Mecklenburg-Strelitz

The Year of Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – The life and death of Charles II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Part two)

Read part one here. Friederike would not survive her tenth childbirth. She gave birth to a girl on 19 May 1782, and the little girl died the following day. Friederike died three days after the birth on 22 May 1782; she was still only 29 years old. Her daughter, Louise, later wrote, “My dear first [read more]
Mecklenburg-Strelitz

The Year of Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – The life and death of Charles II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Part one)

Charles II, future Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, was the father of Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of Prussia. Charles was born on 10 October 1741 as the sixth but third surviving child and second son of Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg and Princess Elisabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Another three siblings would survive to adulthood, including [read more]
Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt

The Year of Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – The life and death of Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt

The future Queen Louise of Prussia was just six years old when her mother died following childbirth with her tenth child. Princess Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt was born on 20 August 1752 as the eldest daughter of Prince George William of Hesse-Darmstadt, who was the second son of Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, and Countess Maria [read more]
augusta of cambridge
Augusta of Cambridge

Augusta of Cambridge – The daughter of her mother (Part three)

Read part two here. Frederick William and Augusta were now the reigning Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Researchers looking back at their reign would describe Frederick William as having a “pathological stinginess” which “hindered necessary investments in all areas.” However, he had inherited a considerable debt, which he managed to pay off within [read more]