Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Encyclopedia
Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (full name: Frederica Louise Caroline Sophie Charlotte Alexandrine) (3 March 1778 – 29 June 1841), Duchess of Cumberland and later Queen of Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...

 (now part of 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...

), was the consort of Ernest Augustus I of Hanover
Ernest Augustus I of Hanover
Ernest Augustus I was King of Hanover from 20 June 1837 until his death. He was the fifth son and eighth child of George III, who reigned in both the United Kingdom and Hanover...

, the fifth son and eighth child of George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...

 and Queen Charlotte
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was the Queen consort of the United Kingdom as the wife of King George III...

.

She was born in the Altes Palais of Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...

 as the fifth daughter of Charles II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Charles II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Charles II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg was ruler of the state of Mecklenburg-Strelitz from 1794 until his death. Originally ruling as duke he was raised to the title grand duke in 1815...

, and his first wife, Frederica
Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt
Princess Friederike Caroline Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt was a member of the House of Hesse and by marriage a Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz....

, daughter of George William, Prince of Hesse-Darmstadt. From birth until her first marriage her title was Her Serene Highness Duchess Frederica of Mecklenburg, Princess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

Her father assumed the title of Grand Duke of Mecklenburg on 18 June 1815. Duchess Frederica was the niece of her future mother-in-law, Queen Charlotte (formerly Duchess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was the Queen consort of the United Kingdom as the wife of King George III...

), since her last husband was her first cousin.

Early life

Frederica's mother died on 22 May 1782 after giving birth to her tenth child. Two years later (28 September 1784), her father remarried the younger sister of his deceased wife, Charlotte of Hesse-Darmstadt, but this union ended just one year later, when Charlotte died of complications resulting from childbirth on 12 December 1785. The twice-widowed Duke Charles considered himself unable to give his daughters proper rearing and education, so he sent Frederica and her elder sisters Charlotte
Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Duchess Charlotte Georgine Luise Friederike of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a member of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and a Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz by birth and a member of the House of Saxe-Hildburghausen and Duchess consort of Saxe-Hildburghausen...

, Therese and Louise
Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Duchess Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was Queen consort of Prussia as the wife of King Frederick William III...

 to their maternal grandmother, Maria Louise Albertine of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Falkenburg, Dowager Princess of Hesse-Darmstadt, called Princess George (in allusion to her late husband
Landgrave George William of Hesse-Darmstadt
George William of Hesse-Darmstadt was a Prince of Hesse-Darmstadt and an ancestor of many royals of the 19th century. He was born in Darmstadt....

, the second son of Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
Louis VIII was the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1739 to 1768. He was the son of Ernest Louis, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Margravine Dorothea Charlotte of Brandenburg-Ansbach....

). She was a warm and cheerful person and especially fond of Louise and Frederica, the younger sisters, who considered her to be the only mother they really ever knew. Princess George's choice of a Swiss teacher for the girls, Salomé de Gélieu, proved to be a good one. Some time later, Duke Charles also sent his two surviving sons, the Hereditary Prince George
Georg, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
George, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg ruled the state of Mecklenburg-Strelitz from 1816 until his death.-Early life:...

 and Charles
Duke Charles of Mecklenburg
Duke Charles of Mecklenburg was a member of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and a Prussian soldier who served in the Napoleonic Wars...

, to be raised by their grandmother.

First marriage

On 14 March 1793, the Princesses of Mecklenburg-Strelitz "coincidentally" met the Prussian King Frederick William II
Frederick William II of Prussia
Frederick William II was the King of Prussia, reigning from 1786 until his death. He was in personal union the Prince-Elector of Brandenburg and the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel.-Early life:...

 at the Prussian Theatre in Frankfurt-am-Main. He was immediately captivated by the grace and charm of Frederica and her sister Louise.
Some weeks later, Frederica and Louise's father began marriage negotiations with the Prussian King: Louise would marry Crown Prince Frederick William
Frederick William III of Prussia
Frederick William III was king of Prussia from 1797 to 1840. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel .-Early life:...

 and Frederica would follow suit with his younger brother Frederick Louis Karl
Prince Louis Charles of Prussia
Prince Louis Charles of Prussia was the second son and third child of Frederick William II of Prussia and Frederika Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt.-Marriage and issue:...

