Adolf Frederick I, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

Adolf Frederick I (15 December 1588 - 27 February 1658) was the reigning Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from his father's death in 1592 until 1628.

Early life

He was a son of Johann VII of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (7 March 1558 - 22 March 1592) and Sophia of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp (1 June 1569 - 14 November 1634), daughter of Adolf, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp (1526-1586) and his wife Christine of Hesse (1543-1604).

At first Adolf Frederick and his brother Johann Albrecht II reigned under the guardianship of Duke Ulrich III of Mecklenburg-Güstrow and Karl I of Mecklenburg (his father’s uncles). The two brothers took over governance of Mecklenburg-Schwerin beginning on 16 April 1608, and after the death of Karl I on 22 July 1610 they also governed in Mecklenburg-Güstrow.

Division of Mecklenburg and Thirty Years' War

In 1621 the duchy of Mecklenburg was formally divided between the two brothers, with Adolf Frederick ruling in Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Johann Albrecht ruling in Mecklenburg-Güstrow. During the Thirty Years' War, Albrecht von Wallenstein ousted the dukes and ruled from 1627 until 1631 because they had secretly sided with Christian IV of Denmark. The dukes were restored by the Swedes.

Marriage and children

Adolf Friedrich I had 19 children in total.

He was married for the first time on 4 September 1622 to Anna Maria (23 June 1601 - 5 February 1634), daughter of Count Enno III of East Frisia (30 September 1563 - 19 August 1625) and Anna of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp (27 February 1575 - 24 April 1615) and they had the following children:

*Christian Ludwig I (11 December 1623 - 21 June 1692), Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
*Sophie Agnes (11 January 1625 - 26 December 1694)
*Karl (8 March 1626 - 20 August 1670), Duke of Mecklenburg-Mirow
* Anna Maria Dorothea (1 July 1627 - 11 December 1669), married in 1647 to Duke August, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels (1614-1680)
*Johann Georg (5 May 1629 - 9 July 1675)
*Hedwig (11 August 1630 - 17 May 1631)
*Gustav Rudolf (26 February 1632 - 14 May 1670)
*Juliane (8 November 1633 - 3 February 1634)

Adolf Frederick married for the second time in 1635 to Marie Katharina (10 June 1616 - 1 July 1665), daughter of Duke Julius Ernest, Duke of Brunswick-Dannenberg (11 March 1571 - 26 October 1636) and Maria of East Frisia (1 May 1582 - 9 July 1616) and they had the following children:

*Juliane Sibylla (16 February 1636 - 2 October 1701)
*Friedrich I (13 February 1638 - 28 April 1688), Duke of Mecklenburg-Grabow
*Christina (8 August 1639 - 30 June 1693)
*Bernhard Sigismund (21 January 1641 - 15 November 1641)
*Augusta (24 September 1643 - 5 May 1644)
*Maria Elisabeth (24 March 1646 - 27 April 1713)
*Anna Sophia (24 November 1647 - 13 August 1723), married in 1677 to Duke Julius Sigismund of Wuerttemberg-Juliusburg (1653-1684)
*Adolf Ernest (22 November 1650 - 13 January 1651)
*Philipp Ludwig (30 May 1652 - 20 October 1655)
*Heinrich Wilhelm (6 June 1653 - 2 December 1653)
* Adolf Frederick II (19 October 1658 - 12 May 1708), Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

Ancestry

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1= 1. Adolf Frederick I, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
2= 2. Johann V-VII, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
3= 3. Sophie von Holstein-Gottorp
4= 4. Johann Albert I, Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow and Schwerin
5= 5. Anna Sophie, Duchess of Prussia
6= 6. Adolf, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp
7= 7. Christine of Hesse
8= 8. Albert VII, Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow
9= 9. Anna of Brandenburg
10= 10. Albert, Duke of Prussia
11= 11. Dorothea of Denmark
12= 12. Frederick I, King of Denmark
13= 13. Sophie of Pomerania
14= 14. Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse
15= 15. Christine of Saxony
16= 16. Magnus II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Güstrow
17= 17. Sophia of Pomerania-Wolgast
18= 18. Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg
19= 19. Elizabeth of Denmark
20= 20. Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach
21= 21. Sofie of Poland
22= 22. Frederick I, King of Denmark
23= 23. Anna of Brandenburg
24= 24. Christian I, King of Denmark
25= 25. Dorothea of Brandenburg
26= 26. Bogislaw X of Pomerania-Wolgast
27= 27. Anna Jagiello of Poland
28= 28. William II, Landgrave of Hesse
29= 29. Anna of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
30= 30. George, Duke of Saxony
31= 31. Barbara of Poland