Frederick Francis III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin


Frederick Francis III was the penultimate Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

Biography

He was born in Schloss Ludwigslust the son of Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and his first wife Princess Augusta Reuss of Köstritz. He succeeded his father as Grand Duke on 15 April 1883.
From an early age Frederick Francis suffered from asthma and severe breathing difficulties. He could not live in the north of Europe and lived instead on the shores of the Mediterranean, where the mild climate agreed with him. His homosexuality was an open secret.
Frederick Francis' death in Cannes on 10 April 1897 is shrouded in mystery, as he was originally reported to have committed suicide by throwing himself off a parapet of a bridge. According to the official account of his death, however, he was in his garden when he experienced breathing difficulties and staggered around before falling over a low wall. He was succeeded by his son Frederick Francis IV, who would be the last Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

Marriage and children

Frederick Francis married Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia in Saint Petersburg on 24 January 1879. They had three children:
He received the following orders and decorations:
;German honours
;Foreign honours

Ancestry

Literature