Duke Ernest Gottlob of Mecklenburg
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Duke Ernest Gottlob Albert of Mecklenburg (27 August 1742 – 27 January 1814) was a member of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. As a younger son of
Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg 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. He was the father to Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Charlotte, Queen of the United Kingdom ...
, Ernest was an elder brother of Queen Charlotte of the United Kingdom, who married
King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
in 1761. Ernest followed his sister to England, where he unsuccessfully pursued marriage with the country's largest heiress,
Mary Eleanor Bowes Mary Eleanor Bowes, Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne (24 February 1749 – 28 April 1800) was a notable member of the British aristocracy during the Georgian period (18th century). Referred to by some as "The Unhappy Countess", she was a ...
. Enormous debt would later lead Ernest to attempt another marriage with a princess from the House of Holstein-Gottorp, but Charlotte managed to dissuade him. Ernest eventually became the military governor of
Celle Celle () is a town and capital of the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the river Aller, a tributary of the Weser, and has a population of about 71,000. Celle is the southern gateway to the Lü ...
in the
Electorate of Hanover The Electorate of Hanover (german: Kurfürstentum Hannover or simply ''Kurhannover'') was an electorate of the Holy Roman Empire, located in northwestern Germany and taking its name from the capital city of Hanover. It was formally known as ...
, of which his brother-in-law George III was the head. Ernest died in 1814 at the age of 71 during the reign of George III but under the regency of his nephew
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 ...
.


Life

Ernest Gottlob Albert was the seventh child and third son of
Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg 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. He was the father to Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Charlotte, Queen of the United Kingdom ...
and his wife Princess Elisabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Ernest's younger sister
Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...
married
George III of the United Kingdom George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until Acts of Union 1800, the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was ...
in 1761, and Ernest followed her to London. Ernest was described by novelist Sarah Scott as a "very pretty sort of man, with an agreeable person."Moore, p. 38. In March 1762 Ernest was said, according to Scott, to have "fallen desperately in love with"
Mary Eleanor Bowes Mary Eleanor Bowes, Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne (24 February 1749 – 28 April 1800) was a notable member of the British aristocracy during the Georgian period (18th century). Referred to by some as "The Unhappy Countess", she was a ...
, the richest heiress in Britain and possibly the richest in Europe. Scott speculated that were the marriage to take place, Ernest would become even richer than his elder brother
Adolphus Frederick IV, Duke of Mecklenburg Adolf (also spelt Adolph or Adolphe, Adolfo and when Latinised Adolphus) is a given name used in German-speaking countries, Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Flanders, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Latin America and to a lesser extent in vari ...
. However, King George III disallowed the marriage, as he disapproved of his brother-in-law marrying someone not of royal blood.
Charlotte Papendiek Charlotte Louise Henriette Papendiek (née Albert; 2 July 1765, London – 24 April 1840, Windsor) was a lady-in-waiting to Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, consort to George III of Great Britain. Life Charlotte was the daughter of Friedrich ...
, Queen Charlotte's wardrobe keeper, wrote many years later that the match would "have made him a Prince indeed; but as he was a younger brother, it might have disturbed the harmony of the house of Mecklenburg-Strelitz." Ernest does not appear in Mary's letters, and it does not seem likely that his affection was reciprocated. In late 1768 at Queen's House (now
Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...
), Ernest was inoculated alongside his nephew
Prince William William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. Born in London, William was educat ...
(the future King William IV) against
smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...
. Ernest served as a sponsor and namesake for another nephew, Prince Ernest Augustus. The following year Ernest and his brother George attended observations of the
1769 Transit of Venus file:Venus transit symbol.svg, frameless, upright=0.5 A transit of Venus across the Sun takes place when the planet Venus passes directly between the Sun and a inferior and superior planets, superior planet, becoming visible against (and hence ...
at the King's Observatory in
Richmond-upon-Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in southwest London forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London ...
. Charlotte remained close to all of her German relatives while married. Like his brother
Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...
, Ernest benefited from Charlotte's marriage and gained promotion within the Hanoverian army, of which George III was the head.Campbell Orr, p. 369. Ernest eventually became the military governor of
Celle Celle () is a town and capital of the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the river Aller, a tributary of the Weser, and has a population of about 71,000. Celle is the southern gateway to the Lü ...
, in Hanover, where he welcomed George III's exiled sister Queen Caroline Matilda upon the end of her marriage to Christian VII of Denmark.Black, p. 312. In 1782 Ernest attempted to enter into a marriage with a princess from the House of Holstein-Gottorp in an effort to pay his numerous debts. However, both the fact that he was a third son and the uncle of a male heir limited his appeal to potential dynastic alliances. Charlotte advised her brother to drop the match, as the dowry of the princess in question would not be enough to settle his debts; furthermore, neither she nor her husband would be able to help with his finances. She hoped that Christian VII of Denmark would provide a large dowry, as the princess was a member of his house, but concluded that no one would blame Ernest if he stopped pursuing the marriage. This frank advice was later praised by their brother Charles, and Ernest never married. He died on 27 January 1814 at the age of 71.


Honours

* Order of the White Eagle of Poland


Ancestry


Sources

*


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ernest Of Mecklenburg, Duke House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz People from Mecklenburg-Strelitz 1742 births 1814 deaths Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland)