Princess Mary of Great Britain
Mary of Great Britain (5 March 1723 – 14 January 1772) was the second-youngest daughter of George II of Great Britain and his wife, Caroline of Ansbach, and Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel as the wife of Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel.
| Princess Mary | |
|---|---|
 Portrait by Johann Heinrich Tischbein, c. 1754 | |
| Landgravine consort of Hesse-Kassel | |
| Tenure | 1 February 1760 – 14 January 1772 |
| Born | 5 March 1723 (New Style) Leicester House, London, England |
| Died | 14 January 1772 (aged 48) Hanau, Germany |
| Burial | 1 February 1772 Hanau, Germany |
| Spouse | |
| Issue |
|
| House | Hanover |
| Father | George II of Great Britain |
| Mother | Caroline of Ansbach |
Early life
Princess Mary was born at Leicester House, Westminster, London.[1] Her father was the Prince of Wales, later King George II. Her mother was Caroline of Ansbach, daughter of Johann Friedrich, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach.[1]
Her father succeeded, as George II, on 11 June 1727, and she became "HRH The Princess Mary". Upon her death in 1737, her mother, Queen Caroline, entrusted Mary to her elder sister Caroline, urging her to "do what she could to support the meek and mild disposition of Princess Mary".[2]
Marriage
A marriage was negotiated with Landgrave Frederick of Hesse-Kassel, the only son and heir of William VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel.[3] For the marriage, Parliament voted Mary £40,000.[3]
They married by proxy at the Chapel Royal of St. James's Palace in London on 8 May, then in person on 28 June 1740 at Bellevue Palace, Kassel.[1] They had four sons, three of whom survived to adulthood.[3]
The marriage was unhappy, and Frederick was said to be "brutal" and "a boor". Frederick reportedly subjected Mary to spousal abuse.[4] In late 1746, Mary made an extended trip to Britain to escape his maltreatment. The couple separated in 1754 on Frederick's conversion to Roman Catholicism. She was supported by her father-in-law, who provided her with a residence in Hanau, as she did not wish to return to Great Britain, but to stay on the continent to raise her children.[4]
In 1756, Mary moved to Denmark, to take care of the children of her sister Louise of Great Britain, who had died in 1751. She took her children with her, and they were raised at the royal court and her sons were married to Danish princesses. Her husband succeeded his father as Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel in 1760, and so Mary was technically Landgravine consort for the last twelve years of her life, despite her estrangement from her husband.
Mary died on 14 or 16 January 1772, aged 48 at Hanau, Germany.[1]
Archive Information
Mary's personal library and documents are preserved in the Archive of the House of Hesse, which is kept in Fasanerie Palace in Eichenzell, Hesse, Germany.[5]
Arms
On 30 August 1727, as a child of the sovereign, Mary was granted use of the arms of the realm, differenced by a label argent of three points, each bearing a canton gules.[6]
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Issue
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prince William of Hesse-Kassel | 25 December 1741 | 1 July 1742 | died in infancy |
| William I, Elector of Hesse | 3 June 1743 | 27 February 1821 | married, 1763, Wilhelmina Caroline of Denmark and Norway; had issue |
| Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel | 19 December 1744 | 17 August 1836 | married, 1766, Louise of Denmark; had issue |
| Prince Frederick of Hesse-Kassel | 11 September 1747 | 20 May 1837 | married, 1786, Caroline of Nassau-Usingen; had issue |
Ancestors
| Ancestors of Princess Mary of Great Britain |
|---|
References
- Weir, Alison (2008). Britain's Royal Families, The Complete Genealogy. London: Vintage Books. p. 284. ISBN 978-0-09-953973-5.
- Michael A. Beatty: The English Royal Family of America, from Jamestown to the American Revolution
- Williamson, David (2004). "Mary, Princess (1723–1772)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/18253. Retrieved 15 March 2011. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- James Panton:Historical Dictionary of the British Monarchy
- "House of Hesse Archive". Museum Schloss Fasanerie. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
- Marks of Cadency in the British Royal Family
Sources
- Rigg, James McMullen (1893). . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 36. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
- Weir, Alison (2008). Britain's Royal Families, The Complete Genealogy. London: Vintage Books. ISBN 978-0-09-953973-5.
- Williamson, David (2004). "Mary, Princess (1723–1772)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/18253. Retrieved 15 March 2011. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)