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Duke Christian Louis of Mecklenburg

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For the 17th-century duke, see Christian Louis I, Duke of Mecklenburg.
Duke Christian Louis
Born(1912-09-29)29 September 1912
Ludwigslust, Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Died18 July 1996(1996-07-18) (aged 83)
Gut Hemmelmark, Germany
Spouse
Princess Barbara of Prussia
​
​
(m. 1954; died 1994)​
IssueDuchess Donata
Duchess Edwina
Names
Christian Louis Ernest Augustus Maximilian John Albert Adolphus Frederick
German: Christian Ludwig Ernst August Maximilian Johann Albrecht Adolf Friedrich
HouseMecklenburg-Schwerin
FatherFrederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg
MotherPrincess Alexandra of Hanover

Duke Christian Louis of Mecklenburg (German: Christian-Ludwig Herzog zu Mecklenburg; 29 September 1912 – 18 July 1996) was the second son of the last reigning Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Frederick Francis IV.

Early life

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Pictured in 1918 (on right) with his mother and elder brother.

He was born in Ludwigslust as the second child of the reigning Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Frederick Francis IV, and his wife Princess Alexandra of Hanover, a daughter of Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover and Princess Thyra of Denmark. Following the defeat of the German Empire in World War I, his father abdicated on 14 November 1918.

The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess with their children in 1925.
From left to right: Duke Christian Louis, Grand Duke Frederick Francis, Duchess Thyra, Grand Duchess Alexandra, Duchess Anastasia and Hereditary Grand Duke Friedrich Franz.

After the abolition of the monarchy, in 1919 the family went at the invitation of Queen Alexandrine, consort of Christian X of Denmark and sister of the Grand Duke, into exile in Denmark, where they lived for a year in Sorgenfri Palace. Later, the family returned to Mecklenburg and lived in Gelbensande, and from 1921 the family settled at Ludwigslust Castle. After finishing school, in the autumn of 1935, he went as a recruit in the cavalry regiment 14 in Ludwigslust, with whom he was drafted in 1939 into World War II. In 1944, he was dismissed because of a decree as being a member of a former ruling house of the armed forces.

After the war

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When the war ended, Ludwigslust was first occupied by the British, but soon was transferred to the Soviet occupation, so that Christian Louis initially went with his family to Glücksburg Castle in Schleswig-Holstein. But he soon returned to Ludwigslust to take care of the family property and was taken prisoner by the Soviet military authorities. After imprisonment he was flown to Moscow, where he was sentenced in the Lubyanka prison to be imprisoned for 25 years.

In 1953, he was released after the intervention of Konrad Adenauer for German POWs in the Soviet Union and came back to Christmas 1953 with his family in Glücksburg.

Marriage and family

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On 5 July 1954 in Glücksburg, Christian Louis married in a civil wedding Princess Barbara of Prussia (1920–1994), daughter of Prince Sigismund of Prussia and Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Altenburg.[1] They married in a religious ceremony on 11 July 1954. They had two daughters:[2]

  • Duchess Donata of Mecklenburg (b. 11 March 1956), married Alexander von Solodkoff and had issue:[3]
    • Thyra von Solodkoff (b.1989)
    • Alix von Solodkoff (b.1992)
    • Niklos-Alexis von Solodkoff (b.1994)
  • Duchess Edwina of Mecklenburg (b. 25 September 1960), married Konrad von Posern and had issue.[3]

Ancestry

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See also: Descendants of Christian IX of Denmark

Notes

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  1. ^ Marlene A. Eilers, Queen Victoria's Descendants, page 169.
  2. ^ Marlene A. Eilers, Queen Victoria's Descendants (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1987), page 162. Hereinafter cited as Queen Victoria's Descendants.
  3. ^ a b "Descendants of German Emperor Wilhelm I – 1.3.2.1.1. Duchess Donata von Mecklenburg & 1.3.2.1.2. Duchess Edwina von Mecklenburg". heinbruins.nl. 5 December 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2024.

Sources

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  • Alexander Solodkoff: Christian Ludwig Herzog zu Mecklenburg: Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Club Wien 2003, ISBN 3-933781-28-0
  • Alison Weir: Britain's Royal Family: A Complete Genealogy, The Bodley Head, London 1999, S: 292
  • Marlene A. Eilers: Queen Victoria's Descendants, Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore 1987, S. 161, 162, 169
  • Peter Hoffmann: Stauffenbergs Freund - Die tragische Geschichte des Widerstandskämpfers Joachim Kuhn, Verlag C.H.Beck München 2007, ISBN 978-3-406-55810-8
  • Peter Hoffmann: Oberst i.G. Henning von Tresckow und die Staatsstreichspläne im Jahr 1943, in: Vierteljahrshefte für Zeitgeschichte, Vol 55, 2, April 2007, S. 331-364
  • Christian Ludwig von Mecklenburg: Erzählungen aus meinem Leben, Schwerin, 3. Auflage31998, ISBN 3-910179-75-4
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