Adolphus Frederick II

Adolphus Frederick II
Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Reign8 March 1701 – 12 May 1708
PredecessorFriedrich Wilhelm
SuccessorAdolf Friedrich III
Born(1658-10-19)19 October 1658
Grabow
Died12 May 1708(1708-05-12) (aged 49)
Spouse
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(m. 1684; died 1701)​
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(m. 1702; died 1704)​
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(m. 1705)​
Issue
Detail
HouseMecklenburg-Strelitz
FatherAdolf Frederick I
MotherMaria Katharina of Brunswick-Dannenberg
ReligionLutheranism

Adolphus Frederick II (German: Adolf Friedrich II; 19 October 1658 – 12 May 1708), Duke of Mecklenburg, was the first Duke of the Mecklenburg-Strelitz, reigning from 1701 until his death. Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a part of the Holy Roman Empire.

Biography

He was born in Grabow as the posthumous son of Duke Adolf Frederick I of Mecklenburg and his second wife, Maria Katharina of Brunswick-Dannenberg (1616–1665).

In 1695, the Mecklenburg-Güstrow branch of the House of Mecklenburg became extinct and Adolphus Frederick's nephew, Frederick William, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, laid claim to the inheritance, a move which Adolphus Frederick opposed.

The dispute was settled in 1701 by dividing Mecklenburg-Güstrow between the two claimants. Frederick William took the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and Adolphus obtained the Principality of Ratzeburg and the Lordship of Stargard with the commanderies of Mirow and Nemerow, of which he formed the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

Following his death in 1708, Adolphus Frederick was succeeded as Duke by his son, Adolphus Frederick III.

Marriages and children

In 1684, Adolphus Frederick II married firstly to Marie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow (19 July 1659 – 16 January 1701), daughter of Gustav Adolph, Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. They had five children:

On 20 June 1702, Adolphus Frederick II married secondly to Princess Johanna of Saxe-Gotha (1 October 1680 – 9 July 1704), daughter of Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, and Magdalena Sybille of Saxe-Weissenfels, who was his half-niece. There were no children from this marriage.

Adolphus Frederick's third wife, Princess Christiane Emilie of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen

On 10 June 1705 at Neustrelitz, Adolphus Frederick II married thirdly to Princess Christiane Emilie of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (13 March 1681 – 1 November 1751), daughter of Christian William I, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, and Countess Antonie Sybille of Barby-Mühlingen (1641–1684). They had two children:

Through his granddaughter Charlotte, Adolphus Frederick is the ancestor of every British monarch beginning with George IV, who ascended the throne of the United Kingdom in 1820.

References

  1. 1 2 Fromm (1875). "Adolf Friedrich II". Deutsche Biografie (in German). Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  2. ↑ Moore, John (1803). View of Society and Manners in France, Switzerland and Germany. A. Strahan and T. Cadell. p. 191.
  3. ↑ Ungewitter, Franz Heinrich (1850). Europe, Past and Present. Putnam. p. 411.