View source for Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

{{for|other people called Princess Frederica|Princess Frederica (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{short description|Queen of Hanover from 1837 to 1841}}
{{more citations needed|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox royalty
| consort = yes
| title        = Princess Louis Charles of Prussia<br />Princess Frederick William of Solms-Braunfels<br />[[Duchess of Cumberland and Teviotdale]]
| image        = Friederike von Preussen - 1796.jpg
| caption      = Portrait by [[Johann Friedrich August Tischbein]], 1796
| succession   = [[Queen consort of Hanover]]
| reign        = 20 June 1837 – 29 June 1841
| spouse       = {{plainlist|
*{{marriage|[[Prince Louis Charles of Prussia]]|1793|1796|end=died}}
*{{marriage|[[Prince Frederick William of Solms-Braunfels]]|1798|1814|end=died}}
*{{marriage|[[Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover]]|1815}}}}
| issue        = {{plainlist|
*[[Prince Frederick of Prussia (1794–1863)|Prince Frederick of Prussia]]
*[[Princess Frederica of Prussia (1796–1850)|Frederica, Duchess of Anhalt-Dessau]]
*Prince Wilhelm of Solms-Braunfels
*Augusta, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
*Prince Alexander of Solms-Braunfels
*[[Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels]]
*[[George V of Hanover]]}}
| issue-link   = #Children
| issue-pipe   = among others
| full name    = Frederica Louise Caroline Sophie Alexandrina<br />German: ''Friederike Luise Caroline Sophie Alexandrine''
| house        = [[House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz|Mecklenburg-Strelitz]]
| father       = [[Charles II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]]
| mother       = [[Princess Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt]]
| birth_date   = 3 March 1778
| birth_place  = [[Electorate of Hanover]], [[Holy Roman Empire]]
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|1841|6|29|1778|3|3|df=yes}}
| death_place  = [[Kingdom of Hanover]]
| burial_place = [[Herrenhausen Gardens]], Hanover
}}

'''Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz''' ({{langx|de|Friederike Luise Caroline Sophie Alexandrine}}; 3 March 1778 – 29 June 1841) was [[Queen of Hanover]] from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1841 as the wife of [[King Ernest Augustus]]. She was a German princess who married successively [[Prince Louis Charles of Prussia]], [[Prince Frederick William of Solms-Braunfels]], and her first cousin Ernest Augustus. Through her 1815 marriage to Ernest, then [[Duke of Cumberland]], Frederica became a [[British princess]] and [[Duchess of Cumberland]]. Ernest was the fifth son and eighth child of [[Queen Charlotte]] and King [[George III]] of the United Kingdom, Frederica's paternal aunt and her husband.

Frederica was born in the ''Altes Palais'' of [[Hanover]] as the fifth daughter of [[Charles II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]], and [[Princess Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt]].<ref name=willis>Willis, Daniel A., ''The Descendants of King George I of Great Britain'', Clearfield Company, 2002, p. 73. {{ISBN|0-8063-5172-1}}</ref> Her father assumed the title of [[Grand Duke of Mecklenburg]] on 18 June 1815.

==Early life==
Frederica's mother died on 22 May 1782 after giving birth to her tenth child. Two years later (28 September 1784), her father remarried the younger sister of his deceased wife, [[Princess Charlotte of Hesse-Darmstadt]], but this union ended just one year later, when Charlotte died of complications resulting from childbirth on 12 December 1785.

[[File:Luise und Friederike.jpg|thumbnail|left|195px|Princess Frederica of Prussia with her sister [[Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz|Louise]] in 1795.]]

The twice-widowed Duke Charles considered himself unable to give his daughters proper rearing and education, so he sent Frederica and her elder sisters [[Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz|Charlotte]], [[Therese of Mecklenburg-Strelitz|Therese]] and [[Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz|Louise]] to their maternal grandmother, [[Countess Maria Louise Albertine of Leiningen-Falkenburg-Dagsburg|Princess Maria Louise of Hesse-Darmstadt]]. Maria Louise's choice of a Swiss teacher for the girls, [[Salomé de Gélieu]], proved to be a good one. Some time later, Duke Charles also sent his two surviving sons, [[George, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz|George]] and [[Duke Charles of Mecklenburg|Charles]], to be raised by their grandmother.

==First marriage==
Frederica's father was anxious to arrange advantageous marriages for all his daughters, and used family connections to bring this about. Queen [[Frederika Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt]], wife of [[Frederick William II of Prussia|King Frederick William II]], was a first cousin of Frederica's mother. Frederica's father broached with the Prussian royal family the idea of marriage between their children, and the Prussians were not averse. On 14 March 1793, the Mecklenburg-Strelitz duchesses "coincidentally" met [[King Frederick William II of Prussia]] at the Prussian Theatre in [[Frankfurt-am-Main]]. He was immediately captivated by the grace and charm of both sisters, Frederica and Louise. The pending marriage negotiations received traction, and within weeks, the matter was settled: Frederica's elder sister Louise would marry [[Frederick William III of Prussia|Crown Prince Frederick William]], and Frederica would marry his younger brother [[Prince Louis Charles of Prussia|Prince Louis]].<ref name=willis/>

[[File:Schadow-Prinzessinnen.jpg|thumbnail|left|195px|Famous [[Johann Gottfried Schadow|Schadow]] [[Princesses Monument|statue]] of Frederica (right) and her sister [[Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]]. The statue was initially deemed too erotic, and was consequently closed to public viewing.<ref>Clark, Christopher (2006). Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600–1947, p. 316. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA: Belknam Press of Harvard University Press.</ref>]]

The double engagement was celebrated in [[Darmstadt]] on 24 April 1793, only a few weeks after the sisters fortuitously met their future father-in-law at the theatre. On 24 December, Duchess Louise and Crown Prince Frederick William were married in the Royal Palace of [[Berlin]]; two days later, on 26 December, Duchess Frederica and Prince Louis were also married at the same venue.<ref name=willis/>

Unlike her sister, Frederica did not enjoy a happy marriage. Although her husband died only three years after the wedding, Frederica did bear him three children in as many years: [[Prince Frederick of Prussia (1794–1863)|Frederick]] in 1794; a short-lived son, Charles, in 1795; and a daughter, [[Princess Frederica of Prussia (1796–1850)|Frederica]], in 1796.

In 1795, King Frederick William II appointed Louis as Chief of the Dragoons Regiment No.1, which was stationed in [[Schwedt]]. One year later, on 23 December 1796, Prince Louis died of [[diphtheria]]. It was three years almost to the day since their wedding. At this time, his youngest child, Frederica, was less than three months old, and his eldest son was hardly two years old. After Louis's death, his father provided Frederica with a suitable residence near Berlin, and a sufficient income, and she moved with her three children to [[Schönhausen Palace]] near Berlin.

In 1797, Frederica became unofficially engaged to her cousin [[Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge]], seventh son of [[George III|King George III of Great Britain]] and [[Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz|Queen Charlotte]] (Frederica's paternal aunt). The Duke of Cambridge asked the consent of his father to the marriage. The King did not refuse his consent but asked his son to wait until the ongoing war with France was over. The relationship eventually ended, with rumors circulating that either Adolphus had offered to release Frederica from the engagement, or – as Queen Charlotte believed – Frederica had jilted him for another man.<ref>Van der Kiste, 66</ref>

