Friedrich Franz III, Grand Duke Of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
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Frederick Francis III (; 19 March 1851 – 10 April 1897) was the penultimate
Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin This list of dukes and grand dukes of Mecklenburg dates from the origins of the Germany, German princely state of Mecklenburg's royal house in the High Middle Ages to the monarchy's abolition at the end of World War I. Strictly speaking, Mecklen ...
.


Biography

He was born in Schloss Ludwigslust as the son of
Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 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 ...
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 ...
. He succeeded his father as Grand Duke on 15 April 1883. From an early age Frederick Francis suffered from
asthma Asthma is a common long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wh ...
and severe breathing difficulties. He could not live in the north of Europe and lived instead on the shores of the Mediterranean, where the mild climate agreed with him. His
homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexu ...
was an open secret. Frederick Francis' death in
Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...
on 10 April 1897 is shrouded in mystery, as he was originally reported to have committed suicide by throwing himself off a parapet of a bridge. According to the official account of his death, however, he was in his garden when he experienced breathing difficulties and staggered around before falling over a low wall. Barones Louise von Reibnitz-Maltzan, a lady-in-waiting who was in Cannes with the family at the time of his death, described the incident as "the Grand Duke's suicide". He was succeeded by his son Frederick Francis IV, who would be the last Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.


Marriage and children

Frederick Francis married Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia, his second cousin once removed, he being the great-great-grandson and she great-granddaughter of
Paul I of Russia Paul I (; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1796 until his assassination in 1801. Paul remained overshadowed by his mother, Catherine the Great, for most of his life. He adopted the Pauline Laws, laws of succession to the Russian throne—rules ...
. They also second cousin because they were great-grandchildren of
Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Luise Auguste Wilhelmine Amalie; 10 March 1776 – 19 July 1810) was Queen of Prussia as the wife of King Frederick William III. The couple's happy, though short-lived, marriage produced nine children, inclu ...
. They married in
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
on 24 January 1879. They had three children: * Duchess Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (24 December 1879 – 28 December 1952) she married King Christian X of Denmark on 26 April 1898. They had two sons. *
Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 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 ...
(9 April 1882 – 17 November 1945) he married Princess Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland on 7 June 1904. They had five children. *
Duchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Duchess Cecilie Auguste Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (20 September 1886 – 6 May 1954) was the last German Empire, German Crown Princess and Crown Princess of Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia as the wife of Wilhelm, German Crown Prince, the son o ...
(20 September 1886 – 6 May 1954) she married
Wilhelm, German Crown Prince Wilhelm, German Crown Prince, Crown Prince of Prussia (Friedrich Wilhelm Victor August Ernst; 6 May 1882 – 20 July 1951) was the eldest child of the last German emperor, Wilhelm II, and his consort Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, an ...
on 6 June 1905. They had six children.


Legacy

He was described by his daughter Cecilie in her 1952 memoirs:
"His whole soul was bound up with his country of Mecklenburg, and it was infinitely painful for him, as its ruling prince, to have to spend several months each year away from his country on account of his health. ..When I call to mind what my father looked like, I see before me the most lovable and kindly being that has ever existed. He was tall and slim in build, with beautiful gleaming eyes whom which his warm heart shone forth- that is my unforgettable impression of my father. Nothing could bring me greater pleasure later on than when people who had known him well have told me that I look like him. He had to suffer infinitely much, but never did a word of complaint pass his lips."


Honours

He received the following orders and decorations:''Grossherzoglich Mecklenburg-Schwerinscher Staatskalendar'', 1895 p
1
/ref>''Grossherzoglich Mecklenburg-Schwerinscher Staatskalendar'', 1897 pp
1-2
/ref> ;German honours ;Foreign honours


Ancestry


Literature

* Bernd-Ulrich Hergemöller, ''Mann für Mann'', pages 253 *
Hans von Tresckow Hans may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Hans (name), a masculine given name * Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician ** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans ** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi ...
, ''Von Fürsten und anderen Sterblichen, Erinnerungen eines Kriminalkommisars'', 1922, Berlin, page 89


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frederick Francis 03 Of Mecklenburg, Grand Duke 1851 births 1897 deaths 19th-century German LGBTQ people Dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Generals of Cavalry (Prussia) Grand dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Hereditary grand dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin LGBTQ heads of state German gay men LGBTQ Protestants LGBTQ royalty 19th-century German landowners People from Ludwigslust Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary Recipients of the Iron Cross (1870), 2nd class Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Fourth Degree Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Russia) Military personnel from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Gay military personnel German LGBTQ military personnel