Duke John Albert of Mecklenburg
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Duke John Albert of Mecklenburg ' onMouseout='HidePop("19494")' href="/topics/Given_name">given name
s John Albert Ernest Constantine Frederick Henry; 8 December 1857 – 16 February 1920) was a member of the House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin who served as the regent
of two states of the German Empire
. Firstly from 1897 to 1901 he was regent of Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
for his nephew Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg, and from 1907 to 1913 he was Regent of the Duchy of Brunswick
.
the fifth child of Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg and his first wife Princess Augusta of Reuss-Köstritz (1822–1862). Duke John Albert pursued a career in the Prussian Army
and was well known for his love of sports. He also developed an interest in Germany's colonial empire
, co-founding the Pan-German League and becoming president of the German Colonial Society in 1895.
for his young nephew the new Grand Duke, Frederick Francis IV after his older brother Duke Paul Friedrich had renounced his claim to the regency. He ruled as regent until his nephew came of age on the 9 April 1901 when he assumed personal control of the Grand Duchy.
On 28 May 1907 Duke John Albert was elected regent of the Duchy of Brunswick
following the death of Prince Albert of Prussia by the state's diet
, accepting the offer he arrived in Brunswick on 5 June 1907. The reason for the regency in Brunswick was that in 1884 when William, Duke of Brunswick died his distant cousin and heir Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover was prevented from taking over the duchy because he refused to renounce his claim to the throne of the Kingdom of Hanover
which had been annexed by Prussia in 1866.
Shortly after assuming the regency Duke John Albert would walk Brunswick in civilian clothes visiting museums, libraries and other institutions in the duchy, asking questions of people to discover there living conditions. After he became to well known to walk unnoticed he established a weekly audience where people could go and present a petition to him. Duke John Albert also cut down on the expenses of the royal household by cutting the number of servants and retainers to the minimum needed to run the household.
The regency came to an end on 1 November 1913 when Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover's son Ernest Augustus was permitted to ascend to Duchy following his marriage to Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia the only daughter of the German Emperor
William II
which helped heal the rift between the houses of Hanover and Hohenzollern.
.
Duke John Albert died in Wiligard castle near Lübstorf
aged 62.
on 6 November 1886 to Princess Elisabeth Sybille of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
(1854–1908) the daughter of Charles Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
. He was married secondly in Brunswick
on the 15 December 1909 to Princess Elisabeth of Stolberg-Rossla
(1885–1969), who would following his death marry his half brother Duke Adolf Friedrich in 1924. Both of John Albert's marriages were childless.
, was renamed Johann - Albrechtshöhe, and then simply Albrechts in his honour.
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
s John Albert Ernest Constantine Frederick Henry; 8 December 1857 – 16 February 1920) was a member of the House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin who served as the regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
of two states 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...
. Firstly from 1897 to 1901 he was regent of Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
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...
for his nephew Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg, and from 1907 to 1913 he was Regent of the Duchy of Brunswick
Duchy of Brunswick
Brunswick was a historical state in Germany. Originally the territory of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel in the Holy Roman Empire, it was established as an independent duchy by the Congress of Vienna in 1815...
.
Birth and interests
Duke John Albert of Mecklenburg was born in SchwerinSchwerin
Schwerin is the capital and second-largest city of the northern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The population, as of end of 2009, was 95,041.-History:...
the fifth child of Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg and his first wife Princess Augusta of Reuss-Köstritz (1822–1862). Duke John Albert pursued a career in the Prussian Army
Prussian Army
The Royal Prussian Army was the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power.The Prussian Army had its roots in the meager mercenary forces of Brandenburg during the Thirty Years' War...
and was well known for his love of sports. He also developed an interest in Germany's colonial empire
German colonial empire
The German colonial empire was an overseas domain formed in the late 19th century as part of the German Empire. Short-lived colonial efforts by individual German states had occurred in preceding centuries, but Imperial Germany's colonial efforts began in 1884...
, co-founding the Pan-German League and becoming president of the German Colonial Society in 1895.
Regencies
Following the death of his brother Frederick Francis III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg on 10 April 1897, Duke John Albert was appointed regentRegent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
for his young nephew the new Grand Duke, Frederick Francis IV after his older brother Duke Paul Friedrich had renounced his claim to the regency. He ruled as regent until his nephew came of age on the 9 April 1901 when he assumed personal control of the Grand Duchy.
On 28 May 1907 Duke John Albert was elected regent of the Duchy of Brunswick
Duchy of Brunswick
Brunswick was a historical state in Germany. Originally the territory of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel in the Holy Roman Empire, it was established as an independent duchy by the Congress of Vienna in 1815...
following the death of Prince Albert of Prussia by the state's diet
Diet (assembly)
In politics, a diet is a formal deliberative assembly. The term is mainly used historically for the Imperial Diet, the general assembly of the Imperial Estates of the Holy Roman Empire, and for the legislative bodies of certain countries.-Etymology:...
