Frederick Francis III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

Frederick Francis III
Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Reign 15 April 1883 – 10 April 1897
Predecessor Frederick Francis II
Successor Frederick Francis IV
Born 19 March 1851 (1851-03-19)
Ludwigslust
Died 10 April 1897 (1897-04-11) (aged 46)
Cannes
Spouse Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia
Issue Alexandrine, Queen of Denmark
Frederick Francis IV
Cecilie, German Crown Princess
House Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Father Frederick Francis II
Mother Princess Augusta Reuss of Köstritz
Religion Lutheranism

Friedrich Franz III (19 March 1851 – 10 April 1897) was the penultimate Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

Biography

He was born in Schloss Ludwigslust the son of Friedrich Franz II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and his first wife Princess Augusta Reuss of Köstritz. He succeeded his father as Grand Duke on 15 April 1883.

From an early age Friedrich Franz suffered from asthma and severe breathing difficulties. He could not live in the north of Europe and lived instead on the shores of the Mediterranean, where the mild climate agreed with him. His homosexuality was an open secret.[1]

Friedrich Franz's death in Cannes on 10 April 1897 is shrouded in mystery, as he was originally reported to have committed suicide by throwing himself off a parapet of a bridge.[2] According to the official account of his death, however, he was in his garden when he experienced breathing difficulties and staggered around before falling over a low wall.[3] He was succeeded by his son Friedrich Franz IV, who would be the last Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

Marriage and children

Friedrich Franz married Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia in Saint Petersburg on 24 January 1879. They had three children:

Ancestry

Literature

  • Bernd-Ulrich Hergemöller, Mann für Mann, pages 253
  • Hans von Tresckow, Von Fürsten und anderen Sterblichen, Erinnerungen eines Kriminalkommisars, 1922, Berlin, page 89

References

  1. ↑ Bernd-Ulrich Hergemöller, Mann für Mann, pages 253
  2. ↑ "The Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Shown to Have Committed Suicide" (PDF). New York Times. 1897-04-13. Retrieved 2007-10-23.
  3. ↑ "The Grand Duke of Mecklenburg Schwerin Did Not Commit Suicide" (PDF). New York Times. 1897-04-15. Retrieved 2007-10-23.

Media related to Friedrich Franz III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin at Wikimedia Commons

Frederick Francis III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Cadet branch of the House of Mecklenburg
Born: 19 March 1851 Died: 10 April 1897
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Friedrich Franz II		 Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
1883–1897		 Succeeded by
Friedrich Franz IV
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