Paul Friedrich (15 September 1800 – 7 March 1842) ruled as

Grand Duke Grand duke (feminine: grand duchess) is a European hereditary title, used either by certain monarchs or by members of certain monarchs' families. The title is used in some current and former independent monarchies in Europe, particularly: * in ...

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. ...

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 ...

from 1837 to 1842.

Early life

Paul Friedrich was born in

Ludwigslust Ludwigslust () is a central castle town of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, 40 km south of Schwerin. Since 2011 it has been part of the Ludwigslust-Parchim district. Ludwigslust is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region. The former royal re ...

on 15 September 1800. He was the son of Friedrich Ludwig, Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna of Russia. From his parent's marriage, he had a sister, Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, who married

Georg, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg Georg Karl Frederick (24 July 1796 in Hildburghausen – 3 August 1853 in Hummelshain) was Duke of Saxe-Altenburg from 1848 to 1853. Family He was the fourth but second surviving son of Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen (of Saxe-Altenburg ...

. After his mother's death in 1803, his father married Princess Caroline Louise of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (daughter of

Charles Augustus, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Karl August, sometimes anglicised as Charles Augustus (3 September 1757 – 14 June 1828), was the sovereign Duke of Saxe-Weimar and of Saxe-Eisenach (in personal union) from 1758, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach from its creation (as a political un ...

) in 1810. Only one child survived to adulthood, his half-sister, Hélène of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, who married

Prince Ferdinand Philippe, Duke of Orléans Prince Ferdinand Philippe, Duke of Orléans (Ferdinand Philippe Louis Charles Henri Joseph; 3 September 1810 – 13 July 1842) was the eldest son of King Louis Philippe I of France and Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily. He was born in exile in hi ...

(eldest son of King

Louis Philippe I Louis Philippe I (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850), nicknamed the Citizen King, was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, the penultimate monarch of France, and the last French monarch to bear the title "King". He abdicated from his throne ...

of France). After Princess Caroline died in 1816, his father married her first cousin, Landgravine Auguste of Hesse-Homburg, who became stepmother to his surviving children. His paternal grandparents were

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 ...

, and

Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for t ...

. His maternal grandparents were Duchess Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg and Tsar

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 ...

; he was the only surviving grandchild born during the Tsar's lifetime. He was educated at

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

Jena Jena (; ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Germany and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 in ...

and

Rostock Rostock (; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Roztoc''), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (), is the largest city in the German States of Germany, state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the sta ...

. Upon the death of his father, the Hereditary Grand Duke, in 1819, Paul Friedrich became heir-apparent to the throne of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

Career

On 1 February 1837 he succeeded his grandfather, Friedrich Franz I. His reign saw improvements in the infrastructure and judicial system of the Grand Duchy, as well as a change in the government's seat of residence from

. Nonetheless, Paul Friedrich was largely interested only in military matters and spent most of his time drilling his troops. As Paul Friedrich reached his middle age, he adopted a more reclusive lifestyle, preferring only the company of his mistress.

Personal life

On 25 May 1822 at Berlin, Paul Friedrich married Princess Alexandrine of Prussia (1803–1892), the seventh child and fourth daughter of

King Frederick William III of Prussia Frederick William III (; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, when the empire was dissolved ...

and Duchess Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Together, they had two sons and one daughter: * Friedrich Franz II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1823–1883), who married

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 ...

, a daughter of Prince Heinrich LXIII Reuss of Köstritz, and Countess Eleonore of

Stolberg-Wernigerode The County of Stolberg-Wernigerode () was a county of the Holy Roman Empire located in the Harz region around Wernigerode, now part of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was ruled by a branch of the House of Stolberg. History The Counts of Wernigerode h ...

, in 1849. After her death in 1862, he married Princess Anna of Hesse and by Rhine, the only daughter of Prince Karl of Hesse and by Rhine, and Princess Elisabeth of Prussia, in 1864. She died in 1865 and he married, thirdly, to Princess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, the daughter of Prince Adolph of

Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was a small historic state in present-day Thuringia, Germany, with its capital at Rudolstadt. History Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was established in 1599 in the course of a resettlement of House of Schwarzburg, Schwarzburg dy ...

and Princess Mathilde of Schönburg-Waldenburg, in 1868. After her death in 1859, he married Princess Matilda Radziwill, the daughter of Prince Friedrich Wilhelm Radziwill, 14th Duke of

Nieśwież Nyasvizh or Nesvizh is a town in Minsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative centre of Nyasvizh District. Nyasvizh is the site of Nesvizh Castle, a World Heritage Site. In 2009, its population was 14,300. As of 2025, it has a populat ...

(eldest son of Prince

Antoni Radziwiłł Prince Antoni Henryk Radziwiłł (; 13 June 1775 – 7 April 1833) was a Polish and Kingdom of Prussia, Prussian szlachta, noble, magnate, aristocrat, musician, and politician. Initially a hereditary Duke of Nesvizh, Nieśwież and Olyka, Oł ...

), and Princess Mathilde Christina of Clary-Aldringen, in 1867. * Duke Wilhelm of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1827–1879), who married Princess Alexandrine of Prussia, daughter of Prince Albert of Prussia and

Princess Marianne of the Netherlands Princess Marianne of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau (''Wilhelmina Frederika Louise Charlotte Marianne''; 9 May 1810 – 29 May 1883) was the youngest child of King William I of the Netherlands and Wilhelmine of Prussia, Queen of th ...

. Paul Friedrich also had issue with his mistress, Countess Catharina von Hauke, daughter of Johann Mauritz Hauke and sister of Princess Julia of Battenberg, including: * Catharina (1830–1834), who died young. * Paul Friedrich (1832–1903), who married Countess Maria Anna van Nieppell. * Alexander (1833–1833), who died young. * Helene Catharina (1835–1915), who died unmarried. Paul Friedrich died in 1842 of a cold caught while rushing to a fire in his capital city.

Descendants

Through his daughter Luise, he was a grandfather of Hugo, 3rd Prince of Windisch-Graetz and Princess Marie of Windisch-Graetz.

Ancestors

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paul Frederick Of Mecklenburg, Grand Duke 1800 births 1842 deaths People from Ludwigslust Hereditary grand dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Grand dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 19th-century German landowners Burials at Schwerin Cathedral Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary