Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Encyclopedia
Mecklenburg-Schwerin was a duchy
(after 1815: grand 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
. Ruled by the successors of the Nikloting House of Mecklenburg
, Mecklenburg-Schwerin remained a relatively poor state of the Holy Roman Empire
along the Baltic
littoral between Holstein
and Pomerania
.
(1090-1160) was a chief of the Slavic Obotrite
tribe federation, who fought against the advancing Saxons
and was finally defeated in 1160 by Henry the Lion
in the course of the Wendish Crusade
. Niklot's son Pribislav
submitted himself to Henry and in 1167 came into his paternal inheritance as the first Prince of Mecklenburg.
After several divisions among Pribislav's descendants, Henry II of Mecklenburg (1266-1329) until 1312 acquired the lordships of Stargard
and Rostock
and bequested the reunified Mecklenburg lands - except the County of Schwerin
and Werle
- to his sons Albert II and John. After they both had received the ducal title, the former lordship of Stargard was recreated as the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Stargard for John in 1352. Albert II retained the larger western part of Mecklenburg and after he had acquired the former County of Schwerin in 1358, he made Schwerin his residence.
In 1363, Albert's son Duke Albert III
campaigned in Sweden, where he was crowned king one year later. In 1436, the last Lord of Werle, William, died without a male heir. Because William's son-in-law, Ulric II of Mecklenburg-Stargard, had no issue, his line became extinct upon Ulric's death in 1471. All possessions fell back to Duke Henry IV of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, who was then the sole ruler over all of Mecklenburg.
In 1520 Henry's grandsons Henry V and Albert VII again divided the duchy, creating the subdivision of Mecklenburg-Güstrow
, which Duke Adolf Frederick I of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
inherited in 1610. In a second partition of 1621 he granted Güstrow to his brother John Albert II. Both were deposed in 1628 by Albrecht von Wallenstein
as they had supported Christian IV of Denmark
in the Thirty Years' War
, nevertheless the Swedish Empire
enforced their restoration three years later. When John Albert's II son, Duke Gustav Adolph of Mecklenburg-Güstrow
died without male heirs in 1695, Mecklenburg was reunited once more under Duke Frederick William of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.
Frederick William however was challenged by his uncle Adolf Frederick II
, the youngest son of Adolf Frederick I of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, who also claimed Güstrow, leading to a fierce succession dispute. In 1701 the parties, pushed by the Imperial state
s of the Lower Saxon Circle, settled their quarrels: The Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
, roughly a recreation of the medieval Stargard lordship, was split off and given to Adolf Frederick II. The continued conflicts and partitions weakened the rule of the dukes and affirmed the picture of Mecklenburg as one of the most backward territories of the Empire.
With the Congress of Vienna
in 1815 Frederick Francis I of Mecklenburg-Schwerin received the title of a Grand Duke. After the fall of the monarchies in 1918 resulting from World War I
, the Grand Duchy became the Free State of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
. On 1 January 1934 it was united with the neighbouring Free State of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
(both today part of the Bundesland
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern).
deposed by
After his death, the only remaining branch became Mecklenburg-Strelitz
.
Duchy
A duchy is a territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess.Some duchies were sovereign in areas that would become unified realms only during the Modern era . In contrast, others were subordinate districts of those kingdoms that unified either partially or completely during the Medieval era...
(after 1815: grand duchy
Grand duchy
A grand duchy, sometimes referred to as a grand dukedom, is a territory whose head of state is a monarch, either a grand duke or grand duchess.Today Luxembourg is the only remaining grand duchy...
) in northern Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
created in 1348, when Albert II of Mecklenburg
Albert II of Mecklenburg
Albrecht II Duke of Mecklenburg was a feudal lord in Northern Germany on the shores of the Baltic Sea. He reigned as the head of the House of Mecklenburg, his princely seat located in Schwerin beginning in the 1350s....
and his younger brother John were raised to Dukes of Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
by King Charles IV
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
. Ruled by the successors of the Nikloting House of Mecklenburg
House of Mecklenburg
The House of Mecklenburg is a North German dynasty of West Slavic origin that ruled until 1918.- Origins :Niklot was a lord of the Wendish tribe of Obotrites. When the Holy Roman Empire expanded eastwards, notably to the coast of Baltic in 13th century, a portion of Obotrite lords allied with...
