Category Archives: German Royals

Wilhelmina of Prussia, Princess of Orange

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Wilhelmina of Prussia, Princess of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

Born Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia (Friederike Sophie Wilhelmina) in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany, on August 7, 1751, she was the only daughter and the third of the four children of Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia and Luise of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Wilhelmina’s father was the second surviving son of King Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, the daughter of King George I of Great Britain. August Wilhelm’s elder brother was King Friedrich II (the Great) of Prussia and an elder sister was Louisa Ulrika, wife of King Adolf Frederik of Sweden. Wilhelmina’s uncle Friedrich II of Prussia married her mother’s sister Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Their marriage was childless and Friedrich II was succeeded by Wilhelmina’s eldest brother.

Wilhelmina had three brothers:

At a very young age, Wilhelmina was separated from her parents and raised by her paternal grandmother Queen Dowager Sophia Dorothea. After her grandmother died in 1757, Wilhelmina was raised by her maternal aunt, Queen Elisabeth Christine, the wife of her paternal uncle King Friedrich II (the Great) of Prussia, who lived apart from her husband. When Wilhelmina was seven-years-old, her 35-year-old father died from a brain tumor.

On October 4, 1767, in Berlin, 16-year-old Wilhelmina married 19-year-old Willem V, Prince of Orange, son of Willem IV, Prince of Orange and Anne, Princess Royal, eldest daughter of King George II of Great Britain. The marriage was negotiated at the request of her uncle King Friedrich II.

Willem and Wilhelmina had five children, but only three survived infancy:

Willem and Wilhelmina with their three children (left to right) Friedrich, Wilhelm, and Louise by Pieter le Sage, 1779; Credit – Wikipedia

Wilhelmina was a proud and politically ambitious person. She was King Friedrich II of Prussia’s favorite niece and the two conducted a long-lasting correspondence containing political content. Because of her uncle’s advice, Wilhelmina tried to gain political influence in the Dutch Republic. Wilhelmina dominated her husband and exerted influence in the politics of the Dutch Republic.

In 1783, after the signing of the Treaty of Paris ending the American Revolutionary War, there was growing restlessness in the Dutch Republic. A group of revolutionaries called Patriots was challenging Willem V’s authority. In September of 1787, the Patriots were defeated by a Prussian army and many of the Patriots fled to France. In 1793, after the French Revolution, Willem V joined the First Coalition which fought against revolutionary France in 1793. The next year, the Dutch Republic was threatened by invading French armies. In 1795, the revolutionary Patriots, now supported by the French Army, returned and replaced the Dutch Republic with the Batavian Republic which remained in power until 1806.

Wilhelmina in 1789; Credit – Wikipedia

Willem V and his family fled to England where they lived in exile until 1802 in London in the part of Kew Palace known as the Dutch House with the permission of Willem’s first cousin King George III. In 1802, the family went to Germany where they lived in Nassau and Brunswick. Willem spent the rest of his life in exile. During his exile, Willem was viewed quite negatively in both England and the Netherlands. On April 9, 1806, Willem V died at the age of 58 in Brunswick (Germany) and was buried there. On April 29, 1958, after more than 150 years of lying in peace in Brunswick, he was reinterred at the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft.

In 1806, Napoleon I, Emperor of the French created the Kingdom of Holland for his brother Louis and the Batavian Republic came to an end. Aware of the discontent of the Dutch under French rule, Willem V’s son, also named Willem met with Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia to appeal for help in restoring him to rule in the Netherlands. Alexander agreed to help, and following Napoleon’s defeat at Leipzig in 1813, the Dutch provisional government agreed to accept Willem as the first King of the Netherlands.

Wilhelmina’s son King Willem I of the Netherlands; Credit – Wikipedia

Wilhelmina survived long enough to see her son become King Willem I of the Netherlands, and she returned to live in the Netherlands in 1814.  She died on June 9, 1820, at the age of 68 at Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn where she was buried. In 1831, Wilhelmina was reinterred at the new crypt of the House of Orange at the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft.

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Marie Luise of Hesse-Kassel, Princess of Orange

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Marie Luise of Hesse-Kassel, Princess of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

The second of the four daughters and ninth of the fourteen children of Karl I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and his wife and cousin Maria Amalia of Courland, Marie Luise was born on February 7, 1688, in Kassel, Landgraviate of Hesse, now in Hesse, Germany.

