Duke Georg of Mecklenburg
Encyclopedia
George, Duke of Mecklenburg was the head of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
from 1934 until his death.
as Count George of Carlow; he was the youngest child and only son of Duke George Alexander of Mecklenburg (6 June 1859 - Saint Petersburg
, 5 December 1909) and his morganatic wife (m. Remplin
, 6 June 1889) Nataliya Fyodorovna Vonlar-Larskaya, Countess of Carlow (Saint Petersburg
, 16 May 1858 - Cannes
, 14 March 1921), daughter of Fyodor Ardalionovich Vonlar-Larsky (Dagoutze Chavli, Georgia
, 23 December 1835 - 2 February 1903) and wife Mariya Fyodorovna Uvarova, and granddaughter of Ardalion Alexeievich Vonlar-Larsky, born in Poretchie, near Smolensk
, and wife Tatyana, daughter of Mariya Mikhailovna Litvinova. Because his parents marriage was morganatic, at birth he was denied the title Duke of Mecklenburg; instead his title came from his mother, who had been created Countess of Carlow on 18 March 1890 by her husband's uncle Grand Duke Friedrich Wilhelm of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
. When his father died in 1909, his uncle Duke Charles Michael was appointed guardian
of George and his sisters Katharina, Marie and Natalia by Grand Duke Adolf Friedrich V of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
. After the 1917 October Revolution
George and his family fled Russia heading first to France
before later moving to Germany
.
On 11 September 1928 George was adopted by his uncle Duke Charles Michael, who was the head of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The adoption was confirmed in the courts in Malchin
on 5 October 1928 and as a result he took his uncle and adopted father's surname of Mecklenburg. Following his adoption, George assumed the title Duke of Mecklenburg with the style Serene Highness
. This was confirmed by the head of the Imperial House of Russia, Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich on 18 July 1929 and recognised on 23 December by Grand Duke Friedrich Franz IV of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
. Duke George studied political science
at the University of Freiburg
and became a Doctor of Economics and Social Sciences.
and sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp
by the Nazi government, where he remained until February 1945. Following his release, Duke George and his family moved to Sigmaringen
at the invitation of Princess Margarete of Hohenzollern
(wife of Frederick, Prince of Hohenzollern) in March 1945.
On 18 December 1950 the House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin confirmed the decisions made in 1929 regarding George's title, and he assumed the style of Highness
while his status as head of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was also confirmed. At the same time, the Count of Carlow title was abolished.
George died in Sigmaringen
, Germany
of a heart attack. He was succeeded as head of the Grand Ducal House by his eldest son Duke Georg Alexander.
, Switzerland
on 7 October 1920 to Irina Mikhailovna Rayevskaya, Countess Tolstoy
(Tsarskoye Selo
, 18 August 1892 - Sigmaringen
, 22 January 1955) the widow of Count Alexander Mikhailovich Tolstoy (Saint Petersburg
, 17 January 1888 - Mishkor, Crimea
, 19 February 1918), daughter of Mikhail Nikolaievich Rayevsky (1841–1893) and Princess Mariya Grigoryevna Gagarina
(Tiflis, 14 June 1851 - Cannes
, 2 August 1941) and granddaughter of Nikolai Nikolaievich Rayevsky (14 September 1801 - 1843) and wife (m. 22 January 1839) Anya Mikhailovna Borozdine, and Prince Grigory Grigoryevich Gagarin
and wife Sofiya Andreievna Dashkova. Irina was daughter of the Rayevski family who were one of heirs of the famed Grigori Potemkin, Prince of Tauria, descending from the childless Prince's sister. The couple had four children though one son Alexander born on 3 August 1922 died at the age of just eighteen days. The children who survived into adulthood were.
In May 1956 George became engaged to Archduchess Charlotte of Austria
, a daughter of the last Austrian Emperor, Charles I and Zita of Bourbon-Parma
. They were married in a civil ceremony on 21 July 1956 in Pöcking
, Germany
followed by a religious ceremony four days later.
House of Mecklenburg
The House of Mecklenburg is a North German dynasty of West Slavic origin that ruled until 1918.- Origins :Niklot was a lord of the Wendish tribe of Obotrites. When the Holy Roman Empire expanded eastwards, notably to the coast of Baltic in 13th century, a portion of Obotrite lords allied with...
from 1934 until his death.
