Elisabeth of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Duchess Elisabeth of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, c. 1907.
Grand Duchess consort of Oldenburg
Tenure13 June 1900 – 11 November 1918
Born(1869-08-10)10 August 1869
Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Died3 September 1955(1955-09-03) (aged 86)
Schloß Schaumburg, Germany
Burial
Ducal (Herzogliches) Mausoleum, Gertrudenfriedhof, Oldenburg
SpouseFrederick Augustus II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg
IssueNikolaus, 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
HouseMecklenburg-Schwerin
FatherFrederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg
MotherPrincess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
ReligionLutheranism

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.

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:

NameBirthDeathNotes
Nicolas Frederick William, Hereditary Grand Duke of Oldenburg10 August 18973 April 1970married Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Duke Frederick Augustus25 March 190026 March 1900twin with Alexandrine, died in infancy
Duchess Alexandrine25 March 190026 March 1900twin with Frederick Augustus, died in infancy
Duchess Ingeborg Alix20 July 190110 January 1996married Prince Stephan Alexander Victor of Schaumburg-Lippe
Duchess Altburg Marie Mathilde Olga19 May 190316 June 2001married 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

Ancestry

References

  1. 1 2 "Duchess Elisabeth", The New York Times, Oldenburg, 5 September 1955
  2. 1 2 "Former Grand Duke of Oldenburg Dies", The New York Times, Oldenburg, 24 February 1931
  3. ↑ Grossherzoglich Mecklenburg-Schwerinscher Staatskalendar, 1908, p. 4
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