Frederick William, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

Frederick William
The Grand Duke c. 1887
Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Reign	6 September 1860 – 30 May 1904
Predecessor	George
Successor	Adolf Frederick V
Born	(1819-10-17)17 October 1819 Neustrelitz, Mecklenburg-Strelitz, German Confederation
Died	30 May 1904(1904-05-30) (aged 84) Neustrelitz, Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Germany
Burial	6 June 1904 Mirow, Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Spouse	Princess Augusta of Cambridge ​ ​ (m. 1843)​
Issue	Duke Frederick William Adolphus Frederick V, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Names German: Friedrich Wilhelm Karl Georg Ernst Adolf Gustav
House	Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Father	George, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Mother	Princess 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

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

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

Titles and styles

• 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

German honours[6]

• Mecklenburg:
  • Grand Cross of the Wendish Crown, with Crown in Ore and Collar
  • Memorial Medal for Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III
• Ascanian duchies: Grand Cross of the Order of Albert the Bear, 30 May 1862[7]
•  Brunswick: Grand Cross of the Order of Henry the Lion
• Ernestine duchies: Grand Cross of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order, 1877[8]
•  Hanover:
  • Knight of St. George, 1861[9]
  • Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order
• Hesse-Darmstadt: Grand Cross of the Ludwig Order, 6 September 1860[10]
• Hesse-Kassel: Grand Cross of the Golden Lion, 18 December 1844[11]
•  Nassau: Knight of the Gold Lion of Nassau, August 1865[12]
•  Oldenburg: Grand Cross of the Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig, with Golden Crown, 23 August 1863[13]
• Prussia:
  • Knight of the Black Eagle, 29 February 1840; with Collar, 1883[14]
  • Grand Cross of the Red Eagle
  • Grand Commander's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, with Collar, 11 June 1879[14]
•  Saxony: Knight of the Rue Crown, 1872[15]

Foreign honours[6]

•  Austrian Empire: Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, 1860[16]
•  Denmark: Knight of the Elephant, 17 October 1860[17]
• Greece: Grand Cross of the Redeemer
•  Montenegro: Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Danilo I
•  Netherlands: Grand Cross of the Netherlands Lion
• United Principalities of Romania: Grand Cross of the Star of Romania
•  Russian Empire:
  • Knight of St. Andrew, 1877
  • Knight of St. Alexander Nevsky
  • Knight of the White Eagle
  • Knight of St. Anna, 1st Class
  • Knight of St. Stanislaus, 1st Class
•  Serbia: Grand Cross of the Cross of Takovo[18]
• Sweden-Norway: Knight of the Seraphim, 19 October 1860[19]
•  United Kingdom:
  • Honorary Grand Cross of the Bath (civil), 22 January 1848[20]
  • Stranger Knight of the Garter, 12 August 1862[21][22]

Ancestry

Ancestors of Frederick William, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

8. Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg 4. Charles II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz 9. Princess Elisabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen 2. George, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz 10. Prince George William of Hesse-Darmstadt 5. Princess Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt 11. Countess Maria Louise Albertine of Leiningen-Falkenburg-Dagsburg 1. Frederick William, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz 12. Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel 6. Prince Frederick of Hesse-Kassel 13. Princess Mary of Great Britain 3. Princess Marie of Hesse-Kassel 14. Charles William, Prince of Nassau-Usingen 7. Princess Caroline of Nassau-Usingen 15. Countess Caroline Felizitas of Leiningen-Dagsburg

References

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. 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. "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
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 House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Cadet branch of the House of Mecklenburg Born: 17 October 1819 Died: 30 May 1904
Regnal titles
Preceded by Georg	Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz 1860–1904	Succeeded by Adolf Friedrich V