Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (23 February 1708 – 5 June 1752) was a member of the Strelitz branch of the
House of Mecklenburg
The House of Mecklenburg, also known as Nikloting, is a North German dynasty of Slavic origin that ruled until 1918 in the Mecklenburg region, being among the longest-ruling families of Europe. Queen Juliana of the Netherlands (1909–2004), ...
. He was the father to
Charlotte, Queen of the United Kingdom and Hanover and
Adolphus Frederick IV, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Adolphus Frederick IV (5 May 1738 – 2 June 1794) was Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz from 1752 to his death in 1794.
Biography
He was born in Mirow to Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg and his wife Princess Elisabeth Albertine of Saxe- ...
.
He was styled as the Prince of
Mirow
Mirow () is a town in the district of Mecklenburgische Seenplatte in southern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.
Name (Etymology)
"Mir" in Slavonic languages means "peace" or "glory". The name "Mirow" was derived from "villa mirowe", translating a ...
(). He was not a reigning Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, unlike his father and son.
Life
Charles was born in
Strelitz, the second son and youngest child of
Adolphus Frederick II, reigning
Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. His mother, Princess Christiane Emilie of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, was the third wife of his father. Charles had one half-brother and one surviving half-sister, the children of his father's first marriage. He also had one full sister at the time of his birth, but she died as an infant when Charles was less than one year old.
Charles's father died when he was only three months old. His half-brother succeeded their father as
Adolphus Frederick III, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Adolphus Frederick III (7 June 1686 – 11 December 1752) was a Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.
Biography
He was born in Strelitz the son of Adolphus Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg, and his wife Princess Maria of Mecklenburg-Güstrow (1659–17 ...
, whereas Charles, as the younger son, inherited the
commandries of
Mirow
Mirow () is a town in the district of Mecklenburgische Seenplatte in southern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.
Name (Etymology)
"Mir" in Slavonic languages means "peace" or "glory". The name "Mirow" was derived from "villa mirowe", translating a ...
and Nemerow.
It was to the estate of Mirow that Charles's mother retired upon the death of her husband, and it was here that Charles was raised.
He later attended the
University of Greifswald
The University of Greifswald (; german: Universität Greifswald), formerly also known as “Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University of Greifswald“, is a public research university located in Greifswald, Germany, in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pom ...
in
Pomerania
Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...
.
[
In keeping with the custom of the times, Charles set out on a ]Grand tour
The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tuto ...
of Europe in 1726, aged 18. He played the transverse flute
A transverse flute or side-blown flute is a flute which is held horizontally when played. The player blows across the embouchure hole, in a direction perpendicular to the flute's body length.
Transverse flutes include the Western concert flute ...
well, and made it one of the aims of the tour to improve his knowledge and skill in music. After visiting Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
, Italy and France he went to Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
and briefly entered the service of the Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...
as a Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
before returning to Mirow.[
After leaving the Army, Charles lived with his family in the castle of ]Mirow
Mirow () is a town in the district of Mecklenburgische Seenplatte in southern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.
Name (Etymology)
"Mir" in Slavonic languages means "peace" or "glory". The name "Mirow" was derived from "villa mirowe", translating a ...
, spending most of his time managing his estates and attending to the education of his children.[ He lived at Mirow until his death there at the age of 44.
When his older half-brother, Adolphus Frederick III, died in December 1752 without a male heir, Charles Louis Frederick's son Adolf Friedrich was made the next Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, reigning as Adolf Friedrich IV.
]
Family
Charles was married on 5 February 1735 in Eisfeld
Eisfeld is a town and a municipality in the Hildburghausen (district), district of Hildburghausen, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated on the river Werra, 12 km east of Hildburghausen, and 19 km north of Coburg. The former municipalit ...
to Princess Elisabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen
Duchess Elisabeth Albertine of Saxe- Hildburghausen (4 August 1713 – 29 June 1761) was a Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. She served as regent for her son after the deaths in 1752–1753 of her husband and brother-in-law of, respectively, th ...
, daughter of Ernest Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen
Ernest Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen (21 August 1681 in Gotha – 9 March 1724 in Hildburghausen), was a duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen.
He was the eldest son of Ernest, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen and Countess Sophie Henriette of Wald ...
. She was regent to her son in 1752 and played a major part in the struggle for the throne at that time.
They had ten children, six of whom survived into adulthood:
Through his daughter Charlotte, Charles Louis Frederick is the ancestor of every British monarch beginning with George IV
George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...
, who ascended the throne of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
in 1820.
Ancestry
References
External links
Schloss Mirow
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charles Louis Frederick Of Mecklenburg, Duke
House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
People from Mecklenburg-Strelitz
1708 births
1752 deaths
People from Neustrelitz
Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland)
Military personnel from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania