Grand Ducal Houses of Mecklenburg (Schwerin and Strelitz)

[stacy]

Arms of the Grand Ducal House of Mecklenburg

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Originally Posted by Charles

.... and Grand Duke of Mecklenburg.

Why? Isn't there a Grand Ducal family (or two) of Mecklenburg - Schwerin and Strelitz

[Charles]

The Grand Dukes of Mecklenburg-Strelitz became extinct in the male line so the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin inherited, becoming in effect, the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg.

When the all the male dynasts of Mecklenburg died out, the claim passed to the House of Hohenzollern (Prussia) as stated in family pacts, laws, what have you.

[Benjamin]

Originally Posted by Charles

The Grand Dukes of Mecklenburg-Strelitz became extinct in the male line so the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin inherited, becoming in effect, the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg.

When the all the male dynasts of Mecklenburg died out, the claim passed to the House of Hohenzollern (Prussia) as stated in family pacts, laws, what have you.

Actually it the Grand Ducal House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin which is extinct in the male line. This happened when HRH Friedrich Franz (V), Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin died in 2001. There are currently three female members of the House that are still living and these are:

1. HH Duchess Donata of Mecklenburg, Mrs. Alexander von Solodkoff (b. 1956) who was a niece of Friedrich Franz
2. HH Duchess Edwina of Mecklenburg, Mrs. Konrad von Posern (b. 1960) who is a sister of Donata
3. HH Duchess Woizlawa Feodora Elise Marie Elisabeth of Mecklenburg, Princess Heinrich I Reuss (b. 1918) who is a distant relative of the late Friedrich Franz

The Grand Ducal House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz is not extinct however. The current head of the Grand Ducal House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz is HH Georg-Borwin Friedrich Franz Carl Stephan Konrad Hubertus Maria, Duke of Mecklenburg (b. 1956) and his wife is HH Duchess Alice of Mecklenburg, nee Wagner with whom he has two sons (Alexander and Michael) and a daughter (Olga).

Note to reader: All information was taken from Almanach de Gotha 2004 Volume 1 The Reigning and Formerly Reigning Houses of Europe and South America and the Mediatized Princes and Princely Counts of Europe and The Holy Roman Empire.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Benjamin

The Grand Ducal House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz is not extinct however. The current head of the Grand Ducal House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz is HH Georg-Borwin Friedrich Franz Carl Stephan Konrad Hubertus Maria, Duke of Mecklenburg (b. 1956) and his wife is HH Duchess Alice of Mecklenburg, nee Wagner with whom he has two sons (Alexander and Michael) and a daughter (Olga).

Georg-Borwin is HSH, not HH... He is also not a dynast but a morganaut. He can't be the head of the Grand Ducal House as he can't even be the Grand Duke. If Germany was not a republic, George Frederick of Prussia would be the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg.

[Benjamin]

Georg-Borwin is indeed His Highness Duke of Mecklenburg and Head of the Grand Ducal House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.
Reasons:

• The heir to the last Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Adolf Friedrich VI (who commited suicide in February of 1918), was his first cousin, Duke Carl Michael of Mecklenburg. Though Carl Michael did not assume the throne due to his dislike of Germany he was still the Head of the Grand Ducal House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. He adopted his nephew, Georg, Count von Carlow, who on his adoption was legally allowed to assume the title of his adoped father, that is Duke of Mecklenburg because he became Carl Michael's legal heir. Georg was therefore no longer morganatic because legally he was no longer his biological parents son.
• HIH Grand Duke Kyrill of Russia confirmed the title and bestowed upon Georg the qualification of His Serene Highness.
• The late Head of the Grand Ducal House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin also recognized Georg's rights and on December 18, 1950, Georg assumed the qualification of His Highness.
• Georg-Borwin's position as Head of the House was and is confirmed by the prestigious and most recent edition of Almanach de Gotha, the "Bible of Royalty and Aristocracy," by the Head of the Imperial House of Russia, and by the late Head of the Grand Ducal House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

His Highness Duke Georg-Borwin of Mecklenburg is the current Head of the Grand Ducal House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

[stacy]

Originally Posted by Benjamin

....

• HIH Grand Duke Kyrill of Russia confirmed the title and bestowed upon Georg the qualification of His Serene Highness.....

How come the head of the russian royal family has authority over German titles?

[Benjamin]

Originally Posted by stacy

[/list]How come the head of the russian royal family has authority over German titles?

