Frederick Francis I (10 December 1756 – 1 February 1837) ruled over the German state of
Mecklenburg-Schwerin, first as duke (1785–1815), and then as grand duke (1815–1837).
Biography
He was born in
Schwerin
Schwerin (; Mecklenburgian Low German: ''Swerin''; Latin: ''Suerina'', ''Suerinum'') is the capital and second-largest city of the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as well as of the region of Mecklenburg, after Rostock. It ...
,
Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, to
Duke Louis of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Ludwig, Hereditary Prince of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (; 6 August 172512 September 1778) was heir to the Dukedom of Mecklenburg-Schwerin for twenty-two years from 1756 to his death in 1778. He was also the father of the first Grand Duke of Mecklenbur ...
and
Princess Charlotte Sophie of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
Princess Charlotte Sophie of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Duchess in Saxony (24 September 1731 – 2 August 1810) was a German duchess.
She was the daughter of Franz Josias, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and Princess Anna Sophie of Schwarzburg-Rudolsta ...
. Friedrich Franz succeeded his uncle Friedrich as duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in 1785.
Following the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
, Friedrich Franz was raised to the dignity of
grand duke at the
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...
.
Along with his cousin in Mecklenburg-Strelitz, he was known as one of the most reactionary German rulers. On his death in 1837 he was succeeded by his grandson, Grand Duke
Paul Friedrich.
Marriage and children
On 1 June 1775 in
Gotha
Gotha () is the fifth-largest city in Thuringia, Germany, west of Erfurt and east of Eisenach with a population of 44,000. The city is the capital of the Gotha (district), district of Gotha and was also a residence of the Ernestine House of Wet ...
, Friedrich Franz married
Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince.
Princess as a subs ...
. They had eight children:
*Daughter (stillborn 7 May 1776), buried in the
''Schelfkirche St. Nikolai'' of Schwerin.
[''Schelfkirche St. Nikolai zu Schwerin'' in: worldhistory.de](_blank)
etrieved 2 March 2017
*Son (stillborn 11 May 1777), buried in the ''Schelfkirche St. Nikolai'' of Schwerin.
*
Friedrich Ludwig (13 June 1778 – 29 November 1819). He married
Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna of Russia
Elena Pavlovna (; 24 December 1784 S 13 December– 24 September 1803) was born a grand duchess of Russia as the daughter of Paul I, Emperor of all the Russias and later became the Hereditary Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin as the wife ...
, a daughter of
Paul I of Russia and
Sophie Marie Dorothea of Württemberg
Sophie is a version of the female given name Sophia, meaning "wise".
People with the name Born in the Middle Ages
* Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson
* Sophie of Thuringia, Duchess o ...
*
Louise Charlotte (19 November 1779 – 4 January 1801). Married
Emil Leopold August, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
Augustus, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (full name: ''Emil Leopold August'') (23 November 1772 — 17 May 1822), was a Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, and the author of one of the first modern novels to treat of homoerotic love. He was the maternal ...
*Gustav Wilhelm (31 January 1781 – 10 January 1851).
*Karl (2 July 1782 – 22 May 1833).
*
Charlotte Frederica (4 December 1784 – 13 July 1840). Married
Christian VIII of Denmark. They were parents to
Frederick VII of Denmark.
*Adolf (18 December 1785 – 8 May 1821).
Ancestry
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frederick Francis 01 Of Mecklenburg, Grand Duke
1756 births
1837 deaths
People from Schwerin
Dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Protestant monarchs
Grand Dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
German landowners