Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

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


reign =10 April 1897 - 14 November 1918
predecessor =Frederick Francis III
successor =Monarchy abolished
consort =Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland
royal house =Mecklenburg
father =Frederick Francis III
mother =Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia
date of birth =Birth date|1882|04|9
place of birth =Palermo
date of death =Death date and age|1945|10|17|1882|04|09
place of death =Flensburg|

Friedrich Franz IV (9 April 1882 – 17 November 1945) was the last Grand Duke of Mecklenburg [-Schwerin] and regent of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

Biography

He was born in Palermo the son of Friedrich Franz III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia. He succeeded his father as Grand Duke on 10 April 1897 but due to his minority the Grand Duchy was governed by his uncle Duke Johann Albrecht as regent until Friedrich Franz came of age on April 9 1901. [cite news | title =Celebration in Schwerin| publisher =New York Times| date =1901-04-10| url =http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9B04E0DC103DEE32A25753C1A9629C946097D6CF| accessdate = 2007-10-23 ]

Following the suicide of Grand Duke Adolf Friedrich VI of Mecklenburg-Strelitz he took up the regency of Strelitz due to the heir presumptive Duke Charles Michael serving in the Russian Army and having indicated that he wished to renounce his succession rights. Friedrich Franz abdicated the Grand Ducal throne on 14 November 1918 following the German Empire's defeat in the first world war with the regency ending at the same time.

Friedrich Franz died on 17 November 1945 in Flensburg and was succeeded as head of the Grand Ducal house by his son Hereditary Grand Duke Friedrich Franz. [http://www.heraldica.org/topics/royalty/HGMecklenburg.htm House laws of Mecklenburg] ]

Issue

Friedrich Franz married Princess Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland (1882–1963) the daughter of Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover in Gmunden on 7 June 1904 and they had five children: [ [http://pages.prodigy.net/ptheroff/gotha/mecklenburg.html Online Gotha] ]

*Hereditary Grand Duke Friedrich Franz (1910-2001)
*Duke Christian Ludwig (1912-1996) married Princess Barbara of Prussia, daughter of Prince Sigismund of Prussia
*Duchess Olga (1916-1917)
*Duchess Thyra (1919-1981)
*Duchess Anastasia (1922-1979) married Prince Friedrich Ferdinand of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg

References

Ancestry

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1=1. Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
2=2. Frederick Francis III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
3=3. Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia
4=4. Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
5=5. Princess Augusta Reuss of Köstritz
6=6. Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich of Russia
7=7. Princess Cecilie Auguste of Baden
8=8. Paul Frederick, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
9=9. Princess Alexandrine of Prussia
10=10. Heinrich LXIII, Prince Reuss of Köstritz
11=11. Countess Eleonore of Stolberg-Wernigerode
12=12. Nicholas I of Russia
13=13. Charlotte of Prussia
14=14. Leopold, Grand Duke of Baden
15=15. Princess Sophie of Sweden
16=16. Frederick Louis, Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
17=17. Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna of Russia
18=18. Frederick William III of Prussia
19=19. Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
20=20. Heinrich XLIV, Prince Reuss of Köstritz
21=21. Wilhelmine, Freiin von Geuder
22=22. Heinrich, Count of Stolberg-Wernigerode
23=23. Princess Jenny of Schönburg-Waldenburg
24=24. Paul I of Russia
25=25. Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg
26=26. Frederick William III of Prussia (= 18)
27=27. Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (= 19)
28=28. Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Baden
29=29. Luise Karoline, Freiin Geyer von Geyersberg
30=30. Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden
31=31. Frederica of Baden