Duchess Woizlawa Feodora of Mecklenburg
Encyclopedia
Princess Woizlawa Feodora Reuss of Köstritz (née Duchess of Mecklenburg, born 17 December 1918) is a member of the House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Since there are no males left in the family, the house is considered extinct due to the Salic law
Salic law
Salic law was a body of traditional law codified for governing the Salian Franks in the early Middle Ages during the reign of King Clovis I in the 6th century...
of succession.
Early life
Duchess Woizlawa Feodora of Mecklenburg was born at RostockRostock
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...
, 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 17 December 1918, just after the aboliton and abdication of her first cousin Frederick Francis IV to the 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...
, and the establishment of the Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
. Her parents were Duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg
Duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg
Duke Adolf Friedrich Albrecht Heinrich of Mecklenburg was a German explorer in Africa, a colonial politician, the elected Duke of the United Baltic Duchy from 5 November to 28 November, 1918, and the first president of the National Olympic Committee of Germany .- Biography :Born in Schwerin, Adolf...
and Princess Victoria Feodora Reuss of Schleiz. Her father was the seventh son of Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1823–1883) by his third wife Princess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
Princess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
Princess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was the consort and third wife of Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. She was mother of Prince Hendrik, consort of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and father of Queen Juliana.-Early life:...
(1850–1922). Her mother Princess Victoria Feodora died a day after her birth.
She is first cousin of:
- Cyril Vladimirovich, Grand Duke of Russia (1876–1938) pretender to the Russian throne after the assassination of his cousin Nicholas II of RussiaNicholas II of RussiaNicholas II was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Prince of Finland, and titular King of Poland. His official short title was Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias and he is known as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church.Nicholas II ruled from 1894 until...
. - Queen Alexandrine of DenmarkAlexandrine of Mecklenburg-SchwerinAlexandrine 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...
(1879–1952), consort of Christian X of DenmarkChristian X of DenmarkChristian X was King of Denmark from 1912 to 1947 and the only King of Iceland between 1918 and 1944....
. - Cecilie, German Crown PrincessDuchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-SchwerinCecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was a Crown Princess of Germany and Prussia as the wife of German Crown Prince William, the son of German Emperor William II...
(1886–1954), wife of William, German Crown Prince. - Queen Juliana of the NetherlandsJuliana of the NetherlandsJuliana was the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands between 1948 and 1980. She was the only child of Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Henry...
(1909–2004), queen regnant of the NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
Invitation
Preparations for the wedding of Queen Wilhelmina of the NetherlandsWilhelmina of the Netherlands
Wilhelmina was Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1890 to 1948. She ruled the Netherlands for fifty-eight years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World War I and World War II, the economic crisis of 1933, and the decline of the Netherlands as a major colonial...
's only child Crown Princess Juliana
Juliana of the Netherlands
Juliana was the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands between 1948 and 1980. She was the only child of Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Henry...
to the German Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld
Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld
Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld , later Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, was prince consort of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and father of six children, including the current monarch Queen Beatrix....
were underway in the 1937 when a small diplomatic scandal occurred.
The affair was the result of Wilhelmina's opinion that the wedding be a family affair; consequently, she did not invite foreign royalty unless she was personally familiar with them. As a result, Juliana’s chosen bridesmaids were either her relatives or family friends. These included Woizlawa herself (being first cousins), Duchess Thyra of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (her second cousin), Grand Duchess Kira Kirillovna of Russia
Grand Duchess Kira Kirillovna of Russia
Grand Duchess Kira Kirillovna of Russia was the second daughter of Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia and Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna...
(her first cousin once removed), Princess Sophie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Princess Sophie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1911-1988)
Princess Sophie Louise of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach was a princess of the House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.She was born in Weimar, the eldest child and only daughter of William Ernest, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach by his second wife Princess Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen.As a relative of Wilhelmina of...
(her second cousin), and two of Bernhard’s sisters, among others.
Marriage and family
On 15 September 1939 in Bad DoberanBad Doberan
Bad Doberan is a town in the district of Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It was the capital of the former district of Bad Doberan. As of 2010 its population was 11,325.-Geography:...
Woizlawa married, Prince Heinrich I Reuss of Köstritz
Prince Heinrich I Reuss of Köstritz
Prince Heinrich I Reuss was son of Prince Heinrich XXXIV Reuss and member of the House of Reuss.-Early life and family:Heinrich I was born at Krietern, Breslau, Kingdom of Prussia, eldest child of Prince Heinrich XXXIV Reuss, and his wife, Princess Sophie Renata Reuss , Prince Heinrich I Reuss ...
elder son of Prince Heinrich XXXIV Reuss of Köstritz. They had six children (one daughter and five sons).
- Princess Feodora Reuss of Köstritz (b. 5 February 1942)
- Prince Heinrich VIII Reuss of KöstritzPrince Heinrich VIII Reuss of KöstritzPrince Heinrich VIII Reuss of Köstritz is a son of Prince Heinrich I Reuss of Köstritz, and is a member of the House of Reuss.-Early life and family:...
(b. 30 August 1944) - Prince Heinrich IX Reuss of Köstritz (b. 30 June 1947)
- Prince Heinrich X Reuss of Köstritz (b. 28 July 1948)
- Prince Heinrich XIII Reuss of Köstritz (b. 4 December 1951)
- Prince Heinrich XV Reuss of Köstritz (b. 9 October 1956)
She is one of the only remaining members of the House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, after her cousins (twice-removed), Donata
Duchess Donata of Mecklenburg
Duchess 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...
and Edwina.