Marie Luise had thirteen siblings:

Johan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

When she was 21 years old, Marie Luise’s marriage was arranged by her future mother-in-law, Henriëtte Amalia of Anhalt-Dessau, who was concerned that her son, Johan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange, had been almost killed twice in battle and had no heir. She started searching for a bride and soon gave him a choice of two German princesses. Within a week,  Johan Willem Friso became engaged to Marie Luise. They were married on April 26, 1709, in Kassel, Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, now in the German state of Hesse.

Marie Luise and Johan Willem Friso had two children:

Marie Luise and her children; Credit – Wikipedia

The couple made their home at the Stadhouderlijk Hof in Leeuwarden in Friesland, one of the two of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic where Johan Willem Friso was Stadtholder. However, Johan Willem Friso was often away at war. Sadly, their marriage lasted only two years. In July 1711, Johan Willem Friso traveled from the battlefields of the War of the Spanish Succession to The Hague to meet with King Friedrich I of Prussia. To cross the Hollands Diep, a wide river in the Netherlands, Johan Willem Friso and his carriage traveled on a ferry. The captain had trouble with the sails, and suddenly a great gust of wind filled the sails, the ferry capsized, and Johan Willem Friso drowned at the age of 23. His body was found floating in the river eight days later. At the time of her husband’s death, Marie Luise was pregnant with her second child. Six weeks later, she gave birth to a son who  became Willem IV, Prince of Orange at birth

Willem V succeeded his father as Stadtholder of Friesland and as Stadtholder of Groningen under the regency of his mother until he reached his majority in 1731. In 1722, he was elected Stadtholder of Guelders, and Marie Luise also served as regent of Guelders. She put much effort into ensuring her children received a proper education. Marie Luise was loved and admired by the Dutch people who called her Marijke Meu (Aunt Mary). In 1731, Marie Luise’s role as regent was over. She purchased the Princessehof in Leeuwarden, moved in, and started a collection of ceramics. Today her former home is the Princessehof Ceramics Museum and her collection forms part of the museum’s collection.

On March 25, 1734, Marie Luise’s son Willem IV, Prince of Orange married Anne, Princess Royal, the eldest daughter of King George II of Great Britain, at the Chapel Royal in St. James’s Palace in London. It was the third time in less than 100 years that a British princess had married a Prince of Orange. Willem IV and Anne had two children, including the future Willem V, Prince of Orange, born in 1748. However, William IV died at age 40 from a stroke on October 22, 1751, and was succeeded by his three-year-old son as Willem V, Prince of Orange, with his mother Anne serving as regent. Anne acted as regent until her death from dropsy in 1759 at age 49. As Willem V was still underage, his paternal grandmother, 70-year-old Marie Luise became regent.

Marie Luise; Credit – Wikipedia

Marie Luise’s health had been deteriorating, and she often had to travel from her home in Leeuwarden to The Hague for government business, which exhausted her. She suffered a slight stroke that caused her to lose some functioning on the right side of her body. On Palm Sunday in 1765, Marie Luise was present at the Grote of Jacobijnerkerk in Leeuwarden, greeting as many churchgoers as possible. The day before Easter, Marie Luise became ill and was upset that her absence in church on Easter would disappoint the people. Two days after Easter, on April 9, 1765, Marie Luise died at the age of 77. She had survived her husband Johan Willem Friso by 54 years. Marie Luise was buried with her husband at the Grote of Jacobijnerkerk in Leeuwarden, Friesland, now in the Netherlands, where sixteen members of Nassau-Diez family, six Stadtholders of Friesland, their spouses, and children, are buried.

Grote of Jacobijnerkerk; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

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Amalia of Solms-Braunfels, Princess of Orange

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Amalia of Solms-Braunfels, Princess of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

Amalia of Solms-Braunfels was born on August 31, 1602, at Braunfels Castle (Schloss Braunfels) in Braunfels, then in the County of Solms-Braunfels now in Hesse, Germany. She was the fourth of five daughters and the eighth of the eleven children of Johann Albrecht I, Count of Solms-Braunfels and Agnes of Sayn-Wittgenstein.

Schloss Braunfels, Amalia’s birthplace; Photo Credit – By I, ArtMechanic, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=196823

Amalia had ten siblings but only five survived childhood:

  • Friedrich Kasimir (1591 – 1595), died in early childhood
  • Elisabeth (1593 – 1636), married Wolfgang Friedrich, Count of Salm, Wild and Rheingraf, had seven children
  • Ursula (1594 – 1657), married Christoph, Count of Dohna, had twelve children
  • Konrad Ludwig, Count of Solms-Braunfels (1595 – 1635), married Anna Sibylla, Baroness Winneburg, no children
  • Juliana (1597 – 1599), died in early childhood
  • Otto (born and died 1598)
  • Johann Albrecht II, Count of Solms-Braunfels (1599 – 1648), married Anna Elisabeth, Baroness Daun-Falkenstein, had two children
  • Friedrich (1604 – 1605), died in early childhood
  • Johann Philipp (1605 – 1609), died in early childhood
  • Louise Christina (1606 – 1669), married Johan Wolfert van Brederode, 16th Lord van Brederode, had eight children

Amalia spent her childhood at the family’s castle in Braunfels. In 1619, Amalia’s father became an adviser to Friedrich V, Elector Palatine of the Rhine who had just been elected King of Bohemia. Amalia’s family traveled to Prague, the capital of Bohemia (now in the Czech Republic) and Amalia became a maid of honor to King Friedrich’s wife Elizabeth Stuart, the eldest daughter of King James I of England. The crown of Bohemia had been in Habsburg hands for a long time and the Habsburg heir, Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor refused to accept Friedrich as King of Bohemia. Friedrich’s reign ended with his defeat by Ferdinand at the Battle of White Mountain, one of the early battles of the Thirty Years’ War, on November 8, 1620. Friedrich and Elizabeth are called the Winter King and the Winter Queen, referring to their short reign as King and Queen of Bohemia.

Elizabeth, pregnant with her fifth child, left Prague with Amalia in attendance. At the Castle of Custrin outside of Berlin, Elizabeth gave birth to her son Moritz with the help of Amalia. Friedrich and Elizabeth were granted asylum by Maurits, Prince of Orange, and invited to live in The Hague. It was at a ball in honor of Elizabeth in 1622 in The Hague that Amalia met her future husband Frederik Hendrik, the only child of Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange and his fourth wife Louise de Coligny, and the half-brother of the Prince of Orange, Maurits. Frederik Hendrik, who was unmarried, fell madly in love with Amalia and wanted her to become his mistress. Amalia refused to accept anything but marriage.

Frederik Hendrik and Amalia; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederik Hendrik’s half-brother Maurits, Prince of Orange never married but he did have several illegitimate children. In 1625, while on his deathbed, Maurits threatened to legitimize his illegitimate sons, threatening Frederik Hendrik’s succession. Because of Maurits’ threat to legitimize his illegitimate sons, Frederik Hendrik summoned Amalia and married her on April 4, 1625. The marriage and the promise of children satisfied Maurits. He died on April 23, 1625, at the age of 57. Frederik Hendrik succeeded him as Prince of Orange and the other hereditary titles of their father. He also succeeded in the elective offices as Stadtholder (Governor) of five of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic and as the Captain-General and Admiral of the military forces of the Dutch Republic.

Frederik Hendrik and Amalia had nine children but four did not survive infancy:

Frederik Hendrik with his wife and three youngest daughters, circa 1647; Credit – Wikipedia

Amalia and her husband had a good relationship and a happy marriage. She was the main matchmaker of the family, arranging the marriage of her son Willem with Mary, Princess Royal, the eldest daughter of King Charles I of England, and the marriages of her daughters with German princes. Amalia had influence in politics, initially as Frederik Hendrik’s adviser, and then, after 1640, when her husband became ill, she became openly involved in political life and received foreign diplomats and envoys.

For many years before his death, Frederik Hendrik suffered from gout. In the summer of 1646, he had a stroke that temporarily prevented him from speaking. After that, Frederik Hendrik was physically weak, difficult to cope with, and sometimes mentally unstable. He died on March 14, 1647, in The Hague, Holland, Dutch Republic at the age of 63. His 21-year-old eldest son succeeded him as Willem II, Prince of Orange.

Willem II served as Stadtholder and Prince of Orange for only three years. On November 6, 1650, he died from smallpox. His wife Mary gave birth to their only child eight days later. The 19-year-old widow wanted to name her son Charles after her brother King Charles II of England but her mother-in-law Amalia insisted that her grandson be named Willem Hendrik and she got her way. From birth, the infant was Willem III, Prince of Orange.

