Adolphus Frederick II


Adolphus Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg, was the first Duke of the Mecklenburg-Strelitz, reigning from 1701 until his death. Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a part of the Holy Roman Empire.

Biography

He was born in Grabow as the posthumous son of Duke Adolf Frederick I of Mecklenburg and his second wife, Maria Katharina of Brunswick-Dannenberg.
In 1695, the Mecklenburg-Güstrow branch of the House of Mecklenburg became extinct and Adolphus Frederick's nephew, Frederick William, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, laid claim to the inheritance, a move which Adolphus Frederick opposed.
The dispute was settled in 1701 by dividing Mecklenburg-Güstrow between the two claimants. Frederick William took the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and Adolphus obtained the Principality of Ratzeburg and the Lordship of Stargard with the commanderies of Mirow and Nemerow, of which he formed the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.
Following his death in 1708, Adolphus Frederick was succeeded as Duke by his son, Adolphus Frederick III.

Marriages and children

In 1684 Adolphus Frederick II married firstly to Marie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, daughter of Gustav Adolph, Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. They had five children:
On 20 June 1702, Adolphus Frederick II married secondly to Princess Johanna of Saxe-Gotha, a daughter of Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, and Magdalena Sybille of Saxe-Weissenfels, who was his half-niece. There were no children from this marriage.
On 10 June 1705 at Neustrelitz, Adolphus Frederick II married thirdly to Princess Christiane Emilie of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, a daughter of Christian William I, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen and Countess Antonie Sybille of Barby-Mühlingen. They had two children:
Through his granddaughter Charlotte, Adolphus Frederick is the ancestor of every British monarch beginning with George IV, who ascended the throne of the United Kingdom in 1820.

Ancestry