Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

John Albert of Mecklenburg (german: Herzog Johann Albrecht zu Mecklenburg;

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...

s ''John Albert Ernest Constantine Frederick Henry''; 8 December 1857 – 16 February 1920) was a member of the

House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 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), ...

who served as the

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

of two states of the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

. He was first regent of the

Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin The Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was a territory in Northern Germany held by the House of Mecklenburg residing at Schwerin. It was a sovereign member state of the German Confederation and became a federated state of the North German Conf ...

from 1897 to 1901 for his cousin

Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg 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 ...

, and thereafter regent of the

Duchy of Brunswick The Duchy of Brunswick (german: Herzogtum Braunschweig) was a historical German state. Its capital city, capital was the city of Braunschweig, Brunswick (). It was established as the successor state of the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel ...

from 1907 to 1913.

Birth and interests

Duke John Albert of Mecklenburg was born in

Schwerin Schwerin (; Mecklenburgisch dialect, Mecklenburgian Low German: ''Swerin''; Latin: ''Suerina'', ''Suerinum'') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Germany, second-largest city of the northeastern States of Germany, German ...

the fifth child of

Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg 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, the e ...

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 ...

(1822–1862). Duke John Albert was educated in

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

, pursued a career in the

Prussian Army The Royal Prussian Army (1701–1919, german: Königlich Preußische Armee) served as the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It became vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power. The Prussian Army had its roots in the co ...

and was well known for his love of sports. He also developed an interest in Germany's colonial empire, co-founding

the Pan-German League The Pan-German League (german: Alldeutscher Verband) was a Pan-German nationalist organization which was officially founded in 1891, a year after the Zanzibar Treaty was signed. Primarily dedicated to the German Question of the time, it held pos ...

and becoming president of the

German Colonial Society The German Colonial Society (german: Deutsche Kolonialgesellschaft) (DKG) was a German organisation formed on 19 December 1887 to promote German colonialism. The Society was formed through the merger of the (; established in 1882 in Frankfurt) an ...

in 1895.

Regencies

Following the death of his brother

Frederick Francis III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg Frederick Francis III (german: Friedrich Franz Paul Nikolaus Ernst Heinrich; 19 March 1851 – 10 April 1897) was the penultimate Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Biography He was born in Schloss Ludwigslust as the son of Frederick Francis II, ...

on 10 April 1897, Duke John Albert was appointed

for his young nephew the new Grand Duke, Frederick Francis IV after his older brother Duke Paul Frederick had renounced his claim to the regency. He ruled as regent until his nephew came of age on 9 April 1901 when he assumed personal control of the Grand Duchy. On 28 May 1907, Duke John Albert was elected regent of the

following the death of Prince Albert of Prussia by the state's

diet Diet may refer to: Food * Diet (nutrition), the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group * Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake ** Diet food, foods that aid in creating a diet for weight loss ...

, accepting the offer he arrived in Brunswick on 5 June 1907. The reason for the regency in Brunswick was that in 1884 when

William, Duke of Brunswick '' , house = House of Brunswick-Bevern , father = Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel , mother = Princess Marie of Baden , birth_date = , birth_place = Brunswick, Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel , death_date = , death_place = Si ...

died his distant cousin and heir

Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover en, Ernest Augustus William Adolphus George Frederick , house = Hanover , father = George V of Hanover , mother = Marie of Saxe-Altenburg , birth_date = , birth_place = Hanover, Kingdom of Hanover , death_date = , death_place = Gmunde ...

was prevented from taking over the duchy because he refused to renounce his claim to the throne of the

Kingdom of Hanover The Kingdom of Hanover (german: Königreich Hannover) was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Han ...

which had been annexed by Prussia in 1866. Shortly after assuming the regency, Duke John Albert would walk Brunswick in civilian clothes visiting museums, libraries and other institutions in the duchy, asking questions of people to discover their living conditions. After he became too well known to walk unnoticed he established a weekly audience where people could go and present a petition to him. Duke John Albert also cut down on the expenses of the royal household by cutting the number of

servant A domestic worker or domestic servant is a person who works within the scope of a residence. The term "domestic service" applies to the equivalent occupational category. In traditional English contexts, such a person was said to be "in service ...

s and

retainer Retainer may refer to: * Retainer (orthodontics), devices for teeth * RFA ''Retainer'' (A329), a ship * Retainers in early China, a social group in early China Employment * Retainer agreement, a contract in which an employer pays in advance for ...

s to the minimum needed to run the household. The regency came to an end on 1 November 1913 when Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover's son Ernest Augustus was permitted to ascend to Duchy following his marriage to

Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia german: Viktoria Luise Adelheid Mathilde Charlotte , house = Hohenzollern , father = Wilhelm II, German Emperor , mother = Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein , birth_name = Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia , ...

the only daughter of the

German Emperor The German Emperor (german: Deutscher Kaiser, ) was the official title of the head of state and hereditary ruler of the German Empire. A specifically chosen term, it was introduced with the 1 January 1871 constitution and lasted until the offi ...

William II which helped heal the rift between the houses of Hanover and Hohenzollern.

War years

During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Duke John Albert was active with the German Colonial Society in defending the Germany's colonial possessions from suggestions that they should be abandoned. On 2 September 1917 he was appointed honorary chairman of the pro war Fatherland Party. Duke John Albert died in 1920 in Wiligrad castle near

Lübstorf Lübstorf is a municipality in the Nordwestmecklenburg district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is close to the cities of Schwerin, Wismar, Lübeck and Rostock and is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region. Geography Situated on the west ...

aged 62.

Marriages

John Albert was married twice firstly in

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...

on 6 November 1886 to

Princess Elisabeth Sybille of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Princess Elisabeth Sybille of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (28 February 1854 – 10 July 1908) was the first wife of Duke Johann Albrecht of Mecklenburg, Regent of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and of the Duchy of Brunswick. Early life She was the youngest d ...

(1854–1908) the daughter of

Charles Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach , image = Held Carl Alexander Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach@Weimar Schlossmuseum.jpg , image_size = , caption = , succession = Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach , reign = 8 July 1853 – 5 January 1901 , predecessor = ...

. He was married secondly in Brunswick on 15 December 1909 to

Princess Elisabeth of Stolberg-Rossla Princess Elisabeth of Stolberg-Rossla (german: Elisabeth zu Stolberg-Roßla; 23 July 1885, Roßla—16 October 1969, Eutin, Schleswig-Holstein) was the second wife of Duke Johann Albrecht of Mecklenburg, Regent of the Duchy of Brunswick. Early lif ...

(1885–1969), who would following his death marry his half brother Duke Adolf Friedrich in 1924. Both of John Albert's marriages were childless.

Ojimukoka

Ojimukoka, a small settlement, postoffice and railway station in

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

, was renamed Johann - Albrechtshöhe, and then simply Albrechts in his honour.

Honours

;German decorations
Grossherzoglich Mecklenburg-Schwerinscher Staatskalendar
', 1908, p. 3 ;Foreign decorations

Ancestry

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:John Albert Of Mecklenburg, Duke 1857 births 1920 deaths People from Schwerin Dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin German Fatherland Party politicians Regents of Germany Generals of Cavalry (Prussia) Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia Flowers Recipients of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Sons of monarchs