Amalia’s grandson Willem III, Prince of Orange, later King William III of England; Credit – Wikipedia

During Willem’s minority, his mother Mary had to share his guardianship and regency with his paternal grandmother Amalia and Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg, whose wife Louise Henriette was the elder sister of little Willem’s father. In 1660, Willem’s mother Mary died from smallpox while visiting her brothers King Charles II and the future King James II in England and Amalia became the sole regent for her 10-year-old grandson. In 1672, Willem III, Prince of Orange was declared an adult, and his regency council was dismissed. Amalia witnessed her grandson become Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Gelderland, and Overijssel and Captain-General of the military forces. Willem married his first cousin Mary, the eldest surviving child of the future King James II of England. During the Glorious Revolution of 1688, King James II was overthrown and his son-in-law and daughter then reigned jointly as King William III and Queen Mary II.

Amalia died on September 8, 1675, in The Hague at the age of 73. She was buried at the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft.

Nieuwe Kerk in Delft; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

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Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin; Credit – Wikipedia

Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland was the last Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, as the wife of Grand Duke Friedrich Franz IV. Princess Alexandra Luise Marie Olga Elisabeth Therese Vera was born at Schloss Ort in Gmunden, Austria on September 29, 1882, the daughter of Ernst August, Crown Prince of Hanover and Princess Thyra of Denmark.

Alexandra (standing, front-right) with her parents and siblings; Credit – Wikipedia

Alexandra had five siblings:

Alexandra and Franz Friedrich following their wedding; Credit – Wikipedia

On July 7, 1904, at Schloss Cumberland (link in German) in Gmunden, Austria, Alexandra married Friedrich Franz IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. They went on to have five children:

Because of the death of her daughter Olga at just six weeks old, Grand Duchess Alexandra worked to improve medical care for children in the Grand Duchy. She established the Olga Foundation, which raised money for education and training for nurses and midwives.

Following her husband’s abdication on November 14, 1918, the family was forced to leave the Grand Duchy. They traveled to Denmark at the invitation of Queen Alexandrine, Friedrich Franz’s sister, and stayed for a year at Sorgenfri Palace. The following year, they were permitted to return to Mecklenburg and recovered several of their properties. For the next two years, they lived at the Gelbensande hunting lodge (link in German) before returning to Ludwigslust Palace in 1921. They also began spending their summers at the Alexandrinen Cottage (link in German) in Heiligendamm.

Glücksburg Castle. photo: By Wolfgang Pehlemann – Own work, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21693722

At the end of World War II, with the Red Army approaching Mecklenburg, the family was again forced to flee in 1945. Intending to return to Denmark, they traveled to Glücksburg Castle, in Glücksburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, the home of their youngest daughter. While there, the Grand Duke died. The Dowager Grand Duchess Alexandra also died there, on August 30, 1963, having survived her husband by nearly 18 years. She is buried beside him in the New Cemetery in Glücksburg.

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Mecklenburg-Schwerin Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Friedrich Franz IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin: The Duchy of Mecklenburg was divided and partitioned a number of times over the centuries.  In 1701, the last division created the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. In 1815, the Congress of Vienna recognized both Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz as grand duchies. Friedrich Franz I, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin became the first Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. On November 14, 1918, at the end of World War I, Friedrich Franz IV was forced to abdicate as Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Today the territory encompassing the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin is in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

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Friedrich Franz IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin; Credit – Wikipedia

Grand Duke Friedrich Franz IV was the last reigning Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. He was born in Palermo, Italy, on April 9, 1882, the only son of Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia.

He had two sisters:

Friedrich Franz also had a half-brother, Alexis Louis de Wenden, his mother’s illegitimate son, born in 1902.

Friedrich Franz with his mother and sisters, circa 1890; Credit – Wikipedia

Friedrich Franz attended the Vitzthum Gymnasium in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, and then studied law at the University of Bonn. He became Grand Duke upon his father’s death in April 1897. Because he was still a minor, his uncle Duke Johann Albrecht served as regent until Friedrich Franz came of age in 1901. Once he had taken control of his government, the young Grand Duke attempted to reform the Mecklenburg constitution. However, his efforts failed when the government of Mecklenburg-Strelitz refused to agree to his ideas.

Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland; Credit – Wikipedia

Encouraged to marry young by his mother, Friedrich Franz married Princess Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland in Gmunden, Austria, on June 7, 1904. She was the daughter of Ernst August, Crown Prince of Hanover and Princess Thyra of Denmark. The couple had five children:

In February 1918, Friedrich Franz IV began to serve as Regent for the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The reigning Grand Duke, Adolf Friedrich VI, had died by suicide, and the heir presumptive was serving with the Russian military and had made it known that he wished to renounce his rights of succession. The regency lasted only nine months because in 1918, after the end of World War I, Friedrich Franz IV was forced to abdicate as Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and as the Regent in Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

Forced to leave Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Friedrich Franz and his family traveled to Denmark at the invitation of his sister, Queen Alexandrine. There, they lived at Sorgenfri Palace for a year before being permitted to return to Mecklenburg, Germany, and recovering several of the family’s properties. They lived for two years at the Gelbensande hunting lodge (link in German), and then in 1921, took up residence at Ludwigslust Palace in Ludwigslust, Germany. They also spent their summers at the Alexandrine Cottage (link in German) in Heiligendamm, Germany.

At the end of World War II, with the advance of the Soviet Union’s Red Army, Friedrich Franz, his wife, and son Christian Ludwig fled to Glücksburg Castle, in Glücksburg, Germany, the home of his youngest daughter and her husband, with the intention of returning to Denmark. However, Friedrich Franz became ill, and while under house arrest at the Castle, he died there on November 17, 1945. He is buried in the New Cemetery in Glücksburg, Germany.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Mecklenburg-Schwerin Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin; Credit – Wikipedia

Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia was the wife of Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. She was born at the Peterhof Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia, on July 28, 1860, the second child and only daughter of Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich of Russia, son of Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia, and Princess Cecilie Auguste of Baden. Anastasia had six brothers. Her brother Sergei was among the five other Romanovs murdered by the Bolsheviks along with Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna on July 18, 1918. Two of her brothers, Nicholas and George, were among the four Grand Dukes murdered by the Bolsheviks on January 28, 1919.

When Anastasia was just two years old, her father was appointed Viceroy of the Caucasus and the family moved to Georgia where she was raised. The favorite of her father and doted on by her brothers, Anastasia grew to become a very strong-willed and intelligent young woman. Educated privately at home, she developed a love of languages, becoming fluent in French, German, and English at a very young age.

Engagement photo of Anastasia and Friedrich Franz; Credit – Wikipedia

On May 4, 1878, the engagement of Grand Duchess Anastasia and the future Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was announced. The marriage was arranged by Anastasia’s future sister-in-law Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin who married Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia. Anastasia and her fiancé were second cousins, both great-grandchildren of King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia. They were married at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia on January 24, 1879, in both Orthodox and Protestant services. Following their marriage, the couple settled in the Marienpalais in Schwerin, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, and had three children:

Anastasia with her children, circa 1894; Credit – Wikipedia

Due to her husband’s health, Anastasia’s family traveled frequently to warmer climates. They were staying in Palermo, Italy when her husband became Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin on April 15, 1883. When they eventually returned to Schwerin, they took up residence at Schwerin Castle. The Grand Duke reached an agreement with the government that he would stay in Schwerin for five months each year but would travel elsewhere the rest of the year due to his health. They spent six months each year at Villa Wenden, their private home in Cannes, France, and preferred to stay at the Gelbensande hunting lodge when in the Grand Duchy.

Anastasia was an avid tennis player and tennis courts were built at Villa Wenden where she played quite often. She was also a frequent visitor to Monte Carlo Casino in Monaco, often gambling away large amounts of her fortune.

Following her husband’s death in April 1897, Anastasia inherited Villa Wenden and the hunting lodge in Gelbensande, along with most of his personal property. She spent as little time in Schwerin as possible, preferring Gelbensande and Cannes, and traveled often to St. Petersburg, Paris, and London.

A scandal erupted in 1902 when Anastasia became pregnant from an affair with her personal secretary Vladimir Alexandrovitch Paltov. She gave birth to a son Alexis Louis de Wenden in Nice, France on December 23, 1902. The surname ‘de Wenden’ was granted by King Christian IX of Denmark. Anastasia, who first hid the fact that she was pregnant, raised the child herself. When news of the scandal spread through the royal houses of Europe,  Anastasia was shunned by several royal houses, particularly the Prussian court. When her younger daughter Cecilie married the son of the German Emperor, who was particularly outspoken in his disdain for Anastasia, she was only permitted to come to Berlin twice – for Cecilie’s wedding in 1905, and the birth of Cecilie’s first child the following year.

