Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

Infobox Monarch
name =Frederick Francis II
title =Grand Duke of Mecklenburg [-Schwerin]


reign =7 March 1842 – 15 April 1883
predecessor =Paul Friedrich
successor =Friedrich Franz III
consort =i) Auguste of Reuss
ii) Anne of Hesse and by Rhine
iii) Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
royal house =Mecklenburg
father =Paul Friedrich
mother =Alexandrine of Prussia
date of birth =Birth date|1823|2|28
place of birth =Ludwigslust
date of death =Death date and age|1883|4|15|1823|2|28
place of death =Schwerin|

Friedrich Franz II (28 February 1823 - 15 April 1883) was a German soldier and the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg [-Schwerin] regining from 7 March 1842 until 15 April 1883.

Biography

He was born in Schloss Ludwigslust the eldest son of the then Hereditary Grand Duke Paul Friedrich and his wife Princess Alexandrine of Prussia. He became the heir apparent to the Grand Duchy following the death of his great grandfather Frederick Francis I on 1 February 1837. Friedrich Franz was privately educated until 1838 when he attended the Blochmann institute in Dresden before going to the University of Bonn.cite news | title =Obituary - Friedrich Franz II| publisher =New York Times| date =1883-04-16| url =http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990DE2D81530E433A25755C1A9629C94629FD7CF| accessdate = 2007-10-23 ] [cite book |last= Garlington|first= JC| title =The Men of the Time, Or, Sketches of Living Notables | publisher =Redfield| date =1852| pages =349] Friedrich Franz succeeded his father as Grand Duke on 7 March 1842.

Friedrich Franz served on the general staff of Generalfeldmarschall Friedrich Graf von Wrangel during the Second Schleswig War. During the Austro-Prussian War he commanded the forces that occupied Leipzig and lay siege to Nuremberg. He also took part in the Franco-Prussian War during which he was made Governor-General of Reims and commanded the German forces laying siege Toul. He then had the task of the defending the German forces during the Siege of Paris from attack by the Army of the Loire and at Beaune-La-Rolande he defeated a French army. He held the rank of Prussian general and was also a Russian General Field Marshal.

Friedrich Franz died on 15 April 1883 in Schwerin and was succeeded as Grand Duke by his eldest son Friedrich Franz III.

Marriages and children

Friedrich Franz was married firstly to Princess Auguste of Reuss (1822-1862) on 3 November 1849 in Ludwigslust. They had six children:

*Friedrich Franz III (1851-1897)
*Paul Friedrich (1852-1923) married Princess Marie of Windisch-Grätz
*Marie (1854-1920) married Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia
*Nikolaus (1855-1856)
*Johann Albrecht (1857-1920) Imperial regent of the Duchy of Brunswick
*Alexander (1859-1859)

Friedrich Franz married secondly in Darmstadt 4 July 1864 to Princess Anne of Hesse and by Rhine (1822-1865) they had one daughter:

*Anne (1865-1882)

His third wife was Princess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1850-1922) with whom he had four children:

*Elizabeth (1869-1955) married Frederick Augustus II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg (1852-1931)
*Friedrich William (1871-1897)
*Adolf Friedrich (1873-1969)
*Heinrich (1876-1934) married Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands

Ancestors

ahnentafel top|Ancestors of Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|width=100%ahnentafel-compact4
style=font-size: 90%; line-height: 110%;
border=1
boxstyle=padding-top: 0; padding-bottom: 0;
boxstyle_1=background-color: #999;
boxstyle_2=background-color: #bbb;
boxstyle_3=background-color: #ddd;
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1= Friedrich Franz II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
2= Paul Frederick, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
3= Princess Alexandrine of Prussia
4= Friedrich Ludwig, Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
5= Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna of Russia
6= Frederick William III of Prussia
7= Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
8= Frederick Francis I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
9= Princess Luise of Saxe-Gotha
10=Paul I of Russia
11=Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg
12=Frederick William II of Prussia
13=Frederika Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt
14=Charles II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
15=Friederike Caroline Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt ahnentafel bottom

References

External links