Adolf Friedrich VI, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

Infobox Monarch
name =Adolf Friedrich VI
title =Grand Duke of Mecklenburg [-Strelitz]


reign =11 June 1914 – 23 February 1918
predecessor =Adolf Friedrich V
successor =Friedrich Franz IV as Regent
royal house =Mecklenburg
father =Adolf Friedrich V
mother =Elisabeth of Anhalt
date of birth =Birth date|1882|06|17
place of birth =Neustrelitz
date of death =Death date and age|1918|02|23|1882|06|17
place of death =Neustrelitz|

Adolf Friedrich VI (17 June 1882 - 23 February 1918) was the last Grand Duke of Mecklenburg [-Strelitz] .

Early life

He was born in Neustrelitz the third child and eldest son of the then Hereditary Grand Duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and his wife Princess Elisabeth of Anhalt (1857-1933). [ The Last Courts of Europe by Jeffrey Finestone, p.144 ] He attended a gymnasium school in Dresden, and later studied jurisprudence in Munich along with serving in the Army. He became heir apparent and Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz on the death of his grandfather Friedrich Wilhelm on 30 May 1904.

Adolf Friedrich and his brother Duke Karl Borwin are said to have agreed that Adolf Friedrich could devote his life to his painting while Karl Borwin would marry and continue the dynasty. Ultimately this could never be realised as Karl Borwin died in 1908 and Adolf Friedrich was subsequently reported to be engaged to various European princesses with Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia [cite news | title = Sign of Royal engagement | pages = 3 | publisher = New York Times | date = 1912-01-20 ] the only daughter of the German Emperor William II and Princess Patricia of Connaught both mentioned. [cite news | title = Princess Pat engaged?; Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Said to be Her Fiance. | pages =4 | publisher = New York Times | date =1913-06-30 ]

He succeeded his father as Grand Duke on his death on the 11 June 1914, a few months before the outbreak of the first world war. Adolf Friedrich was reported to have married morganatically with attempts made to force him to divorce his wife and conduct an equal marriage but he refused.cite news | title =Duke a suicide, fearing divorce| publisher =New York Times| date =1918-03-08| url =http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9803E2DB133DE533A2575BC0A9659C946996D6CF| accessdate = 2007-10-23 ]

Death

On the 23 February 1918 at Neustrelitz Adolf Friedrich committed suicide which left Mecklenburg-Strelitz facing a succession crisis, as the only surviving member of the Strelitz line, Duke Charles Michael of Mecklenburg was serving in Russia and had indicated that he wished to renounce his rights to Mecklenburg-Strelitz in 1914. Lines of Succession by Jiri Louda, p.222 ] Although at Adolf Friedrich's request he later agreed to defer any renunciation until the matter arose. There was also a morganatic male-line relative in Duke Charles Michael's nephew George, Count of Carlow (1899-1963), but as Charles Michael was in Russia Grand Duke Friedrich Franz IV of Mecklenburg-Schwerin became regent and remained such until the end of the German monarchies when the government in Strelitz declared the end of the regency. Friedrich Franz IV received conformation from Charles Michael that he wished to renounce his succession rights although this only arrived in 1919 after the abolition of the monarchies and the establishment of the Free State of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

In his will Adolf Friedrich left his whole fortune which had been amassed by his grandfather and was estimated at 30 million Marks to Friedrich Franz IV of Mecklenburg-Schwerin's second son Duke Christian Ludwig (1912-96). He did this on the condition that he become Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and take up residence in Neustrelitz; otherwise the inheritance would be reduced to 3 million Marks. [http://www.heraldica.org/topics/royalty/HGMecklenburg.htm House laws of Mecklenburg] ]

Ancestors

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1= 1. Adolf Friedrich VI, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
2= 2. Adolf Friedrich V, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
3= 3. Princess Elisabeth of Anhalt
4= 4. Friedrich Wilhelm, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
5= 5. Princess Augusta of Cambridge
6= 6. Friedrich I, Duke of Anhalt
7= 7. Princess Antoinette of Saxe-Altenburg
8= 8. Georg, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
9= 9. Princess Marie of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel)
10= 10. Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge
11= 11. Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel)
12= 12. Leopold IV, Duke of Anhalt
13= 13. Princess Frederica of Prussia
14= 14. Prince Eduard of Saxe-Altenburg
15= 15. Princess Amalie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
16= 16. Karl II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
17= 17. Landgravine Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt
18= 18. Prince Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel)
19= 19. Princess Karoline Polyxene of Nassau-Usingen
20= 20. King George III of the United Kingdom
21= 21. Duchess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
22= 22. Prince Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) (=18)
23= 23. Princess Karoline Polyxene of Nassau-Usingen (=19)
24= 24. Hereditary Prince Friedrich of Anhalt-Dessau
25= 25. Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Homburg
26= 26. Prince Ludwig Karl of Prussia
27= 27. Duchess Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
28= 28. Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg
29= 29. Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
30= 30. Karl III, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
31= 31. Marie Antoinette Murat

References

Books

*cite book
last = Louda
first = Jiri
authorlink = Jiri Louda (author)
coauthors = Michael Maclagan
title = Lines of Succession
publisher = Orbis Publishing
date= 1981
location = London
pages =
url =
doi =
id = ISBN 0 85613-276-4
*cite book
last = Finestone
first = Jeffrey
authorlink = Jeffrey Finestone (author)
coauthors = Robert Massie (introduction)
title = The Last Courts of Europe
publisher = J M Dent & Sons Ltd
date= 1981
location = London
pages =
url =
doi =
id = ISBN 0 460 04519 9