, Mecklenburg-Schwerin remained a relatively poor state of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
along the Baltic
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
littoral between Holstein
Holstein-Glückstadt
The Duchy of Holstein in Glückstadt was the northernmost state of the Holy Roman Empire. It consisted of the part of Holstein that was ruled by the king of Denmark; its capital was Glückstadt on the River Elbe.-History:...
and Pomerania
Duchy of Pomerania
The Duchy of Pomerania was a duchy in Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania ....
.
History
The dynasty's progenitor, NiklotNiklot
Niklot or Nyklot was a pagan chief or prince of the Slavic Obotrites and an ancestor of the House of Mecklenburg. From 1130 or 1131 until his death he was chief of the Obotrite confederacy, the Kissini, and the Circipani. At the same time he was Lord of Schwerin, Quetzin, and Malchow...
(1090-1160) was a chief of the Slavic Obotrite
Obotrites
The Obotrites , also commonly known as the Obodrites, Abotrites, or Abodrites, were a confederation of medieval West Slavic tribes within the territory of modern Mecklenburg and Holstein in northern Germany . For decades they were allies of Charlemagne in his wars against Germanic Saxons and Slavic...
tribe federation, who fought against the advancing Saxons
Duchy of Saxony
The medieval Duchy of Saxony was a late Early Middle Ages "Carolingian stem duchy" covering the greater part of Northern Germany. It covered the area of the modern German states of Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saxony-Anhalt and most of Schleswig-Holstein...
and was finally defeated in 1160 by Henry the Lion
Henry the Lion
Henry the Lion was a member of the Welf dynasty and Duke of Saxony, as Henry III, from 1142, and Duke of Bavaria, as Henry XII, from 1156, which duchies he held until 1180....
in the course of the Wendish Crusade
Wendish Crusade
The Wendish Crusade was an 1147 campaign, one of the Northern Crusades and also a part of the Second Crusade, led primarily by the Kingdom of Germany inside the Holy Roman Empire and directed against the Polabian Slavs ....
. Niklot's son Pribislav
Pribislav of Mecklenburg
Pribislav was an Obotrite prince and the first Prince of Mecklenburg .Pribislav was one of three sons of the Obotrite chieftain Niklot, who was killed in 1160 during a joint campaign by Duke Henry the Lion of Saxony and King Valdemar the Great of Denmark...
submitted himself to Henry and in 1167 came into his paternal inheritance as the first Prince of Mecklenburg.
Burg Stargard
Burg Stargard is a municipality in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated southeast of Neubrandenburg.Burg Stargard is a small town in Mecklenburg Strelitz...
and Rostock
Rostock
Rostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...
and bequested the reunified Mecklenburg lands - except the County of Schwerin
Schwerin
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:...
and Werle
Werle
Werle was a fiefdom, or Herrschaft in German, in the Holy Roman Empire that was founded in 1235. It was created in the partition of territories in Mecklenburg that followed the death of Henry Borwin II of Mecklenburg ....
- to his sons Albert II and John. After they both had received the ducal title, the former lordship of Stargard was recreated as the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Stargard for John in 1352. Albert II retained the larger western part of Mecklenburg and after he had acquired the former County of Schwerin in 1358, he made Schwerin his residence.
In 1363, Albert's son Duke Albert III
Albert of Sweden
Albert was King of Sweden from 1364 to 1389 and Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1384 to 1412.-Background:...
campaigned in Sweden, where he was crowned king one year later. In 1436, the last Lord of Werle, William, died without a male heir. Because William's son-in-law, Ulric II of Mecklenburg-Stargard, had no issue, his line became extinct upon Ulric's death in 1471. All possessions fell back to Duke Henry IV of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, who was then the sole ruler over all of Mecklenburg.
In 1520 Henry's grandsons Henry V and Albert VII again divided the duchy, creating the subdivision of Mecklenburg-Güstrow
Mecklenburg-Güstrow
Mecklenburg-Güstrow was a state of the Holy Roman Empire in Northern Germany, that existed on three separate occasions ruled by the House of Mecklenburg at Güstrow.-History:...
