Friedrich Franz III. (Mecklenburg)

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Friedrich Franz III., Grand Duke of Mecklenburg [-Schwerin]

Friedrich Franz III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg [-Schwerin] (born March 19, 1851 in Ludwigslust ; † April 10, 1897 in Cannes , France ; full name: Friedrich Franz Paul Nikolaus Ernst Heinrich ) was Grand Duke in the Mecklenburg-Schwerin region and ruled between 1883 and 1897.

Life path

Hereditary Grand Duke Friedrich Franz in the early 1880s
Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III., Around 1885
Anastasia , Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg [-Schwerin], Grand Duchess of Russia, wife of Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III.

School time and studies

Friedrich Franz III. was born on March 19, 1851 in Ludwigslust Palace . He was the son of Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Grand Duchess Auguste , who presumably died of tuberculosis as early as 1862. Friedrich Franz III. After home education and private lessons, from autumn 1866 attended the public Vitzthumsche Gymnasium in Dresden, which had emerged from the Blochmann educational institution in 1861 . Friedrich Franz later fondly remembered his school days. In March 1870 he passed his Abitur. This was followed by a trip to Italy, from which he returned on May 15th.

At the end of May 1870, Friedrich Franz traveled to Bonn to begin his law studies at the Friedrich Wilhelms University . Here he also joined the student union Corps Borussia Bonn , which received him in 1870. Studying in Bonn ended in the summer of 1873.

Stays abroad

The Hereditary Grand Duke spent his first long stay abroad from 1864 to 1866 in Bagnères-de-Bigorre . The prevailing climatic conditions there should provide relief for the 13-year-old suffering from bronchial asthma .

In 1874 and 1875 the Hereditary Grand Duke traveled through the Middle East , visited Cairo and the sites of the pharaohs , he traveled to Sinai and the Holy Land and then made a stop in Constantinople . His long-time confidante Carl Schröder accompanied him on the nine-month trip .

The grand ducal family also traveled to India . The Grand Duke and his wife spent the end of January 1885 in Calcutta , where they stayed as guests of the British Governor General and Viceroy in India, Lord Dufferin and his wife Hariot Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood.

Marriage and offspring

Grand Duchess Anastasia with her children Friedrich Franz IV. , Alexandrine and Cecilie around 1895

On January 24, 1879, Friedrich married Franz III. in Saint Petersburg the Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia (1860–1922), the only daughter of Grand Duke Michael Nikolajewitsch Romanow (1832–1909) and his wife Princess Cäcilie von Baden (1839–1891), granddaughter of the Russian Tsar Nicholas I, in marriage three children were born:

⚭ 1898 King Christian X of Denmark (1870–1947)
⚭ 1904 Alexandra von Hannover and Cumberland (1882–1963)
⚭ 1906 Wilhelm of Prussia (1882–1951)

When she was born in 1879, the firstborn was named Alexandrine after the grandmother of the Grand Duke, daughter of the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III. and Queen Luise . Alexandrine later became Queen of Denmark .

The second child was the hoped-for heir to the throne in 1882, who would later succeed his father as Friedrich Franz IV.

Finally, in 1886, Cecilie was born, who became engaged to Crown Prince Wilhelm of Prussia , son of Kaiser Wilhelm II., On September 4, 1904 , in the Gelbensande hunting lodge.

Government affairs and sickness

On April 15, 1883, Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II died as a result of pneumonia.

Due to his health restrictions, Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III. did not take over government affairs at this time and therefore entrusted the State Ministry in Schwerin with the management of government affairs. He was also unable to travel to his father's funeral. In Menton on the Côte d'Azur , where the Grand Duke was staying, a funeral service was therefore held in the German Evangelical Church there.

The Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III. suffered from asthma and cardiac insufficiency . He spent most of his reign on Lake Geneva , with his stepmother Marie von Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in Palermo , in Baden-Baden and in Cannes and let General Friedrich von Maltzahn (1848-1907) exercise the business of government.

The stays on the Côte d'Azur during the winter months served to alleviate his asthma. In Cannes, Friedrich Franz lived in the Villa Wenden on Avenue de la Favorite , a villa built by order of the Grand Duke in 1889, which served as the Grand Duke's winter residence. Family members of the Romanovs also lived in this villa for a while. During his previous stays in Cannes, the Villa Isola Bella was always rented. Friedrich Franz III. was well aware that the longer absence of his person in the home country was not welcomed and that many people would “scold a lot”, but he did not care. The view expressed in the native press criticism he evaluated only as "the outpouring of beklemmten Schwerin Hoflieferantenseele ". He could think of no other reason than that the Schwerin court missed “her panem et circenses ” of the winter court festivals in the castle.

The year 1890 was marked by the Duke's illness, bedridden for several weeks and a subsequent cure for several months in the form of a sea voyage on the yacht Conqueror hampered the personal pursuit of government business in Schwerin.

In the spring of 1897 his health deteriorated noticeably.

Death in Cannes

Friedrich Franz III died on the evening of April 10, 1897. on the consequences of the fall at his home in Cannes.

The official statement on the death of the Grand Duke was that the sick man entered the garden terrace of the property gasping for breath during an asthma attack and fell over the balustrade onto the street below. He was found there, severely injured, lying on the retaining wall of the garden terrace. Steward Gagzow and some employees carried the seriously injured to the villa, where he died shortly thereafter in the presence of his family. An autopsy carried out by his treating doctors on site revealed the fracture of the spine, two ribs and an ankle. But they also came to the conclusion that death was due to heart failure.

After the incident, the grand ducal family endeavored to portray the fall from a height of eight meters as an accident, although the indications of a suicide by the grand duke were clear. The contemporary press - such as the Sunday newspaper Wiener Bilder - reported in April 1897 that the Grand Duke's supposed cause of death was “cardiac paralysis” or “the rupture of an artery ulcer” . In October 1897, Prince Max von Baden also expressed himself in a confidential letter about the death of the Mecklenburg Grand Duke: “ What a beautiful death the Duke of Mecklenburg died. No matter how hard he suffered, he did his job ” .

Baroness Louise von Reibnitz-Maltzan, who was present in Cannes in 1897 as the lady-in-waiting of the Grand Duchess, spoke in 1922 of the “Grand Duke's suicide”.

Burial in Ludwigslust

Funeral procession for the funeral of Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III, participation of over 300 pastors from the country

In accordance with his wishes, he was not buried in the Schwerin Cathedral , but in the Helenen-Paulownen-Mausoleum in the palace gardens of Ludwigslust on April 21, 1897. This was preceded by the laying out in the Schwerin Castle Church , which was arranged by his younger brother, the Duke-Regent Johann Albrecht , against the will of Grand Duchess-widow Anastasia. During his lifetime, the late Grand Duke expressed the wish that his body should be brought directly to Ludwigslust without being laid out or exhibited beforehand. The funeral carriage with the deceased provided by the Schwerin Marstall was pulled by eight horses decorated in black, each of the horses was led individually by a groom. The following funeral procession led by the German Empress, followed by the Grand Dukes, the princes and princes of the country. Behind the high nobility are the civil servants and the military. After the funeral in the Ludwigslust city church , the deceased was buried in the Helenen-Paulownen-Mausoleum.

Blackmail attempts

The social environment of the Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III. speculated about his same-sex inclinations during his lifetime . After his death, the grand ducal family and Duke-Regent Johann Albrecht were threatened with extortion letters. The family then turned to the well-known Berlin chief inspector Hans von Tresckow , who secured the letters.

The starting point for the extortion was the theft of private letters from the Grand Duke in the spring of 1897, the content of which was intended to prove his homosexual tendencies. The thief was a journeyman tailor in Berlin by the name of Gustav Rhode, who had previously allegedly blackmailed homosexuals. He passed the letters on to another criminal named Novack. It was he who blackmailed the late Grand Duke's family. The Chief Inspector von Tresckow, who was appointed to the case, was able to pick up Novack in London, whereupon the latter betrayed his cronies Rhode. Both were sentenced to long prison terms. After his release from prison, Gustav Rhode again committed a criminal offense and tried using the same method to blackmail the vice-chief master of ceremonies Bodo von dem Knesebeck, who worked at the imperial court . At that time, homosexuality meant social ostracism and had been criminalized in Section 175 of the Reich Criminal Code (RStGB) since 1871 . As head of the moral department in the Berlin police headquarters, Hans von Tresckow was later involved in the Harden-Eulenburg affair , which also involved suspicion of homosexual contacts among men of the highest social position.

Political activity

The reign was influenced to a considerable extent by the diseases of the Grand Duke and was predominantly representative. Minister of State Alexander von Bülow therefore assumed responsibility for government affairs as early as 1886. The sick person was unable to participate in political decision-making processes. During the winter, the Grand Duke stayed in Cannes because of his lung disease. Files were brought from Schwerin to Cannes, the Minister of State and the Land Marshal had to travel to Cannes to give a lecture. It was a difficult time for the country, which also represented a contrast to the reign of the dutiful Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II .

