Princess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt


Princess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was the consort and third wife of Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. She was mother of Prince Hendrik, consort of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and father of Queen Juliana.

Early life

Princess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, the first child of Prince Adolph of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, and his wife, Princess Mathilde of Schönburg-Waldenburg, was born at Raben Steinfeld, Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Her paternal great-grandfathers were Frederick Charles, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Frederick V, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg.
Her family belonged to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

Marriage

On 4 July 1868 in Rudolstadt, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Marie married Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, son of Paul Frederick, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Previously, Frederick Francis had been married twice: In 1849, he married Princess Augusta Reuss of Köstritz but she died in 1862. Two years later, Frederick Francis married secondly to Princess Anna of Hesse and by Rhine but less than a year after their marriage, Anna also died. At the time of the marriage, Frederick Francis was 45 and Marie 18. Together they had four children:
Marie died in 1922 in The Hague. She was in The Hague to congratulate Prince Henry on his 46th birthday. The royal hearse brought the body from Noordeinde Palace to the railway station. The coffin then went by train to Germany, where the princess was buried.

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