Frederick William (17 October 1819 – 30 May 1904) was a German

sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title that can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to ...

who ruled over the state 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) ...

as grand duke from 1860 until his death.

Biography

He was born in

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 ...

, the son of Grand Duke Georg of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and

Princess Marie of Hesse-Kassel Princess Marie of Hesse-Kassel (; 21 January 1796 – 30 December 1880) was the consort of George, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Early life Princess Marie of Hesse-Kassel, second daughter of Prince Frederick of Hesse-Kassel, and his ...

. He spent his youth in Neustrelitz and later went to study history and jurisprudence in

University of Bonn The University of Bonn, officially the Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (), is a public research university in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the () on 18 October 1818 by Frederick Willi ...

where he befriended

Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Franz August Karl Albert Emanuel; 26 August 1819 – 14 December 1861) was the husband of Queen Victoria. As such, he was consort of the British monarch from Wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, th ...

. After finishing his studies, he went travelling to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. He became a Doctor of Civil Law of the University of Oxford. Friedrich Wilhelm succeeded as grand duke on the death of his father on 6 September 1860. During his reign, Mecklenburg-Strelitz became a member first of the

North German Confederation The North German Confederation () was initially a German military alliance established in August 1866 under the leadership of the Kingdom of Prussia, which was transformed in the subsequent year into a confederated state (a ''de facto'' feder ...

and then the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

. Friedrich Wilhelm was a large land owner with more than half of the entire grand duchy as his personal property. He died at Neustrelitz on 30 May 1904 and was succeeded by his only surviving son, Adolf Friedrich V.

Marriage and children

Friedrich Wilhelm was married on 28 June 1843 at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

to his first cousin, Princess

Augusta of Cambridge Princess Augusta of Cambridge (Augusta Caroline Charlotte Elizabeth Mary Sophia Louise; 19 July 1822 – 5 December 1916) was a member of the British royal family as the granddaughter of George III. She married into the Grand Ducal House of Me ...

, a member of the

British royal family The British royal family comprises Charles III and other members of his family. There is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member, although the Royal Household has issued different lists outlining who is considere ...

and a granddaughter of

King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

. The two were also second cousins on their fathers' side. They had two sons: *Duke Frederick William of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (born and died in London, 13 January 1845). * Duke Adolphus Frederick of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1848–1914); succeeded his father as Adolphus Frederick V, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Friedrich Wilhelm and his wife Augusta celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary by distributing 25

Pfennig The pfennig (; . 'pfennigs' or 'pfennige' ; currency symbol, symbol pf or ₰) or penny is a former Germany, German coin or note, which was an official currency from the 9th century until the introduction of the euro in 2002. While a valua ...

from the public treasury to every citizen of the grand duchy.

Titles, styles and honours

Titles and styles

*17 October 1819 – 6 September 1860: ''His Royal Highness'' The Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz *6 September 1860 – 30 May 1904: ''His Royal Highness'' The Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

Honours

;German honours
Grossherzoglich Mecklenburg-Schwerinscher Staatskalendar
', 1902, p. 6 ;Foreign honours

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frederick William Of Mecklenburg, Grand Duke 1819 births 1904 deaths Dukes of Mecklenburg-Strelitz House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz People from Neustrelitz Hereditary grand dukes of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Grand dukes of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary Recipients of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Russia) Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian), 1st class Grand Crosses of the Order of the Star of Romania Extra Knights Companion of the Garter Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath