View source for Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

{{Short description|German state (1701–1815)}}
{{Distinguish|Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin}}
{{other uses|Mecklenburg-Strelitz (disambiguation)}}
{{One source|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox country
| native_name            = {{native name|de|Herzogtum Mecklenburg-Strelitz}}
| conventional_long_name = Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
| common_name            = Mecklenburg-Strelitz
| status                 = Duchy
| today                  = [[Germany]]
| empire                 = Holy Roman Empire
| status_text            = [[states of the Holy Roman Empire|State]] of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] <small>(until 1806)</small><br />Independent duchy <small>(1806–1808)</small><br />Member of the [[Confederation of the Rhine]] <small>(1808–1813)</small><br />Independent duchy <small>(1813–1815)</small>
| year_start             = 1701
| year_end               = 1815
| event_start            = Treaty of Hamburg
| date_start             = 
| event_end              = Raised to Grand Duchy
| date_end               = 
| p1                     = Duchy of Mecklenburg
| s1                     = Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
| flag_s1                = Flagge Großherzogtümer Mecklenburg.svg
| image_flag             = Flagge Großherzogtümer Mecklenburg.svg
| image_coat             = Wappen Mecklenburg-Strelitz 2.svg
| image_map              = Karte-Mecklenburg.png
| image_map_caption      = 
| capital                = [[Mecklenburg-Strelitz (district)|Strelitz]] then [[Neustrelitz]]
| latd                   = 
| latm                   = 
| latNS                  = 
| longd                  = 
| longm                  = 
| longEW                 = 
| common_languages       = 
| religion               = [[Lutheran]]
| government_type        = [[Duchy]]
| currency               = <!-- Titles and names of the first and last leaders and their deputies -->
| leader1                = [[Adolphus Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz|Adolphus Frederick II]]
| leader2                = [[Adolphus Frederick III, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz|Adolphus Frederick III]]
| leader3                = [[Adolphus Frederick IV, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz|Adolphus Frederick IV]]
| leader4                = [[Charles II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz|Charles II]]
| year_leader1           = 1701–1708
| year_leader2           = 1708–1752
| year_leader3           = 1752–1794
| year_leader4           = 1794–1815
| title_leader           = [[Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]]
| stat_year1             = 
| stat_area1             = 
| stat_pop1              = 
| footnotes              = 
}}
{{Commons category|Mecklenburg-Strelitz|Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz}}

The '''Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz''' was a [[duchy]] in [[Northern Germany]] consisting of the eastern fifth of the historic [[Mecklenburg]] region, roughly corresponding with the present-day [[Mecklenburg-Strelitz (district)|Mecklenburg-Strelitz district]] (the former [[Lordship of Stargard]]), and the western [[Principality of Ratzeburg]] [[Enclave and exclave|exclave]] (the former [[Prince-Bishopric of Ratzeburg]]), which lay mostly in the west of the modern {{lang|de|[[Nordwestmecklenburg]]}} district. At the time of its establishment, the main part of the duchy bordered on the territory of [[Swedish Pomerania]] in the north and of [[Margraviate of Brandenburg|Brandenburg]] in the south; Ratzeburg bordered [[Saxe-Lauenburg]] and the [[Free City of Lübeck]].

==History==
After more than five years of dispute over succession to the [[House of Mecklenburg]], the duchy was established in 1701 in the territory of the former duchy of [[Mecklenburg-Güstrow]]. The Güstrow branch of the [[House of Mecklenburg]] had died out with the death of Duke [[Gustav Adolph, Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow|Gustav Adolph]] in 1695. Duke Frederick William of [[Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|Mecklenburg-Schwerin]] claimed heirship, but he had to deal with the demands of his uncle [[Adolphus Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg|Adolphus Frederick]], husband of Mary of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, the daughter of Gustav Adolph. The emissaries of the [[Lower Saxon Circle]] finally negotiated a compromise on March 8, 1701. The agreement created the final, definitive division of Mecklenburg and was sealed with the [[Treaty of Hamburg (1701)|1701 Treaty of Hamburg]]. Section 2 of the treaty established Mecklenburg-Strelitz as a duchy in its own right and assigned it to Adolphus Frederick, together with the [[Principality of Ratzeburg]] on the western border{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=1018}} of Mecklenburg south of [[Lübeck]], the [[Herrschaft Stargard]] in the southeast of Mecklenburg, with the cities of [[Neubrandenburg]], [[Friedland, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern|Friedland]], [[Woldegk]], [[Mecklenburg-Strelitz (district)|Strelitz]], [[Burg Stargard]], [[Fürstenberg/Havel]] and [[Wesenberg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern|Wesenberg]], and the [[Commandry (feudalism)|commandries]] of [[Commandry of Mirow|Mirow]] and [[Commandry of Nemerow|Nemerow]]. At the same time the principle of primogeniture was reasserted, and the right to summon the joint [[Landtag]] was reserved to the Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=1019}} The 1701 provisions were maintained with minor changes until the end of the monarchy. Both parties continued to call themselves Dukes of Mecklenburg; Adolphus Frederick took his residence at [[Neustrelitz|Strelitz]].

The Strelitz duchy remained one of the most backward regions of the Empire. Nevertheless, its princesses achieved prominent marriages: Princess [[Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]], sister of Duke [[Adolphus Frederick IV, Duke of Mecklenburg|Adolphus Frederick IV]], married [[George III of the United Kingdom|King George III]] in 1761, thus becoming [[List of British royal consorts|queen consort of Great Britain]]. Her niece Princess [[Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]], daughter of Duke [[Charles II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg]], married [[Frederick William III of Prussia|Frederick William III of Hohenzollern]] in 1793 and became [[List of Prussian consorts|queen consort]] of [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]] in 1797. Her other niece, Louise's sister, Princess [[Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz|Friederike of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]] married in 1815 Prince [[Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover|Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland]], who, in 1837, became [[King of Hanover]], making her [[List of Hanoverian consorts|queen consort of Hanover]].

Mecklenburg-Strelitz adopted the constitution of the sister duchy in September 1755. In 1806 it was spared the infliction of a French occupation through the good offices of the [[king of Bavaria]]. In 1808 its duke, Charles, joined the [[Confederation of the Rhine]], but in 1813 he withdrew from it.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=1020}} The [[Congress of Vienna]] recognized both Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Mecklenburg-Schwerin as grand duchies and members of the [[German Confederation]].

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{EB1911|volume=17|pages=1018–1020|wstitle=Mecklenburg}}

==External links==
*[http://www.mecklenburg-strelitz.org/ Grand Ducal House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]

{{Lower Saxon Circle}}
{{States of the Confederation of the Rhine}}
{{coord missing|Mecklenburg-Vorpommern}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Duchy of}}
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in 1815]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1701]]
[[Category:Duchies of the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:States of the Confederation of the Rhine]]
[[Category:History of Mecklenburg]]
[[Category:House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz| ]]
[[Category:1701 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:Former states and territories of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern|Duchy]]

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{{not a typo|[[ja:メクレンブルク＝シュトレーリッツ]]}}
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[[simple:Mecklenburg-Strelitz Duchy]]
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