Frederick Augustus II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg

Frederick Augustus II (16 November 1852 in Oldenburg – 24 February 1931 in Rastede) was the last ruling Grand Duke of Oldenburg. He married Princess Elisabeth Anna of Prussia, daughter of Princess Maria Anna of Anhalt-Dessau and Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia. After her death, he married Elisabeth Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

Frederick Augustus II
Grand Duke of Oldenburg
Reign13 June 1900 – 11 November 1918
PredecessorPeter II
SuccessorMonarchy abolished
Born(1852-11-16)16 November 1852
Oldenburg, Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, Imperial Confederate of Germany (later Empire of Germany
Died24 February 1931(1931-02-24) (aged 78)
Rastede Palace, Rastede, Free State of Oldenburg, Weimar Republic
Burial
Ducal (Herzogliches) Mausoleum, Gertrudenfriedhof, Oldenburg
Spouse
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1878; died 1895)​
      Issue
      HouseHouse of Holstein-Gottorp
      FatherPeter II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg
      MotherPrincess Elisabeth of Saxe-Altenburg
      ReligionLutheranism

      Reign

      Frederick Augustus' reign began on 13 June 1900, when his father died. His reign came to an end on 11 November 1918, shortly before the German monarchy was abolished on 28 November 1918.

      Marriages and issue

      On 18 February 1878, Frederick Augustus married Princess Elisabeth Anna of Prussia, a daughter of Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia.[1] It was a double wedding, in which Princess Charlotte of Prussia (daughter of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Prussia) married Bernhard, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Meiningen on the same day as Elisabeth Anna in Berlin.[2] The marriages were the first such occasions performed since Prussia had become the German Empire in 1870. Due to this increased status, the weddings were attended by many important personages, including King Leopold II of Belgium and his wife Queen Marie Henriette.[3] The Prince of Wales also attended, as one of the brides (Charlotte) was his niece.[4]

      Frederick Augustus and Elisabeth Anna had two children:

      NameBirthDeathNotes
      Duchess Sophia Charlotte2 February 187929 March 1964married Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia, a younger son of Wilhelm II of Germany.[5]
      Duchess Margaret13 October 188120 February 1882died in infancy.

      Elisabeth died on 28 August 1895, before he succeeded as Grand Duke.[6] Before her death, her husband had been building a new residential palace; once she died, Frederick named the new building the Elisabeth-Anna-Palais in her honor.

      On 24 October 1896, Frederick Augustus married Duchess Elisabeth Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, a daughter of Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg.[1][5] He succeeded as Grand Duke of Oldenburg in 1900.

      Frederick Augustus and Elisabeth had five children:

      NameBirthDeathNotes
      Nicolas Frederick William, Hereditary Grand Duke of Oldenburg10 August 18973 April 1970married Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont.
      Duke Frederick Augustus25 March 190026 March 1900twin with Alexandrine, died in infancy.
      Duchess Alexandrine25 March 190026 March 1900twin with Frederick Augustus, died in infancy.
      Duchess Ingeborg Alix20 July 190110 January 1996married Prince Stephan Alexander of Schaumburg-Lippe, a younger son of Georg, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe.
      Duchess Altburg Marie Mathilde Olga19 May 190316 June 2001married Josias, Hereditary Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont.

      Frederick was forced to abdicate his throne at the end of World War I, when the former Grand Duchy of the German Empire joined the post-war German Republic.[7] He and his family took up residence at Rastede Castle, where he took up farming and local industrial interests.[5] A year after his abdication, he asked the Oldenburg Diet for a yearly allowance of 150,000 marks, stating that his financial condition was "extremely precarious".[5]

      In 1931, Frederick died in Rastede.[7]

      Honours

      Ancestry

      References
      1. Lundy, Darryl. "The Peerage: Elisabeth Anne Prinzessin von Preußen". Retrieved 26 December 2009.
      2. Radziwill, pp. 116–17.
      3. Radziwill, pp. 117–18.
      4. Radziwill, p. 118.
      5. "Former Grand Duke of Oldenburg Dies", The New York Times, Oldenburg, 25 February 1931
      6. "Princess Elizabeth of Prussia Dead", The New York Times, Berlin, 29 August 1895
      7. "Duchess Elisabeth", The New York Times, Oldenburg, 5 September 1955
      8. Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Großherzogtums Oldenburg: 1853. Schulze. 1853. p. 28.
      9. Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Großherzogtums Oldenburg: 1854. Schulze. 1854. p. 26.
      10. Braunschweig, Staat (Hg.) (1905): Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Herzogtums Braunschweig für 1905. In: Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Herzogtums Braunschweig 1905. p. 11
      11. Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Württemberg (1907), "Königliche Orden" p. 28
      12. Staatshandbücher für das Herzogtum Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha (1865), "Herzogliche Sachsen-Ernestinischer Hausorden" p. 32
      13. Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Hessen (1879), "Großherzogliche Orden und Ehrenzeichen" p. 12
      14. Almanach royal officiel: 1879. 1879. p. 51.
      15. Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Herzogtum Anhalt (1894) "Herzoglicher Haus-orden Albrecht des Bären" p. 17
      16. Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Bayern (1908), "Königliche Orden" p. 7
      17. Staatshandbuch für das Großherzogtum Sachsen / Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach (1900), "Großherzogliche Hausorden" p. 16
      18. Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden (1910), "Großherzogliche Orden" p. 40
      19. Justus Perthes, Almanach de Gotha (1918) p. 66
      20. Italy. Ministero dell'interno (1920). Calendario generale del regno d'Italia. p. 57.
      21. The London Gazette, issue 28030, p. 4083
      22. "A Szent István Rend tagjai" Archived 22 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
      23. Bille-Hansen, A. C.; Holck, Harald, eds. (1912) [1st pub.:1801]. Statshaandbog for Kongeriget Danmark for Aaret 1912 [State Manual of the Kingdom of Denmark for the Year 1912] (PDF). Kongelig Dansk Hof- og Statskalender (in Danish). Copenhagen: J.H. Schultz A.-S. Universitetsbogtrykkeri. p. 5. Retrieved 16 September 2019 – via da:DIS Danmark.
      24. Sveriges Statskalender (in Swedish), 1915, p. 671, retrieved 20 February 2019 – via runeberg.org

      Bibliography
      Frederick Augustus II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg
      Born: 16 November 1852 Died: 24 February 1931
      Regnal titles
      Preceded by
      Peter II      		 Grand Duke of Oldenburg
      13 June 1900 – 11 November 1918      		 Monarchy abolished
      Titles in pretence
      Loss of title
      		 — TITULAR —
      Grand Duke of Oldenburg
      11 November 1918 – 24 February 1931
      Reason for succession failure:
      Grand Duchy abolished in 1918      		 Succeeded by
      Duke Nikolaus
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