Author Topic: Mecklenburg-Schwerin  (Read 135031 times)

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bluetoria

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Mecklenburg-Schwerin
« on: March 29, 2005, 05:30:26 AM »
In starting this I specifically wanted to ask about Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, half-brother of Maria Pavlovna but did not think it worth starting a whole thread on just one man.  :-/ (I hope it's okay to put it under the Hohenzollerns!)

I would be interested to find out more about him because I know he was disliked by the Dutch. Frtiz Ponsonby wrote that he:

"...was regarded by some members of the Royal Families of Europe as a tiresome man, but it always seemedto me that he played the difficult part of Prince Consort with some skill, although he was never popular in Holland."

When he was about to marry Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, Wilhelmina's cousin, Alice Albany wrote that he was very dull and she would have hated to marry him but that Wilhelmina herself was 'blissful.'
Within a few months, however, there were stories of Wilhelmina's unhappiness. Here is part of an article from December 1901 when they had been married less than a year:

"There has been serious friction at the Dutch Court between Queen Wilhelmina & her husband Prince Henry....The recent illness of the Queen has undoubtedly been brought on by the domestic infelicity. Points of difference between her & her husband arose with increasing frequency, & at length a violent quarrel occurred. This, however, was not based on money-matters - though the Prince Consort's debts are enormous & the Queen has declined to pay them - but on his unconcealed antipathy to Holland and his ungovernable passion for hunting which led him to greatly neglect his domestic & public duties....
...Indeed his continued absences from his wife - the idol of all Hollanders - are exciting public contempt.
It is stated that in consequence of remarks made to him on his conduct, the Prince fought two duels with swords, in one of which he dangerously wounded...the Queen's equerry & then kicked the unfortunate gentleman in the stomach, inflicting serious internal injuries. Another courtier had wounds to his arm  in the second duel."

The article is entitled, "Consort Duelling instead of Love--Making."

Is this a fair portrait of Henry, or is there more to him? Did the marriage become any happier? They only had one child, didn't they? Is this, perhaps, because they were so unhappy together?

It would be interesting to hear how he is viewed in Holland today? Was he ever re-instated in the eyes of the people?
(Please  :) )



Offline Marc

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Re: Mecklenburg-Schwerin
« Reply #1 on: March 29, 2005, 06:20:09 AM »
I would also like to know much more about him and his family because it seems to me that he was a little bit forgotten...

Offline grandduchessella

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Re: Mecklenburg-Schwerin
« Reply #2 on: March 29, 2005, 09:37:25 AM »
He was one of the 11 children of GD Friedrich Franz II   of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. He was one of the children by FF's 3rd wife Princess Marie von Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
(FF had been married first to Princess Augusta of Reuss and then Princess Anne of Hesse).

Some of his half-siblings included GD Friedrich Franz III who married GDss Anastasia of Russia and GDss Maria Pavlovna Sr. This made Henry uncle to Kyril, Boris, Andrew and Helen Vladimirovna as well as Crown Princess Cecile of Prussia and Queen Alexandrine of Denmark. He married Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands at the Hague on 7 Feb 1901  In the book Royalty Before the Wars there's a rather grainy photo of the wedding ceremony and you can see GD Vladimir (I would presume Miechen was there but you can't see her). So when Wilhelm II went into exile in the Netherlands, his DIL's uncle was the Prince Consort of that country. I don't know whether or not this played any role in the protection that Wilhelmina extended to him even when the Allied countries were clamoring for him to be extradited to stand trial as a war criminal.

There were some really horrible rumors floating around that made their way into the papers regarding the fact that he was apparently very cruel to QW and in fact beat her. I don't know enough about him to say whether or not this is true but I would think there would have to be a little grain of truth somewhere (even if it was just they weren't happy) that led to the publication of many explicit stories. I'll try to post some of the abstracts about it.

Their daughter Juliana became Queen after her mother's abdication and then she herself abdicated in favor of her daughter, the present Queen, Beatrix. Juliana herself just died a short while ago.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM by grandduchessella »
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Offline grandduchessella

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Re: Mecklenburg-Schwerin
« Reply #3 on: March 29, 2005, 10:13:47 AM »
From QW's autobiography Lonely But Not Alone:

While vacationing in Schwarzburg she and her mother paid a visit to the Castle. Henry (Hendrik) was away at the time but one day they heard that he had arrived to visit his grandmother. They spent some time together as part of a royal group. 'We enjoyed the walk and the picnic itself so much that we began to consider the idea of walking hand in hand through life. (Sweet  :) ) He left a few days later and she 'missed him very much'. After their holiday she spent a 'tense summer...for a long time nothing was heard from Hendrik' She used the time to think about any future relationship because the future of the throne rested on her shoulders as there were no other direct heirs. Therefore her choice of a consort would be very important. 'At last came his requst for a future meeting' and they arranged to meet in the Odenwald in the Grand Duchy of Hesse. 'We spent a few days quietly' until the press got wind of the meeting and harassed them despite their attempts to stay 'incognito'. Hendrik felt it prudent to absent himself because any lengthy visit could lead to publication of engagement stories which may yet prove untrue and he didn't want undue pressure to be placed upon QW. A short while later they met up again and had a chance to talk in private. On 12 October during a luncheon and after the meal the others 'withdrew and left us alone. Ten minutes later we returned and announced our engagement. the die was cast! What a relief that always is on these occasions!' About a week later he visited her in the Netherlands and 'a wonderful autumn followed'. QW was not allowed to go to Schwerin pre-wedding as ducal tradition required that a 'festive entry with their young wives' take place 'so that awaited me later'. She did have a chance to meet her future MIL. A meeting was arranged at the Holstein home of the GD of Oldenberg who was married to Hendrik's sister Elisabeth and they were joined by many other family members who wanted to meet her. 'It was a great event for me'. It must've been for Wilhelmina who had such a small family herself to find herself welcomed by Hendrik's very large family. They returned to the Netherlands and he stayed through the New Year. Their next meeting came a few days before their wedding which was to take place on 7 February 1901. 'It was a magnificient wedding. Many members of both families were present and the whole country rejoiced in our happiness.' Wedding presents included a golden coach from the city of Amsterdam which was finished just in time.

There is information about his early years growing up in Germany (though he didn't spend much time in Schwerin itself) which I'll try to gather up later.

This passage certainly sheds a different light on their relationship from the news reports. Who knows where the truth lies.
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Offline grandduchessella

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Re: Mecklenburg-Schwerin
« Reply #4 on: March 29, 2005, 10:19:51 AM »



at time of marriage

(one of my favorite photos of QW who usually didn't photograph well at all)

wedding
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bluetoria

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Re: Mecklenburg-Schwerin
« Reply #5 on: March 29, 2005, 10:30:44 AM »
Thank you, grandduchessella for all the photos & the information  :)

The 'romance' of their early meetings may well explain why Alice Albany called her 'blissful' at the time of her engagement. And perhaps, too, in the early months of their marriage they were happy.  (What a responsibility for her though, knowing she had duty to provide heirs...Maybe, considering this, she didn't take enough time to 'get to know him' - butthen among princesses/princes in those days, who did  :-/ ).
This still wouldn't mean, though, that within even a few months of their marriage she saw him differently or he showed a different side to his character, would it?

Thank you very much  :) (And you at least still had THESE photos! I think she looks very like her mother & Aunt Helen)
 

Offline Marc

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Re: Mecklenburg-Schwerin
« Reply #6 on: March 29, 2005, 03:14:45 PM »
Does anyone know;was his real name Henry or Heinrich?

Offline grandduchessella

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Re: Mecklenburg-Schwerin
« Reply #7 on: March 29, 2005, 10:15:18 PM »
Quote
Thank you, grandduchessella for all the photos & the information  :)

Thank you very much  :) (And you at least still had THESE photos! I think she looks very like her mother & Aunt Helen)
  


Actually I just plucked them off the web when googling around.  :) Still hoping hubby can get all the others back. In the meantime I'm just going to start to rebuild. the Waldeck-Pyrmont genes really showed through--she had her mother's flatter face and later the tendency towards weight gain. Alice Albany escaped this aspect--very spritely.
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Offline grandduchessella

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Re: Mecklenburg-Schwerin
« Reply #8 on: March 29, 2005, 10:16:01 PM »
Quote
Does anyone know;was his real name Henry or Heinrich?


Probably Heinrich as he was born in Germany. Wilhelmina referred to him as Hendrik and I've seen it anglicized as Henry.
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Re: Mecklenburg-Schwerin
« Reply #9 on: March 29, 2005, 10:37:07 PM »
It seems that many of the rumors about the unhappiness of the queen could've been just that. Here are some headlines:

WILHELMINA'S NUPTIAL CONTRACT.        
The Washington Post Jan 20, 1901  
There has been so little domestic happiness in the reigning house of the Netherlands that Queen Wilhelmina cannot be blamed unduly for permitting a considerable portion of her marriage contract to be devoted to provisions for the eventuality of Duke Henry severing his relations with her by means of a divorce.        
ROYAL WEDDING AT THE HAGUE.        
Feb 6, 1901        
The wedding of Queen Wilhelmina and Prince "Hendrik," as he is now called will take place to-morrow. The royal couple will proceed to the Lutheran Church, known as the Groot Kerk, at The Hague, in that fearful and wonderful equipage which the people of Amsterdam presented to their sovereign when she came of age a couple of years ago.      
 
PRINCE HENRY IS FORGIVEN.; Queen Wilhelmina Expects Her Subjects to Be as Forbearing as Herself.
Dec 6, 1901        
Amsterdam, Dec. 5. -- With the view of allaying public indignation and excitement, semi-official intimations have been circulated, to the effect that Queen Wilhelmina has forgiven her husband, Prince Henry of the Netherlands, the suggestion being that the public ought to follow suit.        

DIVORCE OF ROYALTY; Peculiar Laws Apply to the Rulers Of Europe.        
Dec 8, 1901        
Rumors of the forthcoming divorce of Queen Wilhelmina and of the two beautiful Endinburgh sisters, Victoria Melita, Grand Duchess of Hesse, and Marie, Crown Princess of Roumania, both granddaughters of the late Queen of England, brings to light some peculiar divorce laws to which royal women are subject.        

MISMATED ROYAL COUPLES.; Two of Late Queen Victoria's Granddaughters Find Married Life Unhappy
.Dec 8, 1901  
London, Dec. 7. -- The domestic infelicities of European royalties have never come so prominently before the public as have today the difficulties of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, the dramatic circumstances of which form one of the chief tropics of conversation. The romantic hale surrounding the young Queen and the keen interest taken in her marriage only help to accentdate public curiosity and sympathy.
       
A WORD FOR PRINCE HENRY; Consorts of Queens Regnant Have a Difficult Road to Travel. Satisfaction for Royal Insults.        
Dec 15, 1901
PRINCE HENRY of the Netherlands is not a sympathetic personage; that is to say, he does not possess any fascination of manner or the talent of making friends at once with those around him. The very sterling qualities which he possesses are concealed beneath a somewhat forbidding surface.        

CROWN NO PROTECTION; Queens Frequently Beaten by Royal Husbands. PRECEDENTS FOR PRINCE HENRY Brutality of Prince Leopold, of Salm, Who Forced His Wife to Commit Suicide -- Atrocities Inflicted by Hohenzollerus on Unhappy Spouses -- Long List of Horrors s in Prussia -- Russia's Shining Examples -- Nearly 2,000 Brides Murdered by Ivan.        
Dec 22, 1901  
Berlin, Dec. 14. -- The troubles of the young Queen of Holland and her husband, Prince Henry, recall the misfortunes of other crowned wives who suffered at the hands of unspeakable consorts and of princesses, officials, and others, beaten or slain by murderers of the blood royal. Generally speaking, history, as taught in school and college, fights shy of these tragedies, but European court gossip ...      
 
ANXIETY FOR SICK QUEEN; Wilhelmina's Condition Gives Rise to Much Apprehension. Her Illness Now Admitted to Be Due to Miscarriage -- Prince Consort Birth- day Festivities Abandoned.        
Apr 18, 1902        
Amsterdam, April 17. -- All classes of the population are deeply grieved at the illness of Queen Wilhelmina. Prince Henry of the Netherlands, the prince consort, is overwhelmed with anxiety, and hardly leaves the Queen's bedside. The Queen's mother is also in constant attendance upon the royal patient.
[apparently this turned out to be typhoid as subsequent stories reported and it took her quite some time to recover]
       
QUEEN A HAPPY WIFE; Miss Kuyper Denies Stories About Holland's Ruler. WERE STARTED BY MENIAL Daughter of ex-Premier of Netherlands Declares There Is No Marital Trouble Between Wilhelmina and Prince Henry -- Expresses Surprise that Americans Should Have Believed Tales.        
Mar 1, 1906        
Miss Henrietta S.S. Kuyper, daughter of the ex-premier of Holland, who came to Washington three weeks ago on a brief pleasure trip, has been ill for a fortnight and confined to her room in the George Washington University Hospital, where she was placed by personal request at the time.        

