#duchess alexandrine of mecklenburg-strelitz

[graceofromanovs]

GODPARENTS OF GRAND DUCHESS ELENA VLADIMIROVNA

Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna, the youngest child and only daughter of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia and his German-born wife Grand Duchess Maria Pavlova (née Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin), was born on 29 January (O.S. 17) 1882 in Saint Petersburg. She was christened on 12 March in the Grand Palace Church of Catherine Palace, Tsarskoe Selo. Her godparents were:

ALEXANDER III, EMPEROR OF RUSSIA - her paternal uncle, who had succeeded the Russian throne just a year prior, was named as one of her godparents. He was highly reactionary in domestic affairs and reversed some of the liberal reforms of his father, Alexander II. He was present at his niece's christening.

FREDERICK FRANCIS II, GRAND DUKE OF MECKLENBURG-SCHWERIN - her maternal grandfather was another of her godparents. A Romanov by descent (being a great-grandson of Tsar Paul), he held the rank of Prussian general and was also a Russian General Field Marshal.

MARIE, GRAND DUCHESS CONSORT OF MECKLENBURG-SCHWERIN - her step-grandmother was also named as her godparent. The third wife of Frederick Francis II, whose marriage produced four children, including Prince Hendrik, consort of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and father of Queen Juliana.

GRAND DUCHESS CATHERINE MIKHAILOVNA OF RUSSIA - A first cousin of her grandfather, Catherine was one of the two godparents present at her christening. She was the wife of Duke Georg August of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, and a great philanthropist and many of the organisations she supported and helped to create still operate today.

ALEXANDRINE, GRAND DUCHESS OF MECKLENBURG-SCHWERIN - her maternal great-grandmother, a Prussian-born princess was also her godparent. She was a sister of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna-consort of Nicholas I-who was Elena's great-grandmother on her father’s side. In 1822, she married Paul Frederick, Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (himself, a grandson of Russian Tsar Paul). Their marriage was generally considered unhappy, he was a military man who had little time for or interest in his wife and family. Alexandrine, by contrast, was a devoted mother who tenderly raised her children and actively cultivated their cultural pursuits. 

Source

[die-greifen]

when: royally fun facts

They may not be fun, but some of them are made-up. Made up facts are in italics.

Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia

(Karolina Augusta's great-great-grandmother)

Is the granddaughter of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia

Is the mother of Alexandrine, Queen Consort of Denmark

Is the mother of Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

Is the mother of Cecilie, Crown Princess of Germany

Following the death of her husband, had a illegitimate son with her personal secretary

Three of her brothers were murdered by the Bolsheviks during the Russian revolution

Princess Karola of Urach

(Karolina Augusta's great-grandmother)

Karola’s father, Wilhelm Karl, 2nd Duke of Urach, was briefly elected as the King of Lithuania in 1918.

Princess Karola of Urach was the first queen consort of Mecklenburg, and also the last Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

Karola was the grand-niece of Empress Elisabeth ‘Sisi’ of Austria.

Karola was the half-niece of Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians.

Karola half-first cousins include Leopold III of Belgium, and Marie José, the last Queen Consort of Italy.

Karola and Mary of Teck, Queen of the United Kingdom, both descend from morganatic branches of the House of Württemberg. Karola and Mary were third cousins as great-great-granddaughters of Friedrich II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg.

Karola was a Roman Catholic and retained her faith following her marriage to Heinrich Ludwig, though their children were brought up in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg.

Duchess Thyra of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

(Karolina Augusta's grandmother)

Thyra’s father, Grand Duke Friedrich Franz IV of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, was overthrown by her father-in-law, King Heinrich Ludwig of Mecklenburg

Thyra was the first Crown Princess of Mecklenburg (1939 - 1954)

Thyra was the second Queen of Mecklenburg (1954 - 1980)

Thyra was the niece of Alexandrine, Queen of Denmark (1912 - 1947)

Thyra was the first cousin of Frederik IX of Denmark (1947 - 1972)

Thyra was the niece of Cecilie, Crown Princess of Germany (1905 - 1951)

Thyra was the first cousin of Louis Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia (1951 - 1994)

Thyra was the niece of Marie Louise, Margravine of Baden (1928 - 1929)

Thyra was the first cousin of Berthold, Margrave of Baden (1929 - 1963), who married Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark (the older sister of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh)

Thyra was the niece of Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick (1913 - 1918) and head of the House of Hannover (1923 - 1953)

Thyra was the first cousin of Ernst August, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick, Prince of Hanover (1953 - 1987)

Thyra was the first cousin of Frederica, Queen of Greece (1947 - 1964)

Princess Eleonora of Leiningen

(Karolina Augusta's mother)

Descends from all three children of Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld: Carl, 3rd Prince of Leiningen; Princess Feodora of Leiningen; and Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.

Queen Karolina Augusta I of Mecklenburg

Is the first female ruler in Mecklenburg’s 900 year history.

Will be the final ruler from the House of Mecklenburg which will eventually bring an end to the House’s status as the longest still reigning house in European history.

Is descended from both Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, and of King Christian IX of Denmark.

Has been the youngest monarch in the world since 1992.

Has 15 godparents:

HRH Princess Cecilie Auguste, Duchess of Ludwigslust (paternal aunt)

HRH Princess Marie Anastasia, Duchess of Grevesmühlen (paternal aunt)

HRH Princess Benedikte of Denmark (paternal second cousin once removed)

HRH Princess Alexandra of Hanover, Princess of Leiningen (maternal aunt-by-marriage)

HSH Princess Margarita of Hohenlohe-Oehringen, Princess of Leiningen (maternal aunt-by-marriage)

HM Silvia, Queen of Sweden (family friend)

HM Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (paternal and maternal second cousin twice removed)

HRH Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (paternal third cousin once removed)

HRH Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (paternal third cousin once removed and family friend)

HRH Prince Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark (paternal third cousin)

HH Prince Harald of Denmark (paternal first cousin once removed)

HSH Prince Hermann Friedrich of Leiningen (maternal first cousin once removed)

HRH Prince Felipe, Prince of Asturias (paternal third cousin)

HH Borwin, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (distant cousin and family friend)

HSH Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein (distant cousin and family friend)

[princessvictoriamelita]

Magazine "Ueber Land und Meer" illustration depicting young German unmarried Princesses in 1895.

Back row: Duchess Elsa of Württemberg, Princess Alexandra of Schaumburg-Lippe and Duchess Olga of Württemberg.

Back row: Duchess Elsa of Württemberg, Princess Alexandra of Schaumburg-Lippe and Duchess Olga of Württemberg.

Middle row: Princess Clara of Bavaria, Duchesses Sophia Adelheid and Elisabeth in Bavaria, and Duchess Elisabeth Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

Front row: Duchess Marie Gabrielle in Bavaria, Princesses Mathilde and Hildegarde of Bavaria and Duchess Jutta of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

Back row: Duchess Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Princess Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen and Princess Alexandra of Anhalt.

Middle row (1) Princess Pauline of Württemberg, German Empress Augusta Victoria with her daughter, Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia and Princess Olga of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.

Middle row (2): Duchess Sophia Charlotte of Oldenburg, Princess Elisabeth of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Princess Adelaide of Schaumburg-Lippe.

Front row: Princess Sybille Marguerite of Hesse, Princesses Adelgunde and Maria Ludwiga of Bavaria, and Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

[nanshe-of-nina]

Women of the House of Romanov, part III

Grand Duchess Yelisaveta Mikhailovna. Daughter of Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich and Charlotte von Württemberg.

Grand Duchess Yekaterina Mikhailovna. Daughter of Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich and Charlotte von Württemberg. Mother of Helene zu Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Prinzessin von Sachsen-Altenburg

Grand Duchess Olga Konstaninovna. Daughter of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich and Alexandra von Sachsen-Altenburg. Mother of Alexandra of Greece and Denmark and Maria of Greece and Denmark.

