Frederick Francis I
{{Short description|Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1785 to 1837}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name = Frederick Francis I
| image = Wilhelm August Christian Abel - Friedrich Franz, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin - NMB 113 - Nationalmuseum.jpg
| caption = Frederick Francis I, as Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in swedish uniform with the Royal Order of the Seraphim. Painted by Wilhelm August Christian Abel 1803.
| succession = Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
| reign = 14 June 1815 – 1 February 1837
| predecessor = Himself as Duke
| successor = Paul Frederick
| succession2 = Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
| reign2 = 21 April 1785 – 14 June 1815
| predecessor2 = Frederick II
| successor2 = Himself as Grand Duke
| spouse = {{marriage|Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg|1775|1808|end=d.}}
| issue = Frederick Louis, Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Louise Charlotte, Hereditary Princess of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
Duke Gustav Wilhelm
Charlotte Frederica, Hereditary Princess of Denmark
| issue-link = #Marriage and children
| issue-pipe = Among others
| house = Mecklenburg-Schwerin
| father = Duke Louis of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
| mother = Princess Charlotte Sophie of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=y|1756|12|10}}
| birth_place = Schwerin, Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|1837|2|1|1756|12|10}}
| death_place = Ludwigslust, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
| burial_place = Doberan Minster
| religion = Lutheranism|
}}
Frederick Francis I (10 December 1756 – 1 February 1837) ruled over the German state of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, first as Duke from 1785 to 1815, and then as Grand Duke from 1815 until his death in 1837.
Early life
File:Rudolph Suhrlandt - Friedrich Franz I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.jpg and the Order of the Red Eagle, by Rudolph Suhrlandt, 1817]]
Frederick Francis I was born in Schwerin, Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, on 10 December 1756. He was the son of Duke Louis of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Princess Charlotte Sophie of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.
His paternal grandparents were Christian Ludwig II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (son of Frederick, Duke of Mecklenburg-Grabow) and Duchess Gustave Caroline of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (daughter of Adolphus Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz). His maternal grandparents were Franz Josias, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and Princess Anna Sophie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt.
Career
In 1785, Friedrich Franz succeeded his uncle Frederick II as Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.
Following the Napoleonic Wars, Friedrich Franz was raised to the dignity of Grand Duke at the Congress of Vienna.{{cite book |last= Haydn|first= Joseph| title =History of the Wars of the French Revolution | publisher =Bangs| year =1855| pages =555}} Along with his cousin in Mecklenburg-Strelitz, he was known as one of the most reactionary German rulers.
Personal life
On 1 June 1775 in Gotha, Friedrich Franz married Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, the fourth and youngest child of Prince John August of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and Countess Louise Reuss of Schleiz.{{cn|date=August 2020}} Together, they had eight children,{{refn|group=lower-alpha|His eldest daughter, stillborn on 7 May 1776, was buried in the Schelfkirche St. Nikolai of Schwerin.[http://worldhistory.de/wnf/navbar/wnf.php?oid=10030 Schelfkirche St. Nikolai zu Schwerin in: worldhistory.de] [retrieved 2 March 2017]. His eldest son, stillborn on 11 May 1777, was also buried in the Schelfkirche St. Nikolai of Schwerin.}} including:
- Frederick Louis, Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1778–1819), who married Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna of Russia, a daughter of Paul I of Russia and Duchess Sophie Marie Dorothea of Württemberg.
- Duchess Louise Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1779–1801), who married Emil Leopold August, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, the second son of Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen.{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JwB5AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA612 |title=Encyclopedia of Lesbian and Gay Histories and Cultures |editor1-first=George |editor1-last=Haggerty |editor2-first=Bonnie |editor2-last=Zimmerman |year=2000 |chapter=German Literature |page=612 |isbn=0-815-34055-9 }}
- Duke Gustav Wilhelm of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1781–1851), who never married.{{refn|group=lower-alpha|Karl Heinrich Ulrichs mentions Duke Gustav Wilhelm as a homosexual.Karl Heinrich Ulrichs: Argonauticus. Serb, Leipzig 1869, p. 100}}
- Duke Karl of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1782–1833).
- Duchess Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1784–1840), who married Christian VIII of Denmark. They were parents to Frederick VII of Denmark.
- Duke Adolf of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1785–1821).
On his death in 1837 he was succeeded by his grandson, Grand Duke Paul Friedrich.
Notes
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References
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{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|10 December|1756|1 February|1837|House of Mecklenburg}}
{{s-reg}}
{{s-bef|before=Frederick II}}
{{s-ttl|title=Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|years=1785–1815}}
{{s-non|reason=Became Grand Duke}}
{{s-new|reason=Previously duke}}
{{s-ttl|title=Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|years=1815–1837}}
{{s-aft|after=Paul Frederick}}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frederick Francis 01 Of Mecklenburg, Grand Duke}}
Category:Dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Category:House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Category:Grand dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin