Editing Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

{{Short description|German state (1379–1815)}}
{{Distinguish|Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz}}
{{Other uses|Mecklenburg-Schwerin (disambiguation)}}
{{One source|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox country
| native_name            = {{native name|de|Herzogtum Mecklenburg-Schwerin}}
| conventional_long_name = Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
| common_name            = Mecklenburg-Schwerin
| government_type        = [[Monarchy]]
| status                 = {{plainlist|
* [[States of the Holy Roman Empire|State]] of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]
* [[States of the Confederation of the Rhine|State]] of the [[Confederation of the Rhine]]
}}
| today                  = [[Germany]]
| empire                 = 
| year_start             = 1701
| year_end               = 1815
| event_pre              = 
| date_pre               = 
| event_start            = Treaty of Hamburg
| event_end              = Raised to Grand Duchy
| p1                     = Duchy of Mecklenburg
| s1                     = Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin{{!}}{{nowrap|Grand Duchy of}} {{nowrap|Mecklenburg-Schwerin}}
| flag_s1                = Flagge Großherzogtümer Mecklenburg.svg
| image_flag             = Flagge Großherzogtümer Mecklenburg.svg
| image_coat             = Wappen Mecklenburg-Schwerin 2.svg
| image_map              = Map of Mecklenburg 1803.jpg
| image_map_caption      = Mecklenburg {{circa|1803}} (brown), with Mecklenburg-Schwerin being the larger central territory{{clarify|date=January 2022}}
| capital                = [[Schwerin]]
| latd                   = 
| latm                   = 
| latNS                  = 
| longd                  = 
| longm                  = 
| longEW                 = 
| national_motto         = 
| national_anthem        = 
| common_languages       = [[Low German]], [[Polabian language|Polabian]]
| religion               = [[Evangelical Church of Mecklenburg|Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Mecklenburg-Schwerin]]
| currency               = [[Mecklenburg thaler]]
| leader1                = [[Frederick William, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|Frederick William]]
| leader2                = [[Karl Leopold, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|Karl Leopold]]
| leader3                = [[Christian Ludwig II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|Christian Ludwig II]]
| leader4                = [[Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|Frederick II]]
| leader5                = [[Frederick Francis I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|Frederick Francis I]]
| year_leader1           = 1701–1713
| year_leader2           = 1713–1728
| year_leader3           = 1728–1756
| year_leader4           = 1756–1785
| year_leader5           = 1785–1815
| title_leader           = [[Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin]]
| stat_year1             = <!--- year of the statistic, specify either area, population or both --->
| stat_area1             = <!--- area in square kílometres (w/o commas or spaces), area in square miles is calculated --->
| stat_pop1              = <!--- population (w/o commas or spaces), population density is calculated if area is also given --->
| footnotes              = 
}}
The '''Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin''' ({{langx|de|Herzogtum Mecklenburg-Schwerin}}) was a [[duchy]] in northern [[Germany]] created in 1701, when [[Frederick William, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|Frederick William]] and [[Adolphus Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz|Adolphus Frederick II]] divided the [[Duchy of Mecklenburg]] between [[Schwerin]] and [[Neustrelitz|Strelitz]]. Ruled by the successors of the Nikloting [[House of Mecklenburg]], Mecklenburg-Schwerin remained a state of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] along the [[Baltic Sea]] littoral between [[Holstein-Glückstadt]] and the [[Duchy of Pomerania]].

==Origins==
The dynasty's progenitor, [[Niklot]] (1090–1160), was a chief of the Slavic [[Obotrites|Obotrite]] tribal federation, who fought against the advancing [[Duchy of Saxony|Saxons]] and was finally defeated in 1160 by [[Henry the Lion]] in the course of the [[Wendish Crusade]]. Niklot's son, [[Pribislav of Mecklenburg|Pribislav]], submitted to Henry, and in 1167 came into his paternal inheritance as the first Prince of Mecklenburg.

After various divisions of territory among Pribislav's descendants, Henry II of Mecklenburg (1266–1329) by 1312 had acquired the lordships of [[Burg Stargard|Stargard]] and [[Rostock]], and bequeathed the reunified Mecklenburg lands – except for the County of [[Schwerin]] and [[Werle]] – to his sons, Albert II and John. After they both had received the title of duke, the former lordship of Stargard was recast as the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Stargard for John in 1352. Albert II retained the larger western part of Mecklenburg, and after he acquired the former County of Schwerin in 1358, he made Schwerin his residence.

In 1363 Albert's son, Duke [[Albert of Sweden|Albert III]], campaigned in [[History of Sweden (800-1521)|Sweden]], where he was crowned king one year later. In 1436, William, the last Lord of Werle, died without a male heir. Because William's son-in-law, Ulric II of Mecklenburg-Stargard, had no issue, his line became extinct upon Ulric's death in 1471. All possessions fell back to Duke Henry IV of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, who was then the sole ruler over all of Mecklenburg.

In 1520 Henry's grandsons, Henry V and [[Albrecht VII, Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow|Albert VII]], again divided the duchy, creating the subdivision of [[Mecklenburg-Güstrow]], which Duke [[Adolf Frederick I, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|Adolf Frederick I of Mecklenburg-Schwerin]] inherited in 1610. In a second partition of 1621, he granted Güstrow to his brother, [[John Albert II, Duke of Mecklenburg|John Albert II]]. Both were deposed in 1628 by [[Albrecht von Wallenstein]], as they had supported [[Christian IV of Denmark]] in the [[Thirty Years' War]]. Nevertheless, the [[Swedish Empire]] forced their restoration three years later. When [[John Albert II, Duke of Mecklenburg|John Albert II]]'s son, Duke [[Gustav Adolph, Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow|Gustav Adolph]], died without male heirs in 1695, Mecklenburg was reunited once more under [[Frederick William, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin]].

==History==
In June 1692, when [[Christian Louis I, Duke of Mecklenburg|Christian Louis I]] died in exile and without sons, a dispute arose about the succession to his duchy between his brother, [[Adolphus Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz|Adolphus Frederick II]], and his nephew, [[Frederick William, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|Frederick William]]. The emperor and the rulers of [[Kingdom of Sweden|Sweden]] and of the [[Electorate of Brandenburg]] took part in this struggle, which was intensified three years later, when on the death of [[Gustav Adolph, Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow|Gustav Adolph]], the family ruling over [[Mecklenburg-Güstrow]] became extinct. In 1701, with the endorsement of the [[Imperial state]] of the [[Lower Saxon Circle]], the Treaty of Hamburg (1701) was signed and the final division of the country was made. Mecklenburg was divided between the two claimants. The Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was given to [[Frederick William, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|Frederick William]], and the [[Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]], roughly a recreation of the medieval Stargard lordship, to [[Adolphus Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz|Adolphus Frederick II]]. At the same time, the principle of [[primogeniture]] was reasserted, and the right of summoning the joint [[Landtag]] was reserved to the ruler of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Continued conflicts and partitions weakened the rule of the dukes and affirmed the reputation of Mecklenburg as one of the most backward territories of the Empire.

Mecklenburg-Schwerin began its existence during a series of constitutional struggles between the duke and the nobles. The heavy debt incurred by [[Karl Leopold, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|Charles Leopold]], who had joined [[Russian Empire]] in a war against [[Kingdom of Sweden|Sweden]], brought matters to a head; [[Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles VI]] interfered, and in 1728 the imperial court of justice declared the duke incapable of governing. His brother, [[Christian Ludwig II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|Christian Ludwig II]], was appointed administrator of the duchy. Under this prince, who became ruler ''de jure'' in 1747, the Convention of Rostock, by which a new constitution was framed for the duchy, was signed in April 1755. By this instrument, all power lay in the hands of the duke, the nobles, and the upper classes generally; the lower classes were entirely unrepresented. During the [[Seven Years' War]], [[Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|Frederick II]] took a hostile attitude towards [[Frederick the Great]], and in consequence Mecklenburg-Schwerin was occupied by [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]]. In other respects [[Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|Frederick II]]'s rule proved beneficial to the country. In the early years of the [[French Revolutionary Wars]], [[Frederick Francis I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin]] remained neutral, and in 1803 he regained [[Wismar]] from the Kingdom of Sweden. In 1806 the territory was overrun by the [[First French Empire]], and in 1808  [[Frederick Francis I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|Frederick Francis I]]  joined the [[Confederation of the Rhine]]. He was later the first member of the confederation to abandon [[Napoleon]], to whose armies he had sent a contingent, and in 1813–1814 he fought against France.

==Aftermath==
With the [[Congress of Vienna]] in 1815, [[Frederick Francis I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|Frederick Francis I of Mecklenburg-Schwerin]] received the title of Grand Duke. After the fall of the monarchies in 1918 resulting from World War I, the Grand Duchy became the [[Free State of Mecklenburg-Schwerin]]. On 1 January 1934 it was united with the neighbouring [[Free State of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]] (both today part of the Germany's [[States of Germany|Bundesland]] [[Mecklenburg-Vorpommern]]).

== List of dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1701-1815) ==

* 1692-1713 [[Frederick William, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|Frederick William]] 
* 1713-1728 [[Karl Leopold, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|Charles Leopold]], his brother 
* 1728-1756 [[Christian Ludwig II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|Christian Louis II]], his brother
* 1756-1785 [[Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|Frederick II]], his son
* 1785-1815 [[Frederick Francis I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|Frederick Francis I]], his nephew, became Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin as a result of the [[Congress of Vienna]], until [[1837]]

==References==
{{1911|wstitle=Mecklenburg|volume=17|pages=1018–1020}}

{{Lower Saxon Circle}}
{{States of the Confederation of the Rhine}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Duchy of}}
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in 1815]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1352]]
[[Category:Duchies of the Holy Roman Empire|Mecklenburg-Schwerin]]
[[Category:States of the Confederation of the Rhine]]
[[Category:Dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin| ]]
[[Category:Former states and territories of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania|Duchy of Meckl]]
[[Category:House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin| ]]
[[Category:1701 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:Former monarchies]]