Grand Duchess Maria Aleksandrovna. Daughter of Tsar Aleksandr II and Marie von Hessen und bei Rhein. Mother of Marie of Edinburgh, Queen of Romania; Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; and Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, infanta de España.

Grand Duchess Vera Konstantinovna. Daughter of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich and Alexandra von Sachsen-Altenburg. Mother of Elsa von Württemberg, Prinzessin zu Schaumburg-Lippe and Olga von Württemberg, Prinzessin zu Schaumburg-Lippe.

Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna. Daughter of Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich and Cäcilie Auguste von Baden. Mother of Alexandrine zu Mecklenburg, Dronning af Danmark and Cecilie zu Mecklenburg, Kronprinzessin des deutschen Kaiserreichs.

Grand Duchess Kseniya Aleksandrovna. Daughter of Tsar Aleksandr III and Dagmar af Danmark. Mother of Princess Irina Aleksandrovna.

Grand Duchess Yelena Vladimirovna. Daughter of Grand Duke Vladimir Aleksandrovich and Marie zu Mecklenburg. Mother of Olga of Greece and Denmark; Elisávet of Greece and Denmark, Gräfin zu Toerring-Jettenbach; and Marina of Greece and Denmark, Duchess of Kent.

Grand Duchess Olga Aleksandrovna. Daughter of Tsar Aleksandr III and Dagmar af Danmark.

Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna. Daughter of Grand Duke Pavel Aleksandrovich and Alexandra of Greece and Denmark.

[heavyarethecrowns]

People that have marred in to Royal Families since 1800

Luxembourg 

Princess Charlotte Luise Friederike Amalie Alexandrine of Saxe-Hildburghausen 28 January 1794 – 6 April 1825

Charlotte was a member of the House of Saxe-Hildburghausen and a Princess of Saxe-Hildburghausen (and later of Saxe-Altenburg) by birth. Through her marriage to William, Duke of Nassau, Louise was also a member of the House of Nassau-Weilburg and Duchess consort of Nassau. Louise was briefly Princess consort of Nassau-Weilburg in 1816.

Louise was the seventh child of Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen and his wife Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. One of her godparents were her aunt, Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen consort of Kingdom of Prussia. Louise and her sister Therese were considered very beautiful, and were the subject of the Friedrich Rückert poem “Mit drei Moosrosen."

In 1809, Ludwig, Crown Prince of Bavaria visited Schloss Hildburghausen to choose his bride. Ludwig chose between Louise and Therese and finally selected Therese. Louise married William, Duke of Nassau, eldest son of Frederick William, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg and his wife Burgravine Louise Isabelle of Kirchberg, on 24 June 1813 in Weilburg.

To honor the occasion of their marriage, the Civil Guard of Weilberg and Samuel Luja composed the "Cantate am Feste der Heimführung des Erbprinzen Wilhelm von Nassau mit der Prinzessin Louise von Sachsen-Hildburghausen

The couple went on to have eight children.

The marriage was an unhappy one. Louise's husband was not only autocratic in politics, but also with regard to his family circle and bullied his wife and children. Louise died in 1825 shortly after the birth of her youngest daughter, Marie. Following her death, Louise's husband married her sister Charlotte's daughter Princess Pauline of Württemberg

 The Luisenplatz and Luisenstraße in Wiesbaden are named for Louise.

[die-greifen]

where: official residences

SCHWERINER SCHLOSS

Schweriner Schloss is the official residence of the monarch of Mecklenburg. It is currently the official residence of Karolina Augusta I and her mother, Queen Eleonora.

SCHLOSS NEUSTRELITZ

Formerly the official residence of the Grand Dukes of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the building burnt down in 1945 and was later demolished by the Soviets. Following the fall of the Soviet Union, King Wilhelm Franz I bought the land and surrounding estate and began plans to rebuild the Schloss. After some delays, rebuilding was completed in 2008. Since 2012, it has been the official residence of the Queen’s younger brother, Prince Klaus Wilhelm, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Havel.

ALTE BURG NEUSTADT-GLEWE

One of the oldest castles in the country, the Alte Burg (Old Castle) has been the official residence of Princess Feodora of Denmark, a granddaughter of King Heinrich Ludwig I, since 1980. The castle is also used by her husband, Prince Karl Emmeran of Liechtenstein and their four children.

ALTE BURG PENZLIN

Also one of the oldest castles in the country, the Alte Burg and the surrounding land was purchased by King Wilhelm Franz I in 1991. Restoration was completed in 1999. Since then, it has been the official residence of the daughter of King Heinrich Ludwig I: Princess Marie Elisabeth, Duchess of Parchim, and her son, Prince Harald of Denmark. The residence is also used by Harald’s wife, Helene, and their three children.

SCHLOSS BÜLOW

The Schloss and its surrounding land was purchased by Queen Eleonora in 2004 when the estate was put up for sale. The property was restored and served as a museum and function centre from 2007 to 2012, when it became the official residence of Karolina Augusta’s cousin, Prince Paul Ludwig of Mecklenburg and his wife, Evelyn.

SCHLOSS GRIEBENOW

The Schloss and the surrounding estate was purchased by Queen Eleonora in 1993. Restoration was completed in 1999 and since then has been shared between Prince Albrecht Gustav and his wife Princess Veronica, Duke and Duchess of Bad Doberan, and his older sister, Princess Alexandrine Luise, Duchess of Waren and her husband Prince Alexander of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Duke of Waren. The children of the Duke and Duchess of Bad Doberan and the Duchess and Duke of Waren also make use of the residence.

SCHLOSS IVENACK

Another Schloss that fell into disrepair during the Soviet occupation of eastern Mecklenburg, the building and the land surrounding it where purchased by King Wilhelm Franz I in 1991. Restoration of the building was completed in 1998 and since then has been the official residence of Princess Marie Anastasia, Duchess of Grevesmühlen and her children, and Princess Marie Anastasia’s youngest sister, Princess Ingrid Sophie, Duchess of Teterow.

SCHLOSS KUMMEROW

After falling into disrepair during the Soviet occupation, Queen Eleonora purchased the Schloss in 1993 and restoration was completed in 2000. Since then it has been the official residence of Princess Elisabeth Mathilde, Duchess of Güstrow. The Schloss is also used by her two sons.

SCHLOSS NEETZOW

Unlike most other palaces, mansions and castles in Soviet occupied Mecklenburg, Schloss Neetzow remained in constant use and in good condition. King Wilhelm Franz I purchased the estate in 1991 and after light restoration became the official residence of his elder sister, Princess Cecilie Auguste, Duchess of Ludwigslust, and her husband, Prince Michael, Hereditary Prince of Schwarzburg and their two children.

SCHLOSS GÜSTROW

Located in the town of Güstrow, south of Rostock, Schloss Güstrow was also lucky to escape harm during the Soviet occupation. After the fall of the Soviets, the Schloss returned to the ownership of King Wilhelm Franz I and after light restoration became the official residence of his eldest sister, Princess Heinrike Franziska, Duchess of Ratzeburg. The Duchess has been on diplomatic postings throughout the world for much of her adult life and only uses a small portion of the Schloss. The remainder of the building is open to the public as a museum of the House of Mecklenburg.

Photos taken from Wikipedia and Google Images.

[princessvictoriamelita]

Royal women plagued by scandals...

1. Sophia Dorothea of Celle.

2. Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst

3. Princess Carolina Matilda of Great Britain.

4. Princess Caroline of Brunswick.

5. Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.

6. Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma.

7. Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies.

8. Queen Isabella II of Spain.

9. Princess Louise of Belgium.

10. Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna.

11. Duchess Elisabeth Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

12. Archduchess Louise of Austria.

13. Princess Marie of Edinburgh.

14. Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

15. Princess Marie Adelheid of Lippe.

I have to read more about royalty...