DUTCH QUEEN DISAPPOINTED; Wilhelmina Doing Well, Despite Lost Hope of an Heir. Succession of Highest Importance to Holland, as She Is Last of the House of Orange.        
Sep 11, 1908
Amsterdam, Sept. 10. -- A dispatch from Alperdon, where Queen Wilhelmina is staying, at the royal castle of Het Loo. states that the queen's hope of an heir has been disappointed. Official confirmation of the statement was given today.      
 
PRINCE HENRY IN HOLLAND'S FAVOR        
May 9, 1909        
While the new-born princess of the Netherlands is being hailed everywhere as the future Queen of Holland, it by no means follows that she is destined to inherit the Dutch throne, for should Wilhelmina, as is probable, again become a mother and give birth to a son, it is the latter, and not his elder sister, who would succeed to the crown.
       
Prince Consort Of Netherlands Dies Suddenly; Wedded Queen Wilhelmina at Age of 24; Nation in Mourning.
The Hague, Netherlands, July 3 (AP). -- Only a few months after the passing of the queen mother, the Dutch royal family was plunged into mourning again today by the death of Prince Henry, the husband of Queen Wilhelmina.      
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bluetoria

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Re: Mecklenburg-Schwerin
« Reply #10 on: March 30, 2005, 04:10:38 AM »
Thanks so much for taking the time to find & post all these, grandduchessella.

They are quite contradictory, aren't they, but even allowing for newspapers' exaggeration it seems that it was hardly the happiest of marriages. It could be that the Prince was just unpopular with the people & so much of what was said was merely rumour (like Ella & Serge) but he cannot have been unpopular before his arrival in Holland & the high hopes for the wedding would suggest that originally the people wished to think well of him. Therefore, it sounds as though he really was not a very kind husband. (Then again...I keep recalling the article about Ella that you posted from the Washington Post  :-/) The worst thing forthem all must have been having your whole life under the microscope so that any minor disagreement could be blown out of all proportion by the the press.

How significant that they should mention the possibility of Marie of Roumania's divorce and especially as late as 1901 for by then she & Nando seemed to have settled into their 'mutually tolerant' roles, hadn't they?

Thank you very much for posting them.  :)



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Re: Mecklenburg-Schwerin
« Reply #11 on: March 30, 2005, 09:09:00 AM »
Quote

Actually I just plucked them off the web when googling around.  :)


I thought all the photos you have posted were from your private collection in albums.
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bluetoria

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Re: Mecklenburg-Schwerin
« Reply #12 on: March 30, 2005, 09:28:15 AM »
Where ever they were from, it was extremely kind of you to post them, particularly when you have been having such a difficult time with your computer. Thank you again.  :)

Offline grandduchessella

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Re: Mecklenburg-Schwerin
« Reply #13 on: March 30, 2005, 12:19:26 PM »
Quote

I thought all the photos you have posted were from your private collection in albums.


Many of them are but if I come across some that are already on the web I will put them here as do many on the site. I have one album that has Dutch pictures but they're not such an interest that I go out of my way to collect them--I tend to stick to QV descendants. I never made claim that ALL the photos I post belong to me.

I know you don't agree with it but when we do post pictures that are from books I usually note where they're from and urge the person to buy the book. Otherwise if they are already posted somewhere else I don't know what rules govern that unless they are on a museum site (which these weren't). And as I noted when responding to bluetoria these didn't come from me--I wouldn't have wanted to leave that impression.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM by grandduchessella »
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bluetoria

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Re: Mecklenburg-Schwerin
« Reply #14 on: March 30, 2005, 04:08:18 PM »
Anna...if you are there!!!  :)
You are from the Netherlands; could you, please, say how Prince Henry is viewed there today? Is he seen as a disappointment, an unkind husband & useless Consort...or is there a more favourable opinion of him? (please).