, accepting the offer he arrived in Brunswick on 5 June 1907. The reason for the regency in Brunswick was that in 1884 when William, Duke of Brunswick died his distant cousin and heir Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover was prevented from taking over the duchy because he refused to renounce his claim to the throne of the Kingdom of Hanover
Kingdom of Hanover
The Kingdom of Hanover was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg , and joined with 38 other sovereign states in the German...
which had been annexed by Prussia in 1866.
Shortly after assuming the regency Duke John Albert would walk Brunswick in civilian clothes visiting museums, libraries and other institutions in the duchy, asking questions of people to discover there living conditions. After he became to well known to walk unnoticed he established a weekly audience where people could go and present a petition to him. Duke John Albert also cut down on the expenses of the royal household by cutting the number of servants and retainers to the minimum needed to run the household.
The regency came to an end on 1 November 1913 when Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover's son Ernest Augustus was permitted to ascend to Duchy following his marriage to Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia the only daughter of the German Emperor
German Emperor
This article is about the emperors of the German Empire. For full list of German monarchs before 1871, see List of German monarchs.The German Emperor was the official title of the Head of State and ruler of the German Empire, beginning with the proclamation of Wilhelm I as emperor during the...
William II
William II, German Emperor
Wilhelm II was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia, ruling the German Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia from 15 June 1888 to 9 November 1918. He was a grandson of the British Queen Victoria and related to many monarchs and princes of Europe...
which helped heal the rift between the houses of Hanover and Hohenzollern.
War years
During the First World War Duke John Albert was active with the German Colonial Society in defending the Germany's colonial possessions from suggestions that they should be abandoned. On 2 September 1917 he was appointed honorary chairman of the pro war Fatherland PartyFatherland Party (Germany)
German Fatherland Party was a pro-war party in the German Empire.The party was founded close to the end of 1917 and represented political circles supporting the war. Among founding members were Wolfgang Kapp and Alfred von Tirpitz . Walter Nicolai, head of the military secret service, was also...
.
Duke John Albert died in Wiligard castle near Lübstorf
Lübstorf
Lübstorf is a municipality in the Nordwestmecklenburg district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany....
aged 62.
Marriages
John Albert was married twice firstly in WeimarWeimar
Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
on 6 November 1886 to Princess Elisabeth Sybille of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Princess Elisabeth Sybille of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Princess Elisabeth Sybille of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach was the first wife of Duke Johann Albrecht of Mecklenburg, Regent of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and of the Duchy of Brunswick.She was the daughter of Karl Alexander, Grand Duke of...
(1854–1908) the daughter of Charles Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Charles Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Karl Alexander August Johann, Grand Duke of Saxony; 24 June 1818 – 5 January 1901) was the ruler of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach from 1853 until his death.-Biography:...
. He was married secondly in Brunswick
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
on the 15 December 1909 to Princess Elisabeth of Stolberg-Rossla
Stolberg-Rossla
The County of Stolberg-Rossla was a county of the Holy Roman Empire. Its capital was Roßla, now in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.Stolberg-Rossla emerged as a partition of Stolberg-Stolberg in 1706. It was forced to recognize the suzerainty of the Electorate of Saxony in 1738. Stolberg-Rossla was...
(1885–1969), who would following his death marry his half brother Duke Adolf Friedrich in 1924. Both of John Albert's marriages were childless.
Ojimukoka
Ojimukoka, a small settlement, postoffice and railway station in NamibiaNamibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
, was renamed Johann - Albrechtshöhe, and then simply Albrechts in his honour.
Honours
- Order of the Black EagleOrder of the Black EagleThe Order of the Black Eagle was the highest order of chivalry in the Kingdom of Prussia. The order was founded on 17 January 1701 by Elector Friedrich III of Brandenburg . In his Dutch exile after WWI, deposed Emperor Wilhelm II continued to award the order to his family...
, - Order of St. AndrewOrder of St. AndrewThe Order of St. Andrew the First-Called is the first and the highest order of chivalry of the Russian Empire.- Russian Empire :The Order was established in 1698 by Tsar Peter the Great, in honour of Saint Andrew, the first apostle of Jesus and patron saint of Russia...
, - Order of the ElephantOrder of the ElephantThe Order of the Elephant is the highest order of Denmark. It has origins in the 15th century, but has officially existed since 1693, and since the establishment of constitutional monarchy in 1849, is now almost exclusively bestowed on royalty and heads of state.- History :A Danish religious...
, - Order of St. Hubert (Bavaria)
- Order of Crancelin (Saxony)
- Royal Order of the Seraphim
- Order of St John