, which Duke Adolf Frederick I of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Adolf Frederick I, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Adolf Frederick I was the reigning Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from his father's death in 1592 until 1628 and again 1631–1658...
inherited in 1610. In a second partition of 1621 he granted Güstrow to his brother John Albert II. Both were deposed in 1628 by Albrecht von Wallenstein
Albrecht von Wallenstein
Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein , actually von Waldstein, was a Bohemian soldier and politician, who offered his services, and an army of 30,000 to 100,000 men during the Danish period of the Thirty Years' War , to the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II...
as they had supported Christian IV of Denmark
Christian IV of Denmark
Christian IV was the king of Denmark-Norway from 1588 until his death. With a reign of more than 59 years, he is the longest-reigning monarch of Denmark, and he is frequently remembered as one of the most popular, ambitious and proactive Danish kings, having initiated many reforms and projects...
in the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
, nevertheless the Swedish Empire
Swedish Empire
The Swedish Empire refers to the Kingdom of Sweden between 1561 and 1721 . During this time, Sweden was one of the great European powers. In Swedish, the period is called Stormaktstiden, literally meaning "the Great Power Era"...
enforced their restoration three years later. When John Albert's II son, Duke Gustav Adolph of Mecklenburg-Güstrow
Gustav Adolph, Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow
Gustav Adolph, Duke of Mecklenburg [-Güstrow] was the last ruler of Mecklenburg-Güstrow from 1636 until his death and last Lutheran Administrator of the Prince-Bishopric of Ratzeburg from 1636 to 1648.-Life:...
died without male heirs in 1695, Mecklenburg was reunited once more under Duke Frederick William of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.
Frederick William however was challenged by his uncle Adolf Frederick II
Adolf Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Adolf Friedrich II was the first Duke of Mecklenburg reigning from 1701 to his death. His state was part of the Holy Roman Empire.-Biography:...
, the youngest son of Adolf Frederick I of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, who also claimed Güstrow, leading to a fierce succession dispute. In 1701 the parties, pushed by the Imperial state
Imperial State
An Imperial State or Imperial Estate was an entity in the Holy Roman Empire with a vote in the Imperial Diet assemblies. Several territories of the Empire were not represented, while some officials were non-voting members; neither qualified as Imperial States.Rulers of Imperial States were...
s of the Lower Saxon Circle, settled their quarrels: The Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a duchy and later grand duchy in northern Germany, consisting of the eastern fifth of the historic Mecklenburg region, roughly corresponding with the present-day Mecklenburg-Strelitz district , and the western exclave of the former Bishopric of Ratzeburg in modern...
, roughly a recreation of the medieval Stargard lordship, was split off and given to Adolf Frederick II. The continued conflicts and partitions weakened the rule of the dukes and affirmed the picture of Mecklenburg as one of the most backward territories of the Empire.
With the Congress of Vienna
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, and held in Vienna from September, 1814 to June, 1815. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars,...
in 1815 Frederick Francis I of Mecklenburg-Schwerin received the title of a Grand Duke. After the fall of the monarchies in 1918 resulting from 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...
, the Grand Duchy became the Free State of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Free State of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
The Free State of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was a state in the Weimar Republic that was established in 1918 following the abdication of the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin following the German Revolution...
. On 1 January 1934 it was united with the neighbouring Free State of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Free State of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
The Free State of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a state of the Weimar Republic established in 1918 following the German Revolution which had overthrown the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz...
(both today part of the Bundesland
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern).
Dukes of Mecklenburg [-Schwerin], 1352-1815
- Albert IIAlbert II of MecklenburgAlbrecht II Duke of Mecklenburg was a feudal lord in Northern Germany on the shores of the Baltic Sea. He reigned as the head of the House of Mecklenburg, his princely seat located in Schwerin beginning in the 1350s....
1352-1379 - son of Henry II of Mecklenburg - Henry IIIHenry III, Duke of MecklenburgHenry III, Duke of Mecklenburg was Duke of Mecklenburg from 1379 until his death.- Life :Henry was the first son of Duke Albert II of Mecklenburg and his wife Euphemia of Sweden, the sister of King Magnus II of Sweden....
1379-1383 - son of Albert II- Magnus IMagnus I, Duke of MecklenburgMagnus I, Duke of Mecklenburg was Duke of Mecklenburg from 1383 until his death. Magnus was the third son of Duke Albert II of Mecklenburg and his wife Euphemia, the sister of the King Magnus Eriksson of Sweden...
1383-1384 - brother of Henry III - Albert IIIAlbert of SwedenAlbert was King of Sweden from 1364 to 1389 and Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1384 to 1412.-Background:...
1384-1412 (also King of Sweden) - brother of Henry III
- Magnus I
- Albert VAlbert V, Duke of MecklenburgAlbert V, Duke of Mecklenburg was Duke of Mecklenburg from 1412 until his death.Albert V was the son of Albert III and Agnes, daughter of Duke Magnus of Brunswick. Albert III died in 1412 and, in accordance with an agreement with John IV, Agnes acted as guardian and regent for Albert V. In 1415...