 (called Prince Louis, b. 5 November 1773).

The double engagement was celebrated in Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...

 on 24 April. On December 24, Louise and the Crown Prince were married in the Royal Palace of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

; two days later, on 26 December Frederica and Prince Louis were also married in the same place. Unlike her sister, Frederica did not enjoy a happy marriage. Her husband preferred the company of his mistresses and completely neglected her; in response, the humiliated wife apparently began an affair with her husband's uncle Prince Louis Ferdinand, but these allegations cannot be proved.

In 1795 King Frederick William II appointed Louis as Chief of the Dragoons Regiment No. 1, which was stationed in Schwedt
Schwedt
Schwedt is a city in Brandenburg, Germany. It is the largest city of the district Uckermark near the Oder river on the border with Poland.-Overview:...

, and one year later, on 23 December 1796, he died of diphtheria
Diphtheria
Diphtheria is an upper respiratory tract illness caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, a facultative anaerobic, Gram-positive bacterium. It is characterized by sore throat, low fever, and an adherent membrane on the tonsils, pharynx, and/or nasal cavity...

. Frederica and her three children consequently moved to Schönhausen Palace
Schönhausen Palace
Schönhausen Palace is a Baroque palace at Niederschönhausen, in Berlin's borough of Pankow. It is surrounded by gardens through which the Panke river runs...

 near Berlin.

In 1797 she and her cousin Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge
Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge
The Prince Adolphus, 1st Duke of Cambridge , was the tenth child and seventh son of George III and Queen Charlotte. He held the title of Duke of Cambridge from 1801 until his death. He also served as Viceroy of Hanover on behalf of his brothers George IV and William IV...

, seventh son of King George III of Great Britain by his wife Queen Charlotte (Frederica's paternal aunt), were unofficially engaged. The Duke of Cambridge asked the consent of his father to the marriage, but the King, under pressure from his wife, refused.

Second marriage

In 1798 Frederica became pregnant. The father was Prince Frederick William of Solms-Braunfels
Prince Frederick William of Solms-Braunfels
Prince Frederick William of Solms-Braunfels was a Prussian Major General.He was the son of Prince Wilhelm Ernst Ferdinand of Solms-Braunfels and Countess Sophie Christine Wilhelmine of Solms-Laubach .He became known mainly through his marriage to Princess Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz...

 (b. 22 October 1770). The Prince recognized his paternity and requested her hand in marriage, a proposal that was quickly granted in order to avoid scandal. On 10 December of that year, the couple was married in Berlin and immediately moved to Ansbach
Ansbach
Ansbach, originally Onolzbach, is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital of the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Ansbach is situated southwest of Nuremberg and north of Munich, on the Fränkische Rezat, a tributary of the Main river. As of 2004, its population was 40,723.Ansbach...

. Two months later, in February 1799, Frederica gave birth to a daughter who only lived eight months. The Prince of Solms-Braunfels, disappointed and embittered, resumed his old dissipated lifestyle and became an alcoholic. In 1805 he resigned his military posts for "health reasons", and thus lost his income. Frederica had to maintain her family with her own resources after her brother-in-law, King Frederick William III of Prussia, refused to restore her annual pension as a Dowager Princess of Prussia. Frederica's older brother-in-law and head of the family, Prince William Christian Karl of Solms-Braunfels, advised her to get a divorce, with his full approval. She and her husband nonetheless refused.

Third marriage

In May 1813, during a visit to his uncle Duke Charles in Neustrelitz
Neustrelitz
Neustrelitz is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the shore of the Zierker See in the Mecklenburg Lake District. From 1738 until 1918 it was the capital of the duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz...

, Prince Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland
Ernest Augustus I of Hanover
Ernest Augustus I was King of Hanover from 20 June 1837 until his death. He was the fifth son and eighth child of George III, who reigned in both the United Kingdom and Hanover...