Early life
He was born in Oranienbaum, RussiaOranienbaum, Russia
Oranienbaum is a Russian royal residence, located on the Gulf of Finland west of St. Petersburg. The Palace ensemble and the city centre are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.-History:...
as Count George of Carlow; he was the youngest child and only son of Duke George Alexander of Mecklenburg (6 June 1859 - Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, 5 December 1909) and his morganatic wife (m. Remplin
Remplin
Remplin is a village and a former municipality in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Since 7 June 2009, it is part of the municipality Malchin....
, 6 June 1889) Nataliya Fyodorovna Vonlar-Larskaya, Countess of Carlow (Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, 16 May 1858 - Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
, 14 March 1921), daughter of Fyodor Ardalionovich Vonlar-Larsky (Dagoutze Chavli, Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
, 23 December 1835 - 2 February 1903) and wife Mariya Fyodorovna Uvarova, and granddaughter of Ardalion Alexeievich Vonlar-Larsky, born in Poretchie, near Smolensk
Smolensk
Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River. Situated west-southwest of Moscow, this walled city was destroyed several times throughout its long history since it was on the invasion routes of both Napoleon and Hitler. Today, Smolensk...
, and wife Tatyana, daughter of Mariya Mikhailovna Litvinova. Because his parents marriage was morganatic, at birth he was denied the title Duke of Mecklenburg; instead his title came from his mother, who had been created Countess of Carlow on 18 March 1890 by her husband's uncle Grand Duke Friedrich Wilhelm of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Friedrich Wilhelm, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Frederick William, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg, KG was a German sovereign who ruled over the state of Mecklenburg-Strelitz from 1860 until his death.-Biography:...
. When his father died in 1909, his uncle Duke Charles Michael was appointed guardian
Legal guardian
A legal guardian is a person who has the legal authority to care for the personal and property interests of another person, called a ward. Usually, a person has the status of guardian because the ward is incapable of caring for his or her own interests due to infancy, incapacity, or disability...
of George and his sisters Katharina, Marie and Natalia by Grand Duke Adolf Friedrich V of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Adolf Friedrich V, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Adolphus Frederick V was grand duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz from 1904 to 1914.-Biography:Adolphus Frederick Augustus Victor Ernest Adalbert Gustavus William Wellington of Mecklenburg was born in Neustrelitz the only surviving child of the then Hereditary Grand Duke Frederick William of...
. After the 1917 October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
George and his family fled Russia heading first to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
before later moving to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
On 11 September 1928 George was adopted by his uncle Duke Charles Michael, who was the head of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The adoption was confirmed in the courts in Malchin
Malchin
Malchin is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district , in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany.It offers some notable landmarks, such as two Brick Gothic town gates, a medieval defense tower, the Gothic town church of St. Johannis and the Neo Baroque town hall.-External links:*...
on 5 October 1928 and as a result he took his uncle and adopted father's surname of Mecklenburg. Following his adoption, George assumed the title Duke of Mecklenburg with the style Serene Highness
Serene Highness
His/Her Serene Highness is a style used today by the reigning families of Liechtenstein and Monaco. It also preceded the princely titles of members of some German ruling and mediatised dynasties as well as some non-ruling but princely German noble families until 1918...
. This was confirmed by the head of the Imperial House of Russia, Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich on 18 July 1929 and recognised on 23 December by Grand Duke Friedrich Franz IV of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Frederick Francis IV was the last Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and regent of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.-Early life:...
. Duke George studied political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at the University of Freiburg
University of Freiburg
The University of Freiburg , sometimes referred to in English as the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, is a public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.The university was founded in 1457 by the Habsburg dynasty as the...
and became a Doctor of Economics and Social Sciences.
Head of the House
On 6 December 1934, his uncle Duke Charles Michael died, and George succeeded him as head of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. He lived with his family at Schloss Remplin until April 1940, when the main part of the palace was burnt down. The Grand Ducal family then moved to Grunewald, where they lived until their home was destroyed in an Allied bombing raid in February 1944. In August 1944, George was arrested by the GestapoGestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
and sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used primarily for political prisoners from 1936 to the end of the Third Reich in May, 1945. After World War II, when Oranienburg was in the Soviet Occupation Zone, the structure was used as an NKVD...
by the Nazi government, where he remained until February 1945. Following his release, Duke George and his family moved to Sigmaringen
Sigmaringen
Sigmaringen is a town in southern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Situated on the upper Danube, it is the capital of the Sigmaringen district....
at the invitation of Princess Margarete of Hohenzollern
Princess Margarete Karola of Saxony
Princess Margarete Karola Wilhelmine Viktoria Adelheid Albertine Petrusa Bertram Paula of Saxony, Duchess of Saxony was the fifth...
(wife of Frederick, Prince of Hohenzollern) in March 1945.