World War I saw Anastasia’s family divided. Her son was a reigning German Grand Duke and her daughter was the daughter-in-law of the German Emperor, while her Russian brothers were on the opposing side. As the Dowager Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Anastasia was unable to remain in France. Because she placed her loyalty with the Russians, she was unable to return to Schwerin. Instead, she settled in Switzerland, living at the Savoy Hotel in Lausanne. The toll of the war was particularly devastating for Anastasia. She saw her son lose his throne and the murders of three of her brothers in Russia.

Following World War I, Anastasia returned to France. Unwelcome as a German, she used her Russian passport to sneak into the country as part of her entourage of her cousin Princess Ekaterina Yourievskaya. She settled at Villa Fantasia in Èze, near Cannes, France, where she returned to her hectic social schedule and frequent trips to the Monte Carlo Casino.

Dowager Grand Duchess Anastasia in her later years: Credit – Wikipedia

Dowager Grand Duchess Anastasia died in Èze, France on March 11, 1922, after suffering a stroke. Her remains were returned to Schwerin where she was buried in the Helena Pavlovna Mausoleum (link in German) on the grounds of Ludwigslust Palace in Ludwigslust, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Her funeral would be the first time her three legitimate children were together since the beginning of World War I.

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Mecklenburg-Schwerin Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Wedding of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and Heinrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

On February 7, 1901, in The Hague, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands married Duke Heinrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. A civil ceremony was held at the Palace of Justice followed by a religious ceremony at the Grote of Sint-Jacobskerk in The Hague. At the time of the wedding, Heinrich took the Dutch version of his name, Hendrik, and was given the title Prince of the Netherlands.

Wilhelmina’s Early Life

Queen Wilhelmina was born on August 31, 1880, at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, the youngest child of King Willem III of the Netherlands, with his second wife, Princess Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont. She became heiress-presumptive to the Dutch throne when the last of her elder half-brothers died in 1884. She became Queen upon her father’s death in 1890, with her mother serving as Regent until Wilhelmina reached the age of 18. She went on to reign for nearly 58 years – the longest reign of any Dutch monarch – before abdicating in favor of her only child, Juliana, in 1948.

For more information about Queen Wilhelmina see:

Unofficial Royalty: Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands

Heinrich’s Early Life

Duke Heinrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was born on April 18, 1876, in Schwerin, the youngest son of Friedrich Franz II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, with his third wife, Princess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. His siblings and half-siblings included Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia and Grand Duchess Elisabeth Alexandrine of Oldenburg.

For more information about Prince Hendrik see:
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Heinrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

The Engagement

Wilhelmina and Heinrich first met in October 1892, when both attended the golden anniversary celebrations of Grand Duke Karl Alexander and Grand Duchess Sophie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. Sophie was Wilhelmina’s paternal aunt, and Heinrich’s half-brother was married to one of Sophie’s daughters. Wilhelmina and Heinrich were second cousins once removed, through their mutual descent from Tsar Paul I of Russia. They met again in May 1900, when Wilhelmina and her mother traveled to Schloss Schwarzburg in Rudolstadt to meet three prospective grooms for the young Queen. Wilhelmina chose Heinrich, and within a few months, their engagement was announced on October 16, 1900. Plans for the wedding, scheduled for February 7, 1901, in The Hague, were overshadowed by the deaths of Wilhelmina’s uncle, Grand Duke Karl Alexander of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach on January 5th, and Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom on January 22nd.

Pre-Wedding Festivities

Foreign royal guests arrived in The Hague several days before the wedding, and the festivities began to take place. Numerous choral societies performed in front of the palace of the bride and groom and their guests, and the couple made several trips around the city to greet the crowds. A state banquet was held on February 5th for all foreign guests, followed by a gala performance at the theatre.

Wedding Guests

Royal guests at the wedding included:

  • Queen Emma of the Netherlands
  • Dowager Grand Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
  • Friedrich Franz IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
  • Duke Johann Albrecht of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
  • Duke Adolf-Friedrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
  • Prince and Princess Heinrich XVIII Reuss of Köstritz
  • Prince Ulrich of Schönburg-Waldenburg
  • Prince Hermann of Schönburg-Waldenburg
  • The Hereditary Count of Erbach
  • Prince Albrecht of Prussia
  • The Prince and Princess of Bentheim-Steinfurt
  • The Prince and Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
  • Princess Tekla of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
  • Prince and Princess Heinrich of Schönburg
  • The Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
  • The Prince and Princess of Wied
  • The Hereditary Prince and Princess of Wied
  • Princess Luise of Wied
  • Duke Paul Friedrich and Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
  • The Prince and Princess of Waldeck-Pyrmont
  • Grand Duke Vladimir and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia
  • Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovich of Russia
  • Grand Duchess Helen Vladimirovna of Russia
  • The Duchess of Albany
  • Princess Alice of Albany
  • Prince Adolf of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
  • Duchess Sophia Charlotte of Oldenburg