, the fifth son of King George III of Great Britain, met and fell in love with Frederica. Duke Charles made it clear to his daughter that her separation from the Prince of Solms-Braunfels was absolutely logical, and that he saw a marriage with an English prince as a great opportunity for her. During the next months Frederica considered the intentions of Ernest Augustus and the possible effects on her own situation. When, after the victory of the allies in the Battle of Leipzig
Battle of Leipzig
The Battle of Leipzig or Battle of the Nations, on 16–19 October 1813, was fought by the coalition armies of Russia, Prussia, Austria and Sweden against the French army of Napoleon. Napoleon's army also contained Polish and Italian troops as well as Germans from the Confederation of the Rhine...

, Ernest Augustus spent some days in Neustrelitz, he was greeted enthusiastically. Some time later Frederica asked the Prussian King for approval for her divorce from the Prince of Solms-Braunfels. All parties agreed, including the Prince of Solms-Braunfels, but his sudden death on 13 April 1814 precluded the need for a divorce. The Prince's demise was considered by some as a little too convenient, and some suspected that Frederica had poisoned him. In August, the engagement with Ernest Augustus was officially announced. After the British Parliament gave its consent to the wedding, Frederica and Ernest Augustus were married on 29 May 1815 at the parish church of Neustrelitz
Neustrelitz
Neustrelitz is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the shore of the Zierker See in the Mecklenburg Lake District. From 1738 until 1918 it was the capital of the duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz...

. Some time later, the couple traveled to Great Britain and married again on 29 August 1815 at Carlton House
Carlton House
Carlton House was a mansion in London, best known as the town residence of the Prince Regent for several decades from 1783. It faced the south side of Pall Mall, and its gardens abutted St. James's Park in the St James's district of London...

, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

.

Queen Charlotte
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was the Queen consort of the United Kingdom as the wife of King George III...

 bitterly opposed the marriage, even though her future daughter-in-law was also her niece. She refused to attend the wedding and advised her son to live outside England with his wife. Frederica never obtained the favor of her aunt/mother-in-law, who died unreconciled with her in 1818. From her marriage to Ernest Augustus, she had a further three children, only one of whom survived childhood: a son, who would eventually become King George V of Hanover
George V of Hanover
George V was King of Hanover, the only child of Ernest Augustus I, and a grandchild of King George III of the United Kingdom. In the peerage of Great Britain, he was 2nd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, 2nd Earl of Armagh...

.

Queen of Hanover

On 20 June 1837 King William IV of the United Kingdom
William IV of the United Kingdom
William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death...

 and Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...

 died without issue. His heir was Princess Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....

, only daughter of Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent, but because Hanover had been ruled under 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...

 since the times 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...

, she could not inherit the Hanoverian throne. The next male descendant of the late King was the Duke of Cumberland, Frederica's husband, who then became King Ernest Augustus I of Hanover, with Frederica as his Queen consort.

After a short illness, Queen Frederica of Hanover died in 1841 at Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...

. The Court master builder Georg Ludwig Friedrich Laves
Georg Ludwig Friedrich Laves
Georg Ludwig Friedrich Laves was a German architect, civil engineer and urban planner. Born in Uslar, Lower Saxony, he lived and worked most time in the city of Hanover and also died there...

 was instructed by the King to build a mausoleum for his wife and himself in the garden of the Chapel at Herrenhausen
Herrenhausen
Herrenhausen is an area of the German city Hanover which is most notable for the baroque Herrenhausen Gardens.Ernest Augustus, Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg died in Herrenhausen Castle and his grandson King George II of Great Britain was born there. During the Second World War the castle was...