On 18 December 1950 the House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin confirmed the decisions made in 1929 regarding George's title, and he assumed the style of Highness
Highness
Highness, often used with a possessive adjective , is an attribute referring to the rank of the dynasty in an address...
while his status as head of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was also confirmed. At the same time, the Count of Carlow title was abolished.
George died in Sigmaringen
Sigmaringen
Sigmaringen is a town in southern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Situated on the upper Danube, it is the capital of the Sigmaringen district....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
of a heart attack. He was succeeded as head of the Grand Ducal House by his eldest son Duke Georg Alexander.
Marriages and children
Duke George was married firstly in GenevaGeneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
on 7 October 1920 to Irina Mikhailovna Rayevskaya, Countess Tolstoy
Tolstoy
Tolstoy, or Tolstoi is a prominent family of Russian nobility, descending from Andrey Kharitonovich Tolstoy who served under Vasily II of Moscow...
(Tsarskoye Selo
Tsarskoye Selo
Tsarskoye Selo is the town containing a former Russian residence of the imperial family and visiting nobility, located south from the center of St. Petersburg. It is now part of the town of Pushkin and of the World Heritage Site Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments.-History:In...
, 18 August 1892 - Sigmaringen
Sigmaringen
Sigmaringen is a town in southern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Situated on the upper Danube, it is the capital of the Sigmaringen district....
, 22 January 1955) the widow of Count Alexander Mikhailovich Tolstoy (Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, 17 January 1888 - Mishkor, Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
, 19 February 1918), daughter of Mikhail Nikolaievich Rayevsky (1841–1893) and Princess Mariya Grigoryevna Gagarina
Gagarin family
thumb|right|250px|The Gagarin Coat of ArmsGagarin is a Rurikid princely family descending from sovereign rulers of Starodub-on-the-Klyazma.-Origins:...
(Tiflis, 14 June 1851 - Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
, 2 August 1941) and granddaughter of Nikolai Nikolaievich Rayevsky (14 September 1801 - 1843) and wife (m. 22 January 1839) Anya Mikhailovna Borozdine, and Prince Grigory Grigoryevich Gagarin
Grigory Gagarin
Prince Grigory Grigorievich Gagarin was a Russian painter, Major General and administrator.-Noble youth:Grigory Gagarin was born in Saint Petersburg to the noble Rurikid princely Gagarin family. His father, Prince Grigory Ivanovich Gagarin , was a Russian diplomat in France and later the...
and wife Sofiya Andreievna Dashkova. Irina was daughter of the Rayevski family who were one of heirs of the famed Grigori Potemkin, Prince of Tauria, descending from the childless Prince's sister. The couple had four children though one son Alexander born on 3 August 1922 died at the age of just eighteen days. The children who survived into adulthood were.
- HH Georg Alexander, Duke of Mecklenburg (1921–1996)
- HH Duchess Helene of Mecklenburg (1924–1962) m. Hassan Sayed Kamil, an Egyptian-Swiss arms dealer (b. 1918). She was killed in a plane crash.
- HH Duke Carl Gregor of Mecklenburg (b. 1933) m. HSH Princess Maria Margarethe of Hohenzollern (1928–2006) daughter of Franz Joseph, Prince of Hohenzollern-EmdenFranz Joseph, Prince of Hohenzollern-EmdenFranz Joseph Prinz von Hohenzollern-Emden was a member of the Roman Catholic branch of the House of Hohenzollern...
In May 1956 George became engaged to Archduchess Charlotte of Austria
Archduchess Charlotte of Austria
Archduchess Charlotte of Austria was a daughter of Emperor Charles I of Austria and his wife Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma. She was also known by the name Charlotte de Bar while a welfare worker in the United States of America from 1943 to 1956....
, a daughter of the last Austrian Emperor, Charles I and Zita of Bourbon-Parma
Zita of Bourbon-Parma
Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma was the wife of Emperor Charles of Austria...
. They were married in a civil ceremony on 21 July 1956 in Pöcking
Pöcking
Pöcking is a municipality in the district of Starnberg in Bavaria in Germany. Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria, consort of Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria-Hungary, grew up here in the Possenhofen Castle as daughter of Duke Max in Bavaria and Princess Ludovika of Bavaria. Otto von Habsburg, Crown...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
followed by a religious ceremony four days later.
Titles and styles
- 5 October 1899 – 11 September 1928: His Serene Highness Count George of Carlow
- 11 September 1928 – 18 December 1950: His Serene Highness Duke George of Mecklenburg, Count of Carlow
- 18 December 1950 – 6 July 1963: His Highness Duke George of Mecklenburg