The Wedding Attire

The Queen wore a gown designed by Mme. Nicaud of Paris. Made of white silk and satin, the gown was embellished with embroidery of “the finest silver tissue” with silver threaded seed pearls and a design of orange blossoms. The embroidery work was done at the School of Needlework in Amsterdam. The low-cut bodice was trimmed with antique lace, and extended out to a train of over seven feet in length, trailed with more embroidery. Her antique lace veil was held in place by the smaller version of the Stuart Tiara, which the bride complemented with a large diamond collet necklace and the large diamond bow brooch at the center of her bodice. Wilhelmina carried a large bouquet of lilies of the valley, adorned with green, red, and long white satin ribbons.

The groom wore the uniform of a Dutch Admiral, adorned with the sash and star of the Dutch Military Order of Willem – the highest order of chivalry in the Netherlands, and the collar and star of the House Order of the Wendish Crown – the highest order of Mecklenburg.

The Civil Ceremony

The wedding day began with the Civil Ceremony. At 11:00 am, Wilhelmina and Heinrich departed Noordeinde Palace in the gilded coach which had been presented to the Queen by the people of Amsterdam. They arrived at the Palace of Justice, where the civil ceremony took place in the White Hall. In attendance were the couple’s mothers and six witnesses – the Speakers of the two houses of Parliament; Adjutant General Van Bergambacht, The Grand Chamberlain, General Count du Monceau; Vice President of the Council of State, Mynheer Van Schorer, and The Chief Justice. After the brief ceremony, conducted by the Minister of Justice, Dr. van der Linden, the couple, their mothers, and the witnesses signed the official marriage document. The couple then made their procession to the church for the religious ceremony.

The Religious Ceremony

As the bride and groom made their procession from the Palace of Justice, guests had already arrived and were seated in the Grote of Sint-Jacobskerk. The several hundred guests included members of the Dutch Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, members of the Diplomatic Corps, representatives of nearly every town and city in the Netherlands, members of the court, and other personal friends. The procession into the church began with the foreign royal guests and family members, with the bride and groom the last to arrive. Despite the glitter of jewels and the numerous prominent guests, the service was the very simple and traditional marriage service of the Dutch Reformed Church, described as a service of “puritanical simplicity”, with no bridesmaids or groomsmen. The couple exchanged their vows and rings, followed by an address by the Chaplain. Following a final blessing, they made their way out of the church, to process back to Noordeinde Palace.

The Wedding Banquet and Honeymoon

When they arrived back at the palace, Wilhelmina and her husband received numerous guests before hosting a luncheon for their families, royal guests, and Ministers of State. At 4:00 that afternoon, they departed for the railway station to travel to Het Loo Palace, where they spent their honeymoon.

Children

Wilhelmina with her daughter in 1914; Credit – Wikipedia

Wilhelmina and Heinrich had one child:

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Friedrich Franz III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin: The Duchy of Mecklenburg was divided and partitioned a number of times over the centuries.  In 1701, the last division created the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. In 1815, the Congress of Vienna recognized both Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz as grand duchies. Friedrich Franz I, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin became the first Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. On November 14, 1918, at the end of World War I, Friedrich Franz IV was forced to abdicate as Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Today the territory encompassing the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin is in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

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Friedrich Franz III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin; Credit – Wikipedia

Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III (Friedrich Franz Paul Nikolaus Ernst Heinrich) was born on March 19, 1851, at Ludwigslust Palace, in Ludwigslust, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Friedrich Franz was the eldest son of Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II and his first wife, Princess Augusta of Reuss-Köstritz. He had ten siblings from his father’s three marriages:

A rather sickly child, Friedrich Franz suffered from severe bronchial asthma and a weak heart that would plague him his entire life. Following several years of private education at home, he attended the Vitzhumsche High School in Dresden. He later studied law at the University of Bonn. Despite his health, Friedrich Franz also undertook a military career. He was first created an officer in Mecklenburg’s Grenadier Guards by his father in 1863, followed by an appointment in the Prussian army. At the onset of the Franco-Prussian War, he served in the headquarters of King Wilhelm I of Prussia and later represented Mecklenburg-Schwerin at the Imperial Proclamation in Versailles in 1871. Due to his health, he was forced to step down from his military role in 1877.

