Frederick Francis I (10 December 1756 – 1 February 1837) ruled over the German state of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, first as duke (1785–1815), and then as grand duke (1815–1837).

Biography

Rudolph Suhrlandt - Friedrich Franz I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

He was born in

Schwerin Schwerin (; Mecklenburgian Low German: ''Swerin''; Latin: ''Suerina'', ''Suerinum'') is the capital and second-largest city of the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as well as of the region of Mecklenburg, after Rostock. It ...

, Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, to

Duke Louis of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Ludwig, Hereditary Prince of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (; 6 August 172512 September 1778) was heir to the Dukedom of Mecklenburg-Schwerin for twenty-two years from 1756 to his death in 1778. He was also the father of the first Grand Duke of Mecklenbur ...

and

Princess Charlotte Sophie of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld Princess Charlotte Sophie of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Duchess in Saxony (24 September 1731 – 2 August 1810) was a German duchess. She was the daughter of Franz Josias, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and Princess Anna Sophie of Schwarzburg-Rudolsta ...

. Friedrich Franz succeeded his uncle Friedrich as duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in 1785. Following the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

, Friedrich Franz was raised to the dignity of grand duke at the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...

. Along with his cousin in Mecklenburg-Strelitz, he was known as one of the most reactionary German rulers. On his death in 1837 he was succeeded by his grandson, Grand Duke Paul Friedrich.

Marriage and children

On 1 June 1775 in

Gotha Gotha () is the fifth-largest city in Thuringia, Germany, west of Erfurt and east of Eisenach with a population of 44,000. The city is the capital of the Gotha (district), district of Gotha and was also a residence of the Ernestine House of Wet ...

, Friedrich Franz married

Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subs ...

. They had eight children: *Daughter (stillborn 7 May 1776), buried in the ''Schelfkirche St. Nikolai'' of Schwerin.''Schelfkirche St. Nikolai zu Schwerin'' in: worldhistory.de
etrieved 2 March 2017 *Son (stillborn 11 May 1777), buried in the ''Schelfkirche St. Nikolai'' of Schwerin. * Friedrich Ludwig (13 June 1778 – 29 November 1819). He married

Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna of Russia Elena Pavlovna (; 24 December 1784 S 13 December– 24 September 1803) was born a grand duchess of Russia as the daughter of Paul I, Emperor of all the Russias and later became the Hereditary Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin as the wife ...

, a daughter of Paul I of Russia and

Sophie Marie Dorothea of Württemberg Sophie is a version of the female given name Sophia, meaning "wise". People with the name Born in the Middle Ages * Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson * Sophie of Thuringia, Duchess o ...

* Louise Charlotte (19 November 1779 – 4 January 1801). Married

Emil Leopold August, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg Augustus, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (full name: ''Emil Leopold August'') (23 November 1772 — 17 May 1822), was a Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, and the author of one of the first modern novels to treat of homoerotic love. He was the maternal ...

*Gustav Wilhelm (31 January 1781 – 10 January 1851). *Karl (2 July 1782 – 22 May 1833). * Charlotte Frederica (4 December 1784 – 13 July 1840). Married Christian VIII of Denmark. They were parents to Frederick VII of Denmark. *Adolf (18 December 1785 – 8 May 1821).

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frederick Francis 01 Of Mecklenburg, Grand Duke 1756 births 1837 deaths People from Schwerin Dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Protestant monarchs Grand Dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin German landowners