Duchess Elisabeth Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Duchess Elisabeth of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (10 August 1869 – 3 September 1955) was a daughter of Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg by his third wife Princess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. By her marriage to Frederick Augustus II, she became the consort of the last reigning Grand Duke of Oldenburg.
| Elisabeth of Mecklenburg-Schwerin | |
|---|---|
 Duchess Elisabeth of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, c. 1907. | |
| Grand Duchess consort of Oldenburg | |
| Tenure | 13 June 1900 – 11 November 1918 |
| Born | 10 August 1869 Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Schwerin |
| Died | 3 September 1955 (aged 86) Schloß Schaumburg, Germany |
| Burial | Ducal (Herzogliches) Mausoleum, Gertrudenfriedhof, Oldenburg |
| Spouse | Frederick Augustus II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg |
| Issue | Nikolaus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Oldenburg Duke Frederick Augustus Duchess Alexandrine Ingeborg Alix, Princess Stephan Alexander of Schaumburg-Lippe Altburg, Hereditary Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont |
| House | Mecklenburg-Schwerin |
| Father | Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg |
| Mother | Princess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt |
| Religion | Lutheranism |
Family
Elisabeth was related to many of Europe's royal families. She was the eldest child of Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg by his third wife Princess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. She was an older sister of Hendrik, Prince consort of the Netherlands, husband of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, making her an aunt of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands. She was also a younger half-sister of Frederick Francis III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Through Frederick Francis, she was an aunt of Alexandrine, Queen of Denmark and Cecilie, German Crown Princess. Elisabeth was also a half sister of Marie, Grand Duchess of Russia, who was the mother of Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich of Russia, the pretender to the Russian throne.
Her paternal grandparents were Paul Frederick, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg and Princess Alexandrine of Prussia. Her maternal grandparents were Prince Adolph of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Princess Mathilde of Schönburg-Waldenburg.
Marriage
On 24 October 1896, Elisabeth married Frederick Augustus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Oldenburg. His first wife Elisabeth Anna had died the previous year, leaving only one surviving daughter: Duchess Sophia Charlotte of Oldenburg. Frederick Augustus was thus in need of a male heir. He succeeded as Grand Duke of Oldenburg in 1900, making Elisabeth Grand Duchess consort of Oldenburg.
They had five children:
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicolas Frederick William, Hereditary Grand Duke of Oldenburg | 10 August 1897 | 3 April 1970 | married Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont |
| Duke Frederick Augustus | 25 March 1900 | 26 March 1900 | twin with Alexandrine, died in infancy |
| Duchess Alexandrine | 25 March 1900 | 26 March 1900 | twin with Frederick Augustus, died in infancy |
| Duchess Ingeborg Alix | 20 July 1901 | 10 January 1996 | married Prince Stephan Alexander Victor of Schaumburg-Lippe |
| Duchess Altburg Marie Mathilde Olga | 19 May 1903 | 16 June 2001 | married Josias, Hereditary Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont |
Frederick was forced to abdicate his throne at the end of World War I, when the former Grand Duchy of the German Empire joined the post-war German Republic.[1] He and his family took up residence at Rastede Castle, where he took up farming and local industrial interests.[2] A year after his abdication, he asked the Oldenburg Diet for a yearly allowance of 150,000 marks, stating that his financial condition was "extremely precarious".[2]
In 1931, Frederick died in Rastede.
Elisabeth died on 3 September 1955, having been widowed for 24 years.[1]
Honours
Mecklenburg: Dame's Decoration of the House Order of the Wendish Crown, in Diamonds[3]
Ancestry
| Ancestors of Duchess Elisabeth Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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References
- "Duchess Elisabeth", The New York Times, Oldenburg, 5 September 1955
- "Former Grand Duke of Oldenburg Dies", The New York Times, Oldenburg, 24 February 1931
- Grossherzoglich Mecklenburg-Schwerinscher Staatskalendar, 1908, p. 4