Friedrich Franz and his fiancé, Anastasia Mikhailovna, 1878; Credit – Wikipedia

On May 4, 1878, it was announced that Friedrich Franz was engaged to Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia, the daughter of Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich of Russia and Princess Cecilie of Baden. Friedrich Franz and Anastasia were second cousins, both great-grandchildren of King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia. They married at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg on January 24, 1879, in Russian Orthodox and Protestant services. The couple settled at the Marienpalais in Schwerin (link in German), and had three children:

Friedrich Franz III’s wife and children, c1895;  Credit – Wikipedia

Friedrich Franz became Grand Duke upon his father’s death on April 15, 1883. At the time, he and his family were living in the south of France, taking advantage of the milder climate. Unable to return to Schwerin for his father’s funeral, he entrusted his ministers with the management of the Grand Duchy. Friedrich Franz eventually returned to Schwerin and took up residence at Schwerin Palace, but the climate was not good for his health. An agreement was reached, by which he would reside in Schwerin for five months of the year, and was free to live elsewhere the rest of the year provided that any further children would be born in Schwerin. Friedrich Franz III and his family spent the summers at their home in Gelbensande, a hunting lodge built in 1886 near Rostock and the Baltic Sea. They then moved on to Cannes from November until May, living at Villa Wenden which he had built there. They also spent time in Palermo and in Baden-Baden.

Villa Wenden in Cannes, France; Credit – Wikipedia

With his health rapidly deteriorating in the spring of 1897, the Grand Duke’s family gathered at Villa Wenden, anticipating the worst. On the evening of April 10, 1897, he was found unconscious at the bottom of the villa’s 25-foot retaining wall. He was taken inside but soon died. Officially, the cause of death was an accident. Likely gasping for air, he had gone out onto the balcony and accidentally fell. However, rumors quickly spread that he had died by suicide.

The Helena Pavlovna Mausoleum, following the burial of Friedrich Franz III; Credit – Wikipedia

Friedrich Franz’s remains were brought back to Mecklenburg, where he lay in state in the church at Schwerin Castle. Following his wishes, his funeral was held at the church in Ludwigslust, with the funeral procession led by the German Empress, Viktoria Auguste. Following the service, he was buried in the Helena Pavlovna Mausoleum on the grounds of Ludwigslust Palace in Ludwigslust, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.

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Mecklenburg-Schwerin Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Marie Karoline Auguste of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was the third wife of Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. She was born in Raben Steinfeld, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, on January 29, 1850, the daughter of Prince Adolf of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Princess Mathilde of Schönburg-Waldenburg.

Friedrich Franz II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin; Credit – Wikipedia

On July 4, 1868, in Rudolstadt, Marie married the widowed Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin as his third wife. She was just 18 years old while the Grand Duke was 45. They had four children:

Grand Duchess Marie; Credit – Wikipedia

Grand Duchess Marie died suddenly on April 22, 1922, at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, while in the Netherlands for the 46th birthday celebrations of her youngest son. Her body was returned to Schwerin, and she was buried in the Schwerin Cathedral.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Mecklenburg-Schwerin Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Anna of Hesse and by Rhine, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Anna of Hesse and by Rhine, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin; Credit -Wikipedia

Princess Anna of Hesse and by Rhine was the second wife of Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. She was born Princess Maria Anna Wilhelmine Elisabeth Mathilde on May 25, 1843, in Bessungen, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in the German state of Hesse. She was the only daughter of Prince Karl of Hesse and by Rhine and Princess Elisabeth of Prussia.

Anna had three brothers:

Friedrich Franz II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin; Credit – Wikipedia

Anna was considered a possible wife for the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. However, she married Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin on July 4, 1864, in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in the German state of Hesse. His first wife died two years earlier, and Anna became stepmother to his four children.

Anna and Friedrich Franz had one daughter:

  • Duchess Anna of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1865 -1882) – unmarried, died in her teens

On April 16, 1865, just a week after giving birth to her daughter, 21-year-old Grand Duchess Anna died of puerperal fever (childbed fever) in Schwerin, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. She is buried in the Schwerin Cathedral.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Mecklenburg-Schwerin Resources at Unofficial Royalty