 Palace. He also gave royal orders for the transformation of a central square near the Leineschloss
Leineschloss
The Leineschloss , situated on the Leine in Hanover, Germany, is the former residence of the Hanoverian kings and the current seat of the Landtag of Lower Saxony....

 and renamed it Friederikenplatz in her honor.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

  • 3 March 1778 – 26 December 1793: Her Serene Highness Duchess Frederica of Mecklenburg, Princess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
  • 26 December 1793 – 10 December 1798: Her Royal Highness Princess Frederick Louis of Prussia
  • 10 December 1798 – 29 August 1815: Her Serene Highness Princess Frederick William of Solms-Braunfels
  • 29 August 1815 – 29 June 1841: Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cumberland and Teviotdale
  • 20 June 1837 – 29 June 1841: Her Majesty The Queen of Hanover

Issue

NameBirthDeathNotes
By Prince Frederick Louis of Prussia (married 29 December 1793; he died 23 December 1796)
Prince Frederick Wilhelm Ludwig of Prussia
Prince Frederick of Prussia (1794–1863)
Prince Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig of Prussia , known in English as Frederick, was a Prussian prince, general of the royal cavalry, and division commander.- Family :...

30 October 1794 27 July 1863 married, 1817, Princess Louise of Anhalt-Bernburg
Prince Frederick Wilhelm Charles George of Prussia 26 September 1795 6 April 1798
Princess Frederica Wilhelmina Luise Amalie of Prussia
Princess Frederica Wilhelmina of Prussia
Princess Frederica Wilhelmina Louise Amalia of Prussia was a daughter of Prince Louis Charles of Prussia and Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. She was a member of the House of Hohenzollern...

30 September 1796 1 January 1850 married, 1818, Leopold IV, Duke of Anhalt
Leopold IV, Duke of Anhalt
Leopold IV Frederick, Duke of Anhalt was a German prince of the House of Ascania.From 1817 until 1853 he was ruler of the duchy of Anhalt-Dessau and from 1847 until 1853 also ruler of the duchy of Anhalt-Köthen...

By Frederick William, Prince of Solms-Braunfels (married 10 December 1798; he died 13 April 1814)
Princess Sophia of Solms-Braunfels 27 February 1799 20 October 1799
Prince Frederick William of Solms-Braunfels 11 September 1800 14 September 1800
Prince Frederick Wilhelm Heinrich Casimir Georg Karl Maximilian of Solms-Braunfels 13 December 1801 12 September 1868 married, 1831, Countess Maria Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau
Princess Augusta Luise Therese Matilda of Solms-Braunfels 25 July 1804 8 October 1865 married, 1827, Albert, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
Albert, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
Albert, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was a sovereign prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt.-Biography:He was born in Rudolstadt the second son of the reigning prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Louis Frederick II and his wife Landgravine Caroline of Hesse-Homburg...

Unnamed daughter 1805 1805 stillborn
Prince Alexander Frederick of Solms-Braunfels 12 March 1807 20 February 1867 married, 1863, Princess Louise of Landsberg-Velen
Prince Frederick Wilhelm Ludwig Georg Karl Alfred Alexander of Solms-Braunfels
Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels
Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels , was a German prince and military officer in both the Austrian army and in the cavalry of the Grand Duchy of Hesse. As Commissioner General of the Adelsverein, he spearheaded the establishment of colonies of German immigrants in Texas...

27 July 1812 13 November 1875 married, 1845, Princess Sophie of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg
By Prince Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (later HM King Ernest Augustus I of Hanover
Ernest Augustus I of Hanover
Ernest Augustus I was King of Hanover from 20 June 1837 until his death. He was the fifth son and eighth child of George III, who reigned in both the United Kingdom and Hanover...

) (married 29 May 1815)
Princess Frederica of Cumberland 27 January 1817 27 January 1817 stillborn
Unnamed daughter April 1818 April 1818 stillborn
George V of Hanover
George V of Hanover
George V was King of Hanover, the only child of Ernest Augustus I, and a grandchild of King George III of the United Kingdom. In the peerage of Great Britain, he was 2nd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, 2nd Earl of Armagh...

27 May 1819 12 June 1878 married, 1843, Marie of Saxe-Altenburg
Marie of Saxe-Altenburg
Princess Marie of Saxe-Altenburg was Queen of Hanover and the consort of George V, a grandson of George III of the United Kingdom and Queen Charlotte.-Early life:Marie was born at Hildburghausen, as Princess Marie of...

; had issue
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK