Frederick Francis II (
German: ''Friedrich Franz II;'' 28 February 1823 – 15 April 1883) was a
Prussia
Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
n officer and
Grand Duke of
Mecklenburg-Schwerin
The Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin () was a duchy in northern Germany created in 1701, when Frederick William, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Frederick William and Adolphus Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Adolphus Frederick II divided ...
from 7 March 1842 until 15 April 1883.
Biography
He was born in
Schloss Ludwigslust, the eldest son of
Hereditary Grand Duke Paul Friedrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and
Princess Alexandrine of Prussia. He became
heir apparent
An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...
to the grand duchy following the death of his great-grandfather
Frederick Francis I on 1 February 1837. Frederick Francis was privately educated until 1838. He then attended the Blochmann institute in
Dresden
Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...
before going to the
University of Bonn.
Frederick Francis succeeded his father as Grand Duke on 7 March 1842.
During the
Second Schleswig War
The Second Schleswig War (; or German Danish War), also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War, was the second military conflict over the Schleswig–Holstein question of the nineteenth century. The war began on 1 Februar ...
, Frederick Francis served on the staff of
Generalfeldmarschall Friedrich Graf von Wrangel, having refused a command in the fight against Denmark since
Christian IX of Denmark was a close friend. During the
Austro-Prussian War he commanded the forces that occupied
Leipzig
Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
and lay siege to
Nuremberg
Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...
. He also took part in the
Franco-Prussian War, during which he was made Governor-General of
Reims
Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...
and commanded the German forces laying siege to
Toul. He defended the Prussian forces during the
Siege of Paris from attack by the
Army of the Loire. He defeated French forces at the battles of
Beaune-La-Rolande and
Beaugency. He was the maternal first cousin of both German Emperor
Frederick III and
Russian Tsar Alexander II. He held the rank of Prussian general and was also a Russian General Field Marshal.
[
Frederick Francis died on 15 April 1883 in ]Schwerin
Schwerin (; Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch dialect, Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch Low German: ''Swerin''; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Zwierzyn''; Latin: ''Suerina'', ''Suerinum'') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Germ ...
and was succeeded as Grand Duke by his eldest son, Frederick Francis III.
Marriages and children
Frederick Francis was first married to Princess Augusta Reuss of Köstritz (26 May 1822 – 3 March 1862) on 3 November 1849 in Ludwigslust. They had six children:
* Frederick Francis III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (19 March 1851 – 10 April 1897) he married Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia on 24 January 1879. They had three children.
* Duke Paul Frederick of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (19 September 1852 – 17 May 1923) he married Princess Marie of Windisch-Graetz on 5 May 1881. They had five children.
* Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (14 May 1854 – 5 September 1920) she married Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia on 28 August 1874. They had five children.
*Duke Nikolaus of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (18 August 1855 – 23 January 1856) died at 5 months old.
* Duke Johann Albrecht of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (8 December 1857 – 16 February 1920) he married Princess Elisabeth Sybille of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (28 February 1854 – 10 July 1908) on 6 November 1886. He remarried Princess Elisabeth of Stolberg-Rossla on 15 December 1909.
*Duke Alexander of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (13 August 1859 – 13 August 1859)
Frederick Francis married for a second time in Darmstadt
Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it the ...
to Princess Anna of Hesse and by Rhine (25 May 1843 – 16 April 1865) on 4 July 1864. They had one daughter:
*Duchess Anna of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (7 April 1865 – 8 February 1882) died at the age of 16.
His third wife was Princess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt on 4 July 1868. They had four children:
* Duchess Elisabeth Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (10 August 1869 – 3 September 1955) she married Frederick Augustus II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg on 24 October 1896. They had five children.
*Duke Friedrich Wilhelm of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (5 April 1871 – 22 September 1897) died at the age of 26.
* Duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (10 October 1873 – 5 August 1969) he married Princess Viktoria Feodora of Reuss zu Schleiz (21 April 1889 – 18 December 1918) on 24 April 1917. They had one daughter Duchess Woizlawa Feodora of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1918–2019), later Princess Reuß zu Köstritz. After the death of his first wife, Adolf Friedrich remarried Princess Elisabeth of Stolberg-Rossla on 15 October 1924.
* Duke Heinrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (19 April 1876 – 3 July 1934) he married Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
Wilhelmina (; Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria; 31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962) was List of monarchs of the Netherlands, Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948. She reigned for nearly 58 years, making her the longest- ...
on 7 February 1901. They had one daughter: Queen Juliana.
Honours
;German decorations[''Grossherzoglich Mecklenburg-Schwerinscher Staatskalendar'' (1880) pp]
1
2
;Foreign decorations
Ancestors
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frederick Francis 02 Of Mecklenburg, Grand Duke
1823 births
1883 deaths
Dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
19th-century German landowners
German Protestants
German military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War
Field marshals of the Russian Empire
University of Bonn alumni
Burials at Schwerin Cathedral
Hereditary grand dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Grand dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
People from Ludwigslust
Colonel generals of Prussia
19th-century Prussian military personnel
Grand Crosses of the Military Order of Max Joseph
Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class)
Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary
Recipients of the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross
Military personnel from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania