 and modernised by succeeding Margrafen throughout the last three hundred years.			Unfortunately, earlier records were lost in the Great Fire of Der Alte Schloss in 1507, however the family claims to have held the title since the 13th Century, also claiming that the lost records prove descent from one of Charlemagne's Paladins. Whether the reader prefers to believe or disbelieve this claim is entirely up to the individual, however doubts aired as to the veracity of the family's claim could lead to a long walk and a short drop.

Name	Date of Birth	Date of Succession	Died
Ferdinand-Josef III
Karl-Heinz II			11/11/1516
Wilhelm-Friederich VII	27/07/1480	11/11/1516	14/02/1568
Ferdinand-Josef IV	31/03/1518	14/02/1568	16/08/1575
Franz-Wilhelm	21/06/1549	16/08/1575	14/07/1607
Karl-Friederich V	29/10/1579	14/07/1607	01/09/1634
Johannes I	20/08/1603	01/09/1634	30/01/1700
Albrecht I	03/11/1657	30/01/1700	25/07/1730
Johannes II	18/06/1701	25/07/1730	01/03/1763
Karl Friederich VI	21/12/1729	01/03/1763	04/06/1766
Ferdinand-Josef V	12/01/1755	04/06/1766	19/05/1800
Albrecht II	23/05/1778	19/05/1800

Albrecht I Albrecht I never expected to assume the title, the heir apparent was his cousin Josef-Wilhelm. Unfortunately Josef-Wilhelm was killed in a hunting accident in 1678. An extensive enquiry was made into who fired the fatal shot, but no conclusive proof was ever found. However, suspicion fell on one Walther von Tyrol, from the Swiss Cantons, but he left for his native land before he could be examined. Albrecht, at this time, was completing his education at the University of Cambridge in England, where he became friendly with the young Viscount Desford, heir to the Earldom of St Erth in Lincolnshire. During his visits to the Earldom, Albrecht met Desford's younger sister Arabella, and, it being thought a splendid match by both families, they married in 1681. Although the marriage was happy, there was no sign of an heir for nearly ten years when sadly, in 1690, the Margrafin Arabella miscarried her first pregnancy and died due to a resulting infection.
			Albrecht I
	Albrecht was devastated, and even after the year of mourning was ended refused to entertain any suggestion that he might remarry. This state of affairs continued until his 43rd year, when on a state visit to Prague, he was captivated by the much younger Countess Katerina Provkova. His proposal of marriage was accepted, and despite concerns over the Countess' Catholicism, the wedding took place in January 1700. Religious misgivings proved groundless, the young Margrafin announced her rejection of Rome and wholeheartedly embraced Lutheranism. There can be no doubt that the couple were very happy, the Margrafin over the years, presented Albrecht with no less than 14 children - alas all but one were girls! However, in the overall scheme of things, Albrecht was not displeased, as a plethora of young women, all blessed with their mother's beauty enabled him to negotiate some very favourable alliances cemented by marriage!
Margrafin Katerina
Johannes II Johannes was the only son of Albrecht and Katerina, and was therefore raised in the firm expectation that he would inherit. In deference to his father's wishes he was educated in England, attending Eton and Cambridge, before finishing his schooling at Wittenberg. In 1724 he was commissioned into Reiter Regiment Nr 1. His practical experience as a soldier rendered him all the more receptive to suggested reforms and many of the reforms during the period 1748-1755 can be traced to his enthusiastic support. He married the Prussian Anna-Maria von Pivka, a distant cousin of the Prussian King, in 1728. The marriage, unlike that of his parents, was arranged for reasons of state, and cannot be described as a happy one. After the birth of his first son (the second child of the marriage), Johannes almost totally forsook his wife in favour of a string of mistresses. His 'discourtesy' to a relative of the Prussian King, combined with his refusal to join Prussia in what he labelled 'The Silesian Piracy' led to a distinct cooling of relations between the two states. This state of affairs was somewhat amended by the renewal of the ancient alliance during the Seven Years' War. Johannes accompanied his army into the field for the War of the Austrian Succession, where his analytical frame of mind enabled him to pinpoint many areas of military shortcomings. Johannes took the field with his army for the duration of the Seven Years' War, and showed a firm command of battlefield tactics, although he never fully grasped the concept of strategy. He became a valued member of Ferdinand of Brunswick's Officer Corps, and only his continued slighting of his wife prevented his being offered an honorary colonelship of the Prussian Army. Johannes died in 1763, shortly after the end of the Seven Years' War.

Karl-Friederich VI Karl-Friederich, continuing the family tradition was educated in England, before assuming the title in 1763. Shortly after his return from England he married Hannelore von Hapsburg, a remote connection of the Austrian Imperial House. One of his first acts was to enter an agreement with Great Britain, whereby Troops from Ober Nord Westfalen would be hired out to the British throne. As a result of this agreement Ober Nord Westfalen units saw action during the American War of Independence and at the siege of Gibraltar (1779-1783). By virtue of the succession of alliances with Britain, the threat from Hannover was greatly reduced. Karl-Friederich was not of a military mind, but saw his primary duty as the rebuilding of Ober Nord Westfalen's economy. The demands of the almost incessant wars of the eighteenth century had not only resulted in a disruption of trade and agriculture, but had also led to a marked diminishment in the country's manpower. While Karl-Friederich's intentions were met with approval from the general mass of the citizenry, he faced hostility from the army, as he successively reduced manning levels and undertook a policy of what some saw as appeasement towards Denmark His early death, resulting in a fall from his horse, gave rise to speculation that he was the victim of a plot engineered by disgruntled members of the officer corps.
			Karl Friederich VI

Ferdinand-Josef V	Ferdinand-Josef succeeded to the title at eleven years old. The first ten years of his reign were governed by a regency, led by his mother and consisting of tutors culled from the University of Reichstadt and senior army officers. Ferdinand-Josef chafed under the strict tutelage enforced by his mother, and wed at 18 (without her permission) one Hannah-Maria Biermann, the daughter of a Hannoverian merchant. His mother's fury knew no bounds, and she refused to receive, or even acknowledge her son's bride. The treatment thus handed out completely alienated Ferdinand-Josef, and on attaining his majority, he confined his mother to what was in effect house-arrest. Until the dissolution of the regency, Ferdinand-Josef had been completely overshadowed by his domineering mother, but his bride's hard-headed practicality was to become an even greater influence on the Margraf. He was, as were most of the heads of the German States, deeply concerned with path taken by the events in France, and despite grave misgivings despatched a force under Prussian command for the 1793-1795 campaigns, culminating in the cannonade at Valmy. The execution of the French King and Queen seriously depressed Ferdinand-Josef, and seems to have profound physiological effects, his health declined and he died in 1800.

Ferdinand-Josef V

Albrecht II Albrecht, in a return to previous practice, was educated at Eton and Cambridge, before returning to Germany just in time for his father's death. He was still single at the time of his accession, and remained unmarried. He was acute enough to realise that the struggle with France was likely to be protracted and took the opportunity of his first five years' rule to concentrate on stockpiling his arsenals.
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