Landgravine Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt

Full name
	Friederike Caroline Luise

Princess Friederike
Princess Friederike
	Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt
Born	20 August 1752; Darmstadt, Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, Holy Roman Empire
Died	Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist.; Hanover, Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Holy Roman Empire
Spouse	Charles II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Full name
	Friederike Caroline Luise
House	Hesse-Darmstadt
Father	Prince George William of Hesse-Darmstadt
Mother	Maria Louise Albertine of Leiningen-Falkenburg-Dagsburg

Princess Friederike Caroline Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt (20 August 1752 – 22 May 1782) was a member of the House of Hesse and by marriage a Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

She is a direct matrilineal ancestor (through women only) of Queen Margarethe II of Denmark, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, King Albert II of Belgium, King Harald V of Norway, and Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg.

Life

Friederike was born in Darmstadt, the eldest daughter of Prince George William of Hesse-Darmstadt, second son of Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, and Countess Maria Louise Albertine of Leiningen-Falkenburg-Dagsburg.

She married Duke Charles of Mecklenburg-Strelitz on 18 September 1768 in Darmstadt.^[1] They had ten children together. Two daughters became queens consort as Louise would marry Frederick William III of Prussia and Frederica would marry Ernest Augustus I of Hanover.

Friederike died of complications resulting from child birth in Hanover, where her husband was field marshal of the household brigade. After her death her husband married her younger sister Charlotte in 1784. In 1794 her husband succeeded to the throne of Mecklenburg-Strelitz as Charles II and in 1815 at the Congress of Vienna, he was raised to the title grand duke.

She died at the age of 29, three days after giving birth to her tenth child, Augusta, who lived just one day. Friederike is buried in the royal crypt of the church of St John the Baptist in Mirow.^[2]

Issue

Friederike had ten children, five of whom survived to adulthood. Two of her daughters married royalty, Louise becoming Queen of Prussia and Frederica becoming Queen of Hanover.

Issue

Name	Portrait	Lifespan	Notes
Duchess Charlotte Georgine Duchess of Saxe-Hildburghausen	80px	17 November 1769- 14 May 1818	Married in 1785 to Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg and had issue;
Duchess Karoline Auguste		17 February 1771- 11 January 1773	Died in infancy
Duke Georg Karl		4 March 1772- 21 May 1773	Died in infancy
Duchess Therese Mathilde Princess of Thurn and Taxis	80px	5 April 1773- 12 February 1839	Married Prince Karl Alexander of Thurn and Taxis and had issue;
Duke Friedrich Georg		1 September 1775- 5 November 1775	Died in infancy
Duchess Louise Auguste Queen of Prussia	80px	10 March 1776- 19 July 1810	Married in 1793 to Frederick William III of Prussia and had issue;
Duchess Frederica Louise Princess of Prussia Princess of Solms-Braunfels Queen of Hanover	80px	3 March 1778- 29 June 1841	Married first in 1793 Prince Louis Charles of Prussia and had issue; married second in 1798 to Prince Frederick William of Solms-Braunfels and had issue; married third in 1815 to Ernest Augustus I of Hanover and had issue;
George Friedrich Grand Duke of Mecklenburg	80px	12 August 1779- September 1860	Married in 1817 Princess Marie of Hesse-Kassel and had issue;
Duke Friedrich Karl		7 January 1781- 24 March 1783	Died in infancy
Duchess Auguste Albertine		19 May 1782- 20 May 1782	Died in infancy