Duke Christian Louis of Mecklenburg
Encyclopedia
Duke Christian Louis of Mecklenburg was the second son of the last reigning Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
, Frederick Francis IV.
the second child of the reigning Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Frederick Francis IV and his wife Princess Alexandra of Hanover a daughter of Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover and Princess Thyra of Denmark
. Following the defeat of the German Empire
in World War I
his father abdicated on 14 November 1918.
After the abolition of the monarchy, in 1919 the family went on the invitation of Queen Alexandrine
, consort of Christian X of Denmark
, and sister of the Grand Duke into exile in Denmark
, where they lived for a year in Sorgenfri Palace
. Later the family returned to Mecklenburg and lived in Gelbensande
, and from 1921 the settled at Ludwigslust Castle
.
. In 1944 he was dismissed because of a decree prohibiting members of former ruling houses from serving in the armed forces.
, but soon was transferred to the Soviet occupation, so that Christian Louis initially went with his family to Glücksburg Castle in Schleswig-Holstein
. But he soon returned to Ludwigslust to take care of the family property and was taken prisoner by the Soviet military authorities. After imprisonment he was flown to Moscow
, where he was incarcerated in the Lubyanka prison
for 25 years.
In 1953 he was released after the intervention of Konrad Adenauer
for German POW
s in the Soviet Union
and came back to Christmas 1953 with his family in Glücksburg.
Christian Louis married in a civil marriage, Princess Barbara of Prussia
daughter of Prince Sigismund of Prussia
. They married in a religious ceremony on 11 July 1954. They had two daughters.
Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Mecklenburg-Schwerin was a duchy in northern Germany created in 1348, when Albert II of Mecklenburg and his younger brother John were raised to Dukes of Mecklenburg by King Charles IV...
, Frederick Francis IV.
Early life
He was born in LudwigslustLudwigslust
Ludwigslust is a town in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, 40 km south of Schwerin. It was the capital of the former district of Ludwigslust, and is part of the district Ludwigslust-Parchim since September 2011.-History:...
the second child of the reigning Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Frederick Francis IV and his wife Princess Alexandra of Hanover a daughter of Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover and Princess Thyra of Denmark
Princess Thyra of Denmark
Princess Thyra of Denmark was the youngest daughter of Christian IX of Denmark and Louise of Hesse-Kassel.-Early life:Thyra was the sister of Frederik VIII of Denmark, Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, George I of Greece and...
. Following the defeat of the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
his father abdicated on 14 November 1918.
After the abolition of the monarchy, in 1919 the family went on the invitation of Queen Alexandrine
Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Alexandrine Auguste of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was the queen consort of King Christian X of Denmark.-Family:She was born a Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, in the city of Schwerin...
, consort of Christian X of Denmark
Christian X of Denmark
Christian X was King of Denmark from 1912 to 1947 and the only King of Iceland between 1918 and 1944....
, and sister of the Grand Duke into exile in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, where they lived for a year in Sorgenfri Palace
Sorgenfri Palace
Sorgenfri Palace is a royal residence of the Danish monarch, located in the Lyngby-Taarbæk municipality in Greater Copenhagen....
. Later the family returned to Mecklenburg and lived in Gelbensande
Gelbensande
Gelbensande is a municipality in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It is located in the Rostock district, near Rostock, Ribnitz-Damgarten and Stralsund. Four other villages are part of Gelbensande.Gelbensande is about from the Baltic Sea coast...
, and from 1921 the settled at Ludwigslust Castle
Schloss Ludwigslust
Schloss Ludwigslust is a castle in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, northern Germany. It was built as a hunting lodge, rebuilt as a luxurious retreat from the ducal capital, Schwerin, then became for a time the center of government...
.
Military career
After finishing school, in the autumn of 1935 he went as a recruit in the cavalry regiment 14 in Ludwigslust, with whom he was drafted in 1939 in the World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 1944 he was dismissed because of a decree prohibiting members of former ruling houses from serving in the armed forces.
After the war
When the war ended, Ludwigslust was first occupied by the BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, but soon was transferred to the Soviet occupation, so that Christian Louis initially went with his family to Glücksburg Castle in Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
. But he soon returned to Ludwigslust to take care of the family property and was taken prisoner by the Soviet military authorities. After imprisonment he was flown to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, where he was incarcerated in the Lubyanka prison
Lubyanka (KGB)
The Lubyanka is the popular name for the headquarters of the KGB and affiliated prison on Lubyanka Square in Moscow. It is a large building with a facade of yellow brick, designed by Alexander V...
for 25 years.
In 1953 he was released after the intervention of Konrad Adenauer
Konrad Adenauer
Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer was a German statesman. He was the chancellor of the West Germany from 1949 to 1963. He is widely recognised as a person who led his country from the ruins of World War II to a powerful and prosperous nation that had forged close relations with old enemies France,...
for German POW
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
s in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and came back to Christmas 1953 with his family in Glücksburg.
Marriage and family
On 5 July 1954 in GlücksburgGlücksburg
Glücksburg is a small town in the district Schleswig-Flensburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.It is situated on the south side of the Flensburg Fjord, an inlet of the Baltic Sea, approx. 10 km northeast of Flensburg...
Christian Louis married in a civil marriage, Princess Barbara of Prussia
Princess Barbara of Prussia
Princess Barbara of Prussia was the only daughter of Prince Sigismund of Prussia and Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Altenburg.She was a great-granddaughter of Frederick III, German Emperor and a great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria.-Marriage and family:...
daughter of Prince Sigismund of Prussia
Prince Sigismund of Prussia (1896-1978)
Prince Sigismund of Prussia , was the second son of Prince Heinrich of Prussia and his wife, Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine...
. They married in a religious ceremony on 11 July 1954. They had two daughters.
- Duchess Donata of MecklenburgDuchess Donata of MecklenburgDuchess Donata of Mecklenburg is the senior member of the House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Since there are no males left in the family, the Schwerin branch itself is considered extinct due to the Salic law of succession...
(b. 11 March 1956) married Alexander von Solodkoff and had issue. - Duchess Edwina of Mecklenburg (b. 25 September 1960) married Konrad von Posern and had issue.
Ancestry
Sources
- Alexander Solodkoff: Christian Ludwig Herzog zu Mecklenburg: Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Club Wien 2003, ISBN 3-933781-28-0
- Alison Weir: Britain's Royal Family: A Complete Genealogy, The Bodley Head, London 1999, S: 292
- Marlene A. Eilers: Queen Victoria's Descendants, Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore 1987, S. 161, 162, 169
- Peter Hoffmann: Stauffenbergs Freund - Die tragische Geschichte des Widerstandskämpfers Joachim Kuhn, Verlag C.H.Beck München 2007, ISBN 978-3-406-55810-8
- Peter Hoffmann: Oberst i.G. Henning von Tresckow und die Staatsstreichspläne im Jahr 1943, in: Vierteljahrshefte für Zeitgeschichte, Vol 55, 2, April 2007, S. 331-364
- Christian Ludwig von Mecklenburg: Erzählungen aus meinem Leben, Schwerin, 3. Auflage31998, ISBN 3-910179-75-4