Christian Ludwig II (15 May 1683 – 30 May 1756) was the

Duke 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 Ho ...

from 1747 to 1756.

Early life

Born into an ancient

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 ...

, he was the third son of

Frederick, Duke of Mecklenburg-Grabow Frederick I of Mecklenburg-Grabow, Duke of Mecklenburg-Grabow (13 February 1638, Schwerin – 28 April 1688, Grabow) Life He was the son of Adolf Frederick I, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and his second wife Marie Katharina (1616-1665), dau ...

, and his wife,

Landgravine Landgrave (, , , ; , ', ', ', ', ') was a noble title, rank of nobility used in the Holy Roman Empire, and its former territories. The German titles of ', ' ("margrave"), and ' ("count palatine") are of roughly equal rank, subordinate to ' ("du ...

Christine Wilhelmine of Hesse-Homburg.

Biography

Mecklenburg-Schwerin began its existence during a series of constitutional struggles between the duke and the nobles. The heavy debt incurred by Charles Leopold, who had joined

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

in a war against

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, brought matters to a head; Charles VI interfered, and in 1728 the imperial court of justice declared the duke incapable of governing. His brother, Christian Ludwig II, was appointed administrator of the duchy. Under this prince, who became ruler ''de jure'' in 1747, the Convention of Rostock, by which a new constitution was framed for the duchy, was signed in April 1755. By this instrument, all power lay in the hands of the duke, the nobles, and the upper classes generally; the lower classes were entirely unrepresented. His household employed

Johann Gottfried Müthel Johann Gottfried Müthel (January 17, 1728 – July 14, 1788) was a German composer and noted keyboard virtuoso. Along with C.P.E. Bach, he represented the Sturm und Drang style of composition. As far as is known, he was the first to use ...

as an

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

and

cembalist Musicians who play the harpsichord are known as harpsichordists. This list includes post 19th-century harpsichordists. Notable earlier harpsichordists mostly appear on the list of Baroque composers. A * Abraham Abreu * Isolde Ahlgrimm * Ben ...

, and

Konrad Ekhof Konrad Ekhof (12 August 1720 in Hamburg, Germany – 16 June 1778) was a German actor, often regarded as the foremost actor of German-speaking Europe in the 18th century. He was noted for his collaboration with the theatre principal Abel Seyler ...

as a comedian.

Personal life

In 1714, he married

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 ...

, daughter of

Adolphus Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Adolphus Frederick II (; 19 October 1658 – 12 May 1708), Duke of Mecklenburg, was the first Duke of the Mecklenburg-Strelitz, reigning from 1701 until his death. Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a part of the Holy Roman Empire. Biography He was born in ...

and his wife, Duchess Marie of

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 ...

(1659-1701). They had five children: *

Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, called ''the Pious'' (; 9 November 171721 April 1785) was Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1756 until his death. Early life Frederick was born at Schwerin, the son of Christian Ludwig II, Duke of Me ...

(1717–1785); married

Duchess Louise Frederica of Württemberg Duchess Louise Frederica of Württemberg (3 February 1722 – 2 August 1791) was a Duchess consort of Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Schwerin.Ulrike Wendt-Sellin: Luise Friederike, Herzogin von Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1722-1791), Lebens ...

(1722–1791) * Ulrike Sofie (1723–1813) Abbess of the Rühn monastery *

Louis Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also ...

(1725–1778); married

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-Rudolstadt ...

(1731–1810); they were the parents of

Frederick Francis I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Frederick Francis I (10 December 1756 – 1 February 1837) ruled over the German state of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, first as Duke from 1785 to 1815, and then as Grand Duke from 1815 until his death in 1837. Early life Frederick Francis I was born in ...

* Luise (1730) * Amalie (1732–1775) Canon of Herford Coat of Arms of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg - Schwerin

References

1683 births 1756 deaths Dukes of the Holy Roman Empire Dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 18th-century German landowners {{Germany-duke-stub