Frederick Francis III (german: Friedrich Franz Paul Nikolaus Ernst Heinrich; 19 March 1851 – 10 April 1897) was the penultimate
Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
This list of dukes and grand dukes of Mecklenburg dates from the origins of the German princely state of Mecklenburg's royal house in the High Middle Ages to the monarchy's abolition at the end of World War I. Strictly speaking, Mecklenburg's ...
.
Biography
He was born in
Schloss Ludwigslust
Ludwigslust Palace (german: Schloss Ludwigslust) is a stately home or ''schloss'' in the town of Ludwigslust, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, northern Germany. It was built as a hunting lodge, rebuilt as a luxurious retreat from the ducal capital, Schweri ...
as the son of
Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Frederick Francis II ( German: ''Friedrich Franz II;'' 28 February 1823 – 15 April 1883) was a Prussian officer and Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 7 March 1842 until 15 April 1883.
Biography
He was born in Schloss Ludwigslust, t ...
and his first wife
Princess Augusta Reuss of Köstritz
Princess Augusta Reuss, Junior Line (Auguste Mathilde Wilhelmine Reuß; 26 May 1822 – 3 March 1862) was Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin as the first spouse of Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.
Early life
Princess ...
. He succeeded his father as Grand Duke on 15 April 1883.
From an early age Frederick Francis suffered from
asthma
Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...
and severe breathing difficulties. He could not live in the north of Europe and lived instead on the shores of the Mediterranean, where the mild climate agreed with him. His
homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...
was an open secret.
Frederick Francis' death in
Cannes
Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions I ...
on 10 April 1897 is shrouded in mystery, as he was originally reported to have committed suicide by throwing himself off a parapet of a bridge. According to the official account of his death, however, he was in his garden when he experienced breathing difficulties and staggered around before falling over a low wall.
He was succeeded by his son
Frederick Francis IV, who would be the last Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.
Marriage and children
Frederick Francis married
Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia in
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
on 24 January 1879. They had three children:
*
Duchess Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (24 December 1879 – 28 December 1952) she married
King Christian X of Denmark
Christian X ( da, Christian Carl Frederik Albert Alexander Vilhelm; 26 September 1870 – 20 April 1947) was King of Denmark from 1912 to his death in 1947, and the only King of Iceland as Kristján X, in the form of a personal union rathe ...
on 26 April 1898. They had two sons.
*
Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Frederick Francis IV (Friedrich Franz Michael; 9 April 1882 – 17 November 1945) was the last Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and regent of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. He inherited the throne when he was fifteen years old in 1897 and was forced t ...
(9 April 1882 – 17 November 1945) he married
Princess Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland
''
, spouse =
, issue =
, house = Hanover
, father = Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover
, mother = Princess Thyra of Denmark
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Schloss Cumberland, Gmunden, Upper Austr ...
on 7 June 1904. They had five children.
*
Duchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Duchess Cecilie Auguste Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (20 September 1886 – 6 May 1954) was the last German Crown Princess and Crown Princess of Prussia as the wife of Wilhelm, German Crown Prince, the son of German Emperor Wilhelm II.
Cecili ...
(20 September 1886 – 6 May 1954) she married
Wilhelm, German Crown Prince
Wilhelm, German Crown Prince, Crown Prince of Prussia (Friedrich Wilhelm Victor August Ernst; 6 May 1882 – 20 July 1951) was the eldest child of the last ''Kaiser
''Kaiser'' is the German word for "emperor" (female Kaiserin). In gen ...
on 6 June 1905. They had six children.
Honours
He received the following orders and decorations:
[''Grossherzoglich Mecklenburg-Schwerinscher Staatskalendar'', 1895 p]
1
/ref>[''Grossherzoglich Mecklenburg-Schwerinscher Staatskalendar'', 1897 pp]
1-2
/ref>
;German honours
;Foreign honours
Ancestry
Literature
* Bernd-Ulrich Hergemöller, ''Mann für Mann'', pages 253
* Hans von Tresckow
Hans may refer to:
__NOTOC__ People
* Hans (name), a masculine given name
* Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician
** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans
** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi ...
, ''Von Fürsten und anderen Sterblichen, Erinnerungen eines Kriminalkommisars'', 1922, Berlin, page 89
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frederick Francis 03 Of Mecklenburg, Grand Duke
1851 births
1897 deaths
19th-century LGBT people
Dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Generals of Cavalry (Prussia)
Grand Dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Hereditary Grand Dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
LGBT heads of state
LGBT people from Germany
LGBT Protestants
LGBT royalty
German landowners
People from Ludwigslust
Protestant monarchs
Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary
Recipients of the Iron Cross (1870), 2nd class
Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class
Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Fourth Degree
Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Russia)
Military personnel from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania