Elisabeth Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin | |
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Grand Duchess of Oldenburg | |
Duchess Elisabeth Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, c. 1907. | |
Reign | 13 June 1900 – 11 November 1918 |
Spouse | Frederick Augustus II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg |
Issue | |
Nikolaus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Oldenburg Duchess Alexandrine of Oldenburg Ingeborg Alix, Princess Stephan Alexander of Schaumburg-Lippe Altburg, Hereditary Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont |
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Full name | |
Elisabeth Alexandrine | |
House | House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin House of Holstein-Gottorp |
Father | Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg |
Mother | Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt |
Born | 10 August 1869 Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Schwerin |
Died | 3 September 1955 Schaumburg, West Germany |
(aged 86)
Burial | Ducal (Herzogliches) Mausoleum, Gertrudenfriedhof, Oldenburg |
Religion | Lutheranism |
Duchess Elisabeth Alexandrine 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.[1] By her marriage to Frederick Augustus II, she became the consort of the last reigning Grand Duke of Oldenburg.
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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. Through Frederick Francis, she was an aunt of Alexandrine, Queen of Denmark and Cecilie, the last Crown Princess of Germany. 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 Schonburg-Waldenburg.
On 24 October 1896, Elisabeth married Frederick Augustus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Oldenburg.[1] 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 four children:
Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
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Nicolas Frederick William, Hereditary Grand Duke of Oldenburg | 10 August 1897 | 3 April 1970 | married Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont |
Duchess Alexandrine | 25 March 1900 | 26 March 1900 | |
Duchess Ingeborg Alix | 1901 | 1996 | married Prince Stephan Alexander Victor of Schaumburg-Lippe |
Duchess Altburg Marie Mathilde Olga | 1903 | 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.[2] He and his family took up residence at Rastede Castle, where he took up farming and local industrial interests.[3] 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".[3]
In 1931, Frederick died in Rastede. Elisabeth died on 3 September 1955, having been widowed for 24 years.[2]
Ancestors of Duchess Elisabeth Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Duchess Elisabeth Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Cadet branch of the House of Mecklenburg
Born: 29 September 1882 Died: 30 August 1963 |
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German royalty | ||
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Vacant
Title last held by
Princess Elisabeth of Saxe-Altenburg |
Grand Duchess of Oldenburg 13 June 1900 – 11 November 1918 |
Monarchy abolished |
Titles in pretence | ||
Loss of title Monarchy abolished
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— TITULAR — Grand Duchess of Oldenburg 11 November 1918 – 24 February 1931 Reason for succession failure: Grand Duchy abolished in 1918 |
Succeeded by Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont |
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