Adolphus Frederick II (; 19 October 1658 – 12 May 1708), Duke of

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg, Wismar and Güstrow. ...

, was the first Duke of the

Mecklenburg-Strelitz The Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a duchy in Northern Germany consisting of the eastern fifth of the historic Mecklenburg region, roughly corresponding with the present-day Mecklenburg-Strelitz district (the former Lordship of Stargard) ...

, reigning from 1701 until his death. Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a part of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

Biography

He was born in

Grabow Grabow () is a town in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The town lies southeast of Ludwigslust, the next city, and has the river Elde passing through its old town which is characterized by 16th century tim ...

as the

posthumous son A posthumous birth is the birth of a child after the death of a parent. A person born in these circumstances is called a posthumous child or a posthumously born person. Most instances of posthumous birth involve the birth of a child after the dea ...

of Duke Adolf Frederick I of Mecklenburg and his second wife, Maria Katharina of Brunswick-Dannenberg (1616–1665). In 1695, the

Mecklenburg-Güstrow Mecklenburg-Güstrow was a state of the Holy Roman Empire in Northern Germany, that existed on three occasions ruled by the House of Mecklenburg at Güstrow. History A first short-lived predecessor existed after the death of Henry IV, Duke of M ...

branch of the

House of Mecklenburg The House of Mecklenburg, also known as Nikloting, is a North German dynasty of Polabian Slavs, Polabian origin that ruled German revolution, until 1918 in the Mecklenburg region, being among the longest-ruling families of Europe. Queen Juliana o ...

became extinct and Adolphus Frederick's nephew,

Frederick William, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Frederick William (28 March 1675 – 31 July 1713) was the reigning duke of Mecklenburg in the Mecklenburg-Schwerin The Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin () was a duchy in northern Germany created in 1701, when Frederick William, Duke of Mec ...

, laid claim to the inheritance, a move which Adolphus Frederick opposed. The dispute was settled in 1701 by dividing Mecklenburg-Güstrow between the two claimants. Frederick William took the

Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin The Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin () was a duchy in northern Germany created in 1701, when Frederick William and Adolphus Frederick II divided the Duchy of Mecklenburg between Schwerin and Strelitz. Ruled by the successors of the Nikloting H ...

, and Adolphus obtained the

Principality of Ratzeburg The Principality of Ratzeburg () is a former state, existing from 1648 to 1918. It belonged to the imperially immediate territory of the Duchy of Mecklenburg within the Holy Roman Empire. It was formed from the territory of the former Prince-Bis ...

and the

Lordship of Stargard The Lordship of Stargard (German: ''Herrschaft Stargard'', ''Stargarder Land'' or ''Land Stargard'') was a county first set up in the 13th century as the ''terra Stargardiensis'' and first documented in the area of the border between Brandenburg, ...

with the commanderies 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 ...

and Nemerow, of which he formed the

Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz The Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a duchy in Northern Germany consisting of the eastern fifth of the historic Mecklenburg region, roughly corresponding with the present-day Mecklenburg-Strelitz district (the former Lordship of Stargard) ...

. Following his death in 1708, Adolphus Frederick was succeeded as Duke by his son, Adolphus Frederick III.

Marriages and children

In 1684 Adolphus Frederick II married firstly to Marie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow (19 July 1659 – 16 January 1701), daughter of Gustav Adolph, Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. They had five children: *

Adolphus Frederick III, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Adolphus Frederick III (; 7 June 1686 – 11 December 1752) was a Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. He founded the town of Neustrelitz as the capital of Mecklenburg-Strelit to replace the old capital which had burnt down. Biography He was born in Str ...

(Strelitz, 7 June 1686 – Schwerin, 11 December 1752). * Duchess Magdalena Amalia of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Strelitz, 25 April 1689 – Strelitz, 28 April 1689). * Duchess Maria of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (born and died Strelitz, 7 August 1690). * Duchess Eleonore Wilhelmina of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Strelitz, 8 July 1691 – Strelitz, 9 July 1691). *

Duchess Gustave Caroline of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Duchess Gustave Caroline of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (12 July 1694 – 13 April 1748) was a daughter of Adolphus Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg and Princess Marie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. Family Gustave Caroline was the fourth daughter and younges ...

(Strelitz, 12 July 1694 – Schwerin, 13 April 1748) she married Christian Ludwig II, Duke of Mecklenburg. On 20 June 1702, Adolphus Frederick II married secondly to Princess Johanna of Saxe-Gotha (1 October 1680 – 9 July 1704), a daughter of

Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (15 July 1646 – 2 August 1691), was a duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. He was born in Gotha, the fourth but eldest surviving son of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Altenburg and Elisabeth Sophie of Sax ...

, and Magdalena Sybille of Saxe-Weissenfels, who was his half-niece. There were no children from this marriage. On 10 June 1705 at

Neustrelitz Neustrelitz (; ) is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the shore of the Zierker See in the Mecklenburg Lake District. From 1738 until 1918 it was the capital o ...

, Adolphus Frederick II married thirdly to Princess Christiane Emilie of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (13 March 1681 – 1 November 1751), a daughter of

Christian William I, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen Christian William I of Schwarzburg (6 January 1647 – 10 May 1721) was Count and later Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, Count of Hohenstein, Lord of Sondershausen, Arnstadt and Leutenberg. From 1681, he also carried the title of Count in ...

and Countess Antonie Sybille of Barby-Mühlingen (1641–1684). They had two children: * Duchess Sophia Christina Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Strelitz, 12 October 1706 – Strelitz, 22 December 1708). * Duke Charles I Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Strelitz, 23 February 1708 – Mirow, 5 June 1752), Prince of Mirow. Through his granddaughter Charlotte, Adolphus 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 29 January 1820 until his death in 1830. At the time of his accession to the throne, h ...

, who ascended the throne of the United Kingdom in 1820.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adolphus Frederick 02 of Mecklenburg, Duke 1658 births 1708 deaths Dukes of Mecklenburg-Strelitz House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz People from Grabow Dukes of the Holy Roman Empire