Due to the fact that at the time Kyrill was the Head of the Imperial House of Russia he could grant titles to anyone that he pleases (that does not mean the title is recognized by all). His ability to create titles and styles for a German royal does not mean that he literally has authority over that person. I believe Kyrill bestowed the title His Serene Highness upon Georg because he wanted Georg to eventually be accepted as the heir of Carl Michael and therefore eventually Head of the Grand Ducal House. Hope that answers your question.

[Marengo]

Dutch political magazine Elsevier says that princess Woizlawa Feodora of Reuss and her son Prince Heinrich XIII of Reuss want Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands to clear the name of their father/grandfather Duke Adolf of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. The duke, who was the Queens godfather and a brother of prince-consort Hendrik of the Netherlands was considered by the Dutch RF as a Nazi and after the war was ignored by his Dutch relatives. A painful moment occured during the Olympics in Helsinki when the duke wanted to greet his Dutch relatives and they turned their back on him. Apparently Prince Bernhard asked him to save Bernhards friend Jhr. Willem Roell from being shot due to his involvement with the resistance, the Duke however refused to lift a finger. The Dutch RF also thought he was a fanatical Nazi and the right hand of Herman Goring.

In Elsevier his daughter and grandson however say that the duke was not active in the NSDAP. Neither was he a friend or confidente of Goring, though he hunted with him several times. Prince Heinrich XIII tells Elsevier that 'I am afraid my sweet cousin was adviced wrongly'.

Article in Dutch here.

[lucien]

I think his lieber cousine wasn't ill adviced at all,and what's more,now he can most certainly forget any sign of recognition/rehab from her as well.Going public with private matters doesn't sit well at Huis ten Bosch Palace,and rightfully so.

[Marengo]

I don't think they mind that much what Huis ten Bosch palace thinks actually. The house of Orange has been ignoring this part of the family since the war! It seems this is an elderly lady who wants to set the record straight (or what she thinks is straight). If duke Adolf really wasn't involved in with the Nazi's and such it is quite understandable. Due to the attitude of the Dutch RF Adolf usually has the sentense 'fanatic Nazi' added to his name whenever he is mentioned in Dutch biographies about the RF. If he wasn't a fervent Nazi I can see that his daughter would be bothered by it.

After reading a bit more about the matter it seems that I was wrong on several parts. It was Duke Friedrich Franz and not DUke Adolf Friedrich who refused to help Prince Bernhards friend Jhr. Willem Roell. Note that many biographies say it was Adolf Friedrich though. And another thing: Duchess Woizlawa Feodora was invited to the silver wedding of Queen Juliana. It was Queen Wilhelmina who 'banned' most of her husbands relatives from court from being too pro-Nazi (note that she did the same with the Waldecks; though with Fuerst Wittikind succeeding his Nazi father there was some sort of chill).

Anyway, royalblog says that it was Queen WIlhelmina who banned the Mecklenburgs. Still while Juliana was alive there was always some form of contact but after her death it became very quiet in The Hague. The Duchess regrets that: 'it remains family'. In Elsevier Prince Heinrich XIII also points out that HM did go to Bad Arolsen; while Prince Wittikinds father was a much more fervent Nazi than any Mecklenburg ever was. - I think this has more to do with the fact that Queen Emma is generally more comemorated and hailed here than Prince Hendrik is, who is seen as an embarrassement. And of course Queen Emma was the regent for 8 years.

On royalblog it is said that the judge in Gera ruled that the families properties like Schloss Thallwitz (Saxony) has to be returned after all.

Source: www.royablog.nl

[Next Star]

I know there is two different branches of this house. I was wondering if someone can
tell me which branch is the senior and junior?

[Warren]

The common ancestor of the two lines was Duke Adolf Friedrich I of Mecklenburg (-Schwerin) (d 1658). His grandson Duke Christian Ludwig II was ancestor of the Schwerin line while his youngest and posthumous son Duke Adolf Friedrich II founded that of Strelitz. Schwerin is the senior line.

The Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin assumed the title of Grand Duke on 14 June 1815 and the Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz did likewise on 28 June 1815.

[Count langley]

Does anyone have any information regarding the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, e.g. maps, pictures, Coats-of-Arms, etc...

[DWC]

Originally Posted by Count langley

Does anyone have any information regarding the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, e.g. maps, pictures, Coats-of-Arms, etc...

The wikipedia article will have some information.
Mecklenburg-Strelitz - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Here is a photo of the current Grand Ducal Family.
The Royal Family of Mecklenburg. L-R Their Ro... Photo - Hinterzarten