1412-1422 - son of Albert III - Henry IVHenry IV, Duke of MecklenburgHenry IV, Duke of Mecklenburg was from 1422 to 1477 Duke of Mecklenburg.- Life :Henry IV of Mecklenburg, because of his obesity and lavish lifestyle also called the "Henry the Fat", was the son of the Duke John IV of Mecklenburg and Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg.He inherited Mecklenburg when his...
1422-1477 - grandson of Magnus I, inherited Stargard in 1471 - Magnus II 1477-1503 - son of Henry IV
- Henry VHenry V, Duke of MecklenburgHenry V, Duke of Mecklenburg, nicknamed the Peaceful, was the reigning Duke of Mecklenburg in the region Mecklenburg-Schwerin, son of the Duke Magnus II and Sophia of Pomerania....
1503-1552 - son of Magnus II, jointly with his brother- Albert VII 1503-1520, received subdivision of Mecklenburg-GüstrowMecklenburg-GüstrowMecklenburg-Güstrow was a state of the Holy Roman Empire in Northern Germany, that existed on three separate occasions ruled by the House of Mecklenburg at Güstrow.-History:...
- Albert VII 1503-1520, received subdivision of Mecklenburg-Güstrow
- John Albert I 1552-1576 - son of Albert VII, Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow since 1547
- John VII 1576-1592 - son of John Albert I
- Adolf Frederick I 1592-1628 - son of John VII, inherited Güstrow in 1610, jointly with his brother
- John Albert IIJohn Albert II, Duke of MecklenburgJohn Albert II, Duke of Mecklenburg[-Güstrow] was a Duke of Mecklenburg. From 1608 to 1611, he was the nominal ruler of Mecklenburg-Schwerin; the actual ruler being the regent, his great-uncle Charles I. From 1611 to 1621 John Albert and his brother Adolf Frederick I jointly ruled the whole...
, received subdivision of Mecklenburg [-Güstrow]
- John Albert II
deposed by
-
- Albrecht von WallensteinAlbrecht von WallensteinAlbrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein , actually von Waldstein, was a Bohemian soldier and politician, who offered his services, and an army of 30,000 to 100,000 men during the Danish period of the Thirty Years' War , to the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II...
1628-1631
- Albrecht von Wallenstein
- Adolf Frederick I (restored) 1631-1658
- Christian Ludwig I 1658-1692
- Frederick WilliamFrederick William, Duke of Mecklenburg-SchwerinFrederick William I, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was the reigning Duke in the Mecklenburg-Schwerin part of the territory from 1692 until 1713....
1692-1713 - Charles Leopold 1713-1747
- Christian Ludwig II 1747-1756
- Frederick IIFrederick II, Duke of MecklenburgFrederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg[-Schwerin], called the Pious was Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1756 to his death.-Early life:Frederick was born at Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, son of Christian Ludwig II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin , and his wife, Duchess...
1756-1785 - Frederick Francis I 1785-1815
Grand Dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, 1815-1918
- Frederick Francis I 1815-1837
- Paul Friedrich 1837-1842
- Friedrich Franz II 1842-1883
- Friedrich Franz III 1883-1897
- Friedrich Franz IV 1897-1918
- Duke Johann Albrecht of Mecklenburg, (RegentRegentA 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...
) (1897-1901)
- Duke Johann Albrecht of Mecklenburg, (Regent
Heads of the House post monarchy
- Friedrich Franz IV 1918-1945
- Hereditary Grand Duke Friedrich Franz (V)Friedrich Franz, Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-SchwerinFriedrich Franz, Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was the heir apparent to the throne of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and a member of the SS...
1945-2001
After his death, the only remaining branch became Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a duchy and later grand duchy in northern Germany, consisting of the eastern fifth of the historic Mecklenburg region, roughly corresponding with the present-day Mecklenburg-Strelitz district , and the western exclave of the former Bishopric of Ratzeburg in modern...
.
Presidents of the State Ministry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, 1850-1918
- Hans Adolf Karl Graf von Bülow 1850-1858
- Jasper Joachin Bernhard Wilhelm von Oertzen 1858-1869
- Henning Carl Friedrich Graf von Bassewitz 1869-1885
- Alexander Friedrich Wilhelm von Bülow 1886-1901
- Karl Heinrich Ludwig Graf von Bassewitz-Levetzow 1901-1914
- Adolf Ferdinand Helmut August Wilhelm Langfeld 1914-1918