Frederick William, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

Frederick William
The Grand Duke c. 1887
Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Reign6 September 1860 – 30 May 1904
PredecessorGeorge
SuccessorAdolf Frederick V
Born(1819-10-17)17 October 1819
Neustrelitz, Mecklenburg-Strelitz, German Confederation
Died30 May 1904(1904-05-30) (aged 84)
Neustrelitz, Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Germany
Burial6 June 1904
Spouse
(m. 1843)
IssueDuke Frederick William
Adolphus Frederick V, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Names
German: Friedrich Wilhelm Karl Georg Ernst Adolf Gustav
HouseMecklenburg-Strelitz
FatherGeorge, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
MotherPrincess Marie of Hesse-Kassel

Frederick William (17 October 1819 – 30 May 1904) was a German sovereign who ruled over the state of Mecklenburg-Strelitz as grand duke from 1860 until his death.

Biography

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He was born in Neustrelitz, the son of Grand Duke Georg of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Princess Marie of Hesse-Kassel. He spent his youth in Neustrelitz and later went to study history and jurisprudence in University of Bonn where he befriended Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.[1] After finishing his studies, he went travelling to Italy and Switzerland. He became a Doctor of Civil Law of the University of Oxford.

Friedrich Wilhelm succeeded as grand duke on the death of his father on 6 September 1860. During his reign, Mecklenburg-Strelitz became a member first of the North German Confederation and then the German Empire. Friedrich Wilhelm was a large land owner with more than half of the entire grand duchy as his personal property.[2]

He died at Neustrelitz on 30 May 1904 and was succeeded by his only surviving son, Adolf Friedrich V.

Marriage and children

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Friedrich Wilhelm was married on 28 June 1843 at Buckingham Palace to his first cousin, Princess Augusta of Cambridge, a member of the British royal family and a granddaughter of King George III. The two were also second cousins on their fathers' side. They had two sons:

  • Duke Frederick William of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (born and died in London, 13 January 1845).
  • Duke Adolphus Frederick of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1848–1914); succeeded his father as Adolphus Frederick V, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

Friedrich Wilhelm and his wife Augusta celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary by distributing 25 Pfennig from the public treasury to every citizen of the grand duchy.[3]

Titles, styles and honours

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Titles and styles

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  • 17 October 1819 – 6 September 1860: His Royal Highness The Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz[4]
  • 6 September 1860 – 30 May 1904: His Royal Highness The Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz[5]

Honours

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German honours[6]
Foreign honours[6]

Ancestry

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References

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  1. ^ Gill, Gillian (2009). We Two: Victoria and Albert: Rulers, Partners, Rivals. New York: Ballatine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-52001-2.
  2. ^ "Wealthiest Grand Duke dead" (PDF). New York Times. 1904-05-31. Retrieved 2007-10-23.
  3. ^ "Six Cents to Every Subject". New York Times. 1903-07-05. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
  4. ^ "The London Gazette, Issue 20239, Page 2242". 4 July 1843.
  5. ^ "The London Gazette, Issue 26947, Page 1696". 14 March 1898.
  6. ^ a b Grossherzoglich Mecklenburg-Schwerinscher Staatskalendar, 1902, p. 6
  7. ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Herzogtum Anhalt (1867) "Herzoglicher Haus-orden Albrecht des Bären" p. 18
  8. ^ Staatshandbücher für das Herzogtum Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha (1884), "Herzogliche Sachsen-Ernestinischer Hausorden" p. 32
  9. ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Hannover (1865), "Königliche Orden und Ehrenzeichen" p. 38
  10. ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch ... Hessen (1879), "Großherzogliche Orden und Ehrenzeichen" p. 11
  11. ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Hessen (1879), "Großherzogliche Orden und Ehrenzeichen" p. 44
  12. ^ Staats- und Adreß-Handbuch des Herzogthums Nassau (1866), "Herzogliche Orden" p. 9
  13. ^ Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Großherzogtums Oldenburg: für das Jahr 1878, "Der Großherzogliche Haus-und Verdienst Orden" p. 33
  14. ^ a b "Königlich Preussische Ordensliste", Preussische Ordens-Liste (in German), 1, Berlin: 4, 935, 1886
  15. ^ "Königliche Ritter-orden", Staatshandbuch für den Freistaat Sachsen (1873) (in German), Dresden, 1873, p. 4{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  16. ^ "A Szent István Rend tagjai" Archived 22 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ^ Jørgen Pedersen (2009). Riddere af Elefantordenen, 1559–2009 (in Danish). Syddansk Universitetsforlag. p. 466. ISBN 978-87-7674-434-2.
  18. ^ Acović, Dragomir (2012). Slava i čast: Odlikovanja među Srbima, Srbi među odlikovanjima. Belgrade: Službeni Glasnik. p. 607.
  19. ^ "Sveriges statskalender (1877) p.368" (in Swedish). Retrieved 2018-01-06 – via runeberg.org.
  20. ^ Shaw, Wm. A. (1906) The Knights of England, I, London, p. 208
  21. ^ Shaw, p. 61
  22. ^ "The Gentleman's Magazine". F. Jefferies. 1862. p. 350.
Frederick William, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Cadet branch of the House of Mecklenburg
Born: 17 October 1819 Died: 30 May 1904
Regnal titles
Preceded by Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
1860–1904
Succeeded by