==Second marriage==
In 1798, Frederica became pregnant. The father was [[Prince Frederick William of Solms-Braunfels]]. The prince recognized his paternity and requested her hand in marriage, a proposal that was quickly granted in order to avoid scandal. On 10 December that year, the couple were married in Berlin and immediately moved to [[Ansbach]].<ref name=willis/> Two months later, in February 1799, Frederica gave birth to a daughter who only lived eight months. Prince Frederick William, disappointed and embittered, resumed his old dissipated lifestyle and became an alcoholic.{{Citation needed|date=November 2008}} In 1805, he resigned his military posts for "health reasons". Frederica had to maintain her family with her own resources after her former brother-in-law Frederick William III refused to restore her annual pension as a dowager princess of Prussia. [[William Christian, Prince of Solms-Braunfels]], Frederica's brother-in-law and head of the family, advised her to get a divorce, with his full approval. She and her husband nonetheless refused.{{Citation needed|date=October 2008}}

==Third marriage==
In May 1813, during a visit to his uncle Duke Charles in [[Neustrelitz]], [[Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover|Prince Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale]], the fifth son of King George III, met and fell in love with Frederica, who was his first cousin.<ref name="Van der Kiste, 100">Van der Kiste, 100</ref> Duke Charles made it clear to his daughter that her separation from the Prince of [[Solms-Braunfels]] was absolutely logical, and that he saw a marriage with an English prince as a great opportunity for her. During the next months Frederica considered the intentions of Ernest and the possible effects on her own situation. When, after the victory of the allies in the [[Battle of Leipzig]], Ernest spent some days in Neustrelitz, he was greeted enthusiastically. Some time later Frederica asked the Prussian king for approval for her divorce from Prince Frederick William of Solms-Braunfels. All parties agreed, including the Prince of [[Solms-Braunfels]], but Frederick William's sudden death on 13 April 1814 precluded the need for a divorce. The prince's demise was considered by some as a little too convenient, and some suspected that Frederica had poisoned him.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 114</ref> In August, the engagement with Ernest was officially announced. After Ernest's eldest brother, [[George IV|George, Prince Regent]], gave his consent to the wedding, Frederica and Ernest were married on 29 May 1815 at the parish church of [[Neustrelitz]].<ref name=willis/> Some time later, the couple traveled to Great Britain and married again on 29 August at [[Carlton House, London]].<ref name=willis/>

Queen Charlotte bitterly opposed the marriage, even though her future daughter-in-law was also her niece.<ref name="Van der Kiste, 100"/> She refused to attend the wedding and advised her son to live outside England with his wife. Frederica never obtained the favour of the Queen, who died unreconciled with her in 1818. During her marriage to Ernest she gave birth three times, but only a son survived, who would eventually become King [[George V of Hanover]].<ref name=willis/>

==Queen of Hanover==
[[File:Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, queen of Hannover.jpg|thumb|upright|Portrait, late 1830s.]]
On 20 June 1837, King [[William IV of the United Kingdom]] and [[Hanover]] died without surviving legitimate issue. His heir was his niece [[Queen Victoria|Princess Victoria]], but because Hanover had been ruled under [[Primogeniture#Semi-Salic law|semi-Salic Law]] since the times of the [[Holy Roman Empire]], Victoria could not inherit the Hanoverian throne. The next male heir was Ernest Augustus, King William's brother, who then became King of Hanover, with Frederica as his queen consort.<ref name=willis/>

After a short illness, Queen Frederica died on 29 June 1841 at Hanover.<ref name=willis/> The Court master builder [[Georg Ludwig Friedrich Laves]] was instructed by the King to build a mausoleum for his wife and himself in the garden of the chapel at [[Herrenhausen Palace]]. He also gave royal orders for the transformation of a central square near the ''[[Leineschloss]]'' and renamed it ''Friederikenplatz'' in her honour.

==Children==
{| border=1 style="border-collapse: collapse;"
|- bgcolor=cccccc
!Name!!Birth!!Death!!Notes
|-
|colspan=4|'''''By [[Prince Louis Charles of Prussia]]''''' (married 29 December 1793; he died 23 December 1796)
|-
|[[Prince Frederick of Prussia (1794–1863)|Prince Frederick of Prussia]]||30 October 1794||27 July 1863||married, 1817, [[Princess Louise of Anhalt-Bernburg]]
|-
|Prince Charles of Prussia||26 September 1795||6 April 1798||
|-
|[[Princess Frederica of Prussia (1796–1850)|Princess Frederica of Prussia]]||30 September 1796||1 January 1850||married, 1818, [[Leopold IV, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau]]
|-
|colspan=4|'''''By [[Prince Frederick William of Solms-Braunfels]]''''' (married 10 December 1798; he died 13 April 1814)
|-
|Princess Sophia of Solms-Braunfels||27 February 1799||20 October 1799|| rowspan="2" |
|-
|Prince Frederick of Solms-Braunfels||11 September 1800||14 September 1800
|-
|Prince Wilhelm of Solms-Braunfels||13 December 1801||12 September 1868||married, 1831, Countess Maria [[Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau]]
|-
|Princess Augusta of Solms-Braunfels||25 July 1804||8 October 1865||married, 1827, [[Albert, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt]]
|-
|Stillborn daughter|| colspan="2" |1805||stillborn
|-
|Prince Alexander of Solms-Braunfels||12 March 1807||20 February 1867||married, 1863, Baroness Louise of [[Landsberg family|Landsberg-Velen]]; had issue
|-
|[[Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels]]||27 July 1812||13 November 1875||married, 1845, Princess Sophie of [[Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg]]
|-
|colspan=4|'''''By [[Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover]]''''' (married 29 May 1815)
|-
|Princess Frederica of Cumberland|| colspan="2" |27 January 1817|| rowspan="2" |stillborn
|-
|Stillborn daughter|| colspan="2" |April 1818
|-
|[[George V of Hanover]]||27 May 1819||12 June 1878||married, 1843, [[Marie of Saxe-Altenburg|Princess Marie of Saxe-Altenburg]]; had issue, including [[Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover]]
|}

==Ancestry==
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes|align=center
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|1= 1. '''Princess Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz'''
|2= 2. [[Charles II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]]
|3= 3. [[Princess Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt]]
|4= 4. [[Duke Charles Louis of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]]
|5= 5. [[Princess Elisabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen]]
|6= 6. [[Prince George William of Hesse-Darmstadt]]
|7= 7. [[Countess Maria Louise Albertine of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Falkenburg]]
|8= 8. [[Adolphus Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]]
|9= 9. Princess Christiane Emilie of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
|10= 10. [[Ernest Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen]]
|11= 11. [[Countess Sophia Albertine of Erbach-Erbach]]
|12= 12. [[Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt]]
|13= 13. [[Countess Charlotte of Hanau-Lichtenberg]]
|14= 14. [[Christian Karl Reinhard of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Falkenburg|Count Christian Karl of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Falkenburg]]
|15= 15. Countess Katharina Polyxena of Solms-Rödelheim
}}

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
{{commons}}
* {{NPG name|name=Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Duchess of Cumberland and Queen of Hanover}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]]|3 March|1778|29 June|1841|}}
{{s-roy|ha}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Queen consort of Hanover]]|years=20 June 1837 – 29 June 1841}}
{{s-vac|next=[[Marie of Saxe-Altenburg]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Royal consorts of Hanover}}
{{British princesses by marriage}}
{{Duchesses of Cumberland}}
{{Hanoverian princesses by marriage}}
{{Prussian princesses by marriage}}
{{House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frederica Of Mecklenburg-Strelitz}}
[[Category:1778 births]]
[[Category:1841 deaths]]
[[Category:Queens consort of Hanover]]
[[Category:Hanoverian princesses by marriage]]
[[Category:House of Hanover]]
[[Category:House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]]
[[Category:Nobility from Hanover]]
[[Category:British duchesses by marriage|Cumberland]]
[[Category:Wives of British princes]]
[[Category:House of Hohenzollern]]
[[Category:Prussian princesses by marriage]]
[[Category:House of Solms-Braunfels]]
[[Category:Burials at Berggarten Mausoleum, Herrenhausen (Hanover)]]
[[Category:Daughters of dukes]]
[[Category:Mothers of German monarchs]]