Military affairs received special attention. In a letter from 1895 he swears the unity of the military “to be good Germans and good Mecklenburgers; the soldier is only German, there is no difference between Prussia, Mecklenburg or Bavaria. The army should defend externally and connect internally. "

During his reign, extensive renovation work was carried out on church buildings in the country on his instructions . It is worth mentioning the restoration work on Doberan Minster commissioned by his father , which he had continued and personally monitored.

1885

  • On the initiative of the Grand Duke, the expansion of the Schwerin government library built in 1779 began. Building councilor Georg Daniel and master builder Raspe were responsible for the expansion. The expansion work was completed in July 1886. In the period that followed, the country's book collections were brought together in the government library . Carl Schröder , a close companion of the Grand Duke, who wrote a biography of the Grand Duke in 1898, became director of the library .
  • In March, Friedrich Franz III. a medal in silver. The medal was awarded in recognition of praiseworthy actions, the saving of human life when one's own life was in danger.

1887

  • The reactionary Grand Duke Friedrich Franz was critical of parliamentarism in the empire. So he wrote to his minister of state about “nagging parliamentarism”. The statement referred to the rejection of the military bill and the subsequent dissolution of the Reichstag in 1887. He is firmly convinced that the army should not be commanded by the Reichstag , but by the Kaiser.

1888

  • In March 1888, Mecklenburg was hit by floods , a consequence of the snow melt and ice accumulation. Dömitz and Boizenburg were particularly affected. The Grand Duke immediately ordered first emergency aid. Although he was in Cannes because of his illness, he organized the emergency measures in the flood areas in coordination with the Minister of State. On June 21, he donated the Medal of Honor for Voluntary Aid in Water Troubles for the helpers . On July 10, the Grand Duke visited the Dömitz flood plain. The Grand Duke, accompanied by his Minister of State, visited the Boizenburg flood plain on July 24th.

1889

  • In January 1889, the Grand Duke was concerned with the nationalization of the Mecklenburg railways . The nationalization should end the disputes within the various railroad companies. In addition, any financial difficulties that arise should be compensated. A uniform and profitable railway would be in the interests of the country. In April his state minister informed him that the nationalization proposals met with broad support.
  • In the spring of that year, meetings with the Minister of State Alexander von Bülow and the Council of State from the Ministry of Justice followed in Cannes. These meetings enabled the Grand Duke to exercise the business of government during his health-related stays in Cannes.
  • Of particular interest were the plans for the new construction of the tower donated by Arthur von Bernstorff at Schwerin Cathedral . The Grand Duke had photographs of the building work and planning documents sent to Cannes on a regular basis. He also maintained lively correspondence with building officer Daniel .

1890

  • The Grand Duke was often prone to verbal and written abuses. The Grand Duke reacted extremely indignantly to a complaint from the Schwerin magistrate about the relocation of the Mecklenburg Jäger Battalion to Alsace. The people of Schwerin should be grateful "for the honor of defending with the blood of their sons in the event of the first attack on the borders", so the Grand Duke's written answer.

1893

  • On March 21, the Grand Duke accompanied Grand Duke Alexander on his sea voyage to Algiers , where the Grand Duke inspected the Russian armored cruiser Dimitri Donskoi .
  • The unveiling of the equestrian memorial for Friedrich Franz II on August 24, 1893 in the Schwerin palace garden went hand in hand with the visit of the emperor. Hundreds of soldiers and members of the country's warrior associations attended the inauguration. Graf von Plessen gave a speech, whereupon the work created by Ludwig Brunow was unveiled, accompanied by a fanfare procession .
  • On October 2nd, the ceremonial inauguration of the state house built by building officer Gotthilf Ludwig Möckel on behalf of the Grand Duke took place in Rostock . The solemn event was held in the large ballroom. Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III attended the inauguration. and Grand Duchess Anastasia. Other guests were Duke Johann Albrecht, the Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Grand Duke Alexei Michailowitsch Romanow.
  • On the instructions of the Grand Duke, the Grand Ducal Music Director Otto Kade was commissioned to archive the music collection of the Grand Ducal Princely House.

Military time

His military career began in his youth. On March 15, 1863, his father appointed him officer of the Grenadier Guard Battalion . This was followed by the appointment of officer in the Prussian army and position à la suite of the 4th Brandenburg Infantry Regiment No. 24 , in which Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II was the regiment chief . On March 25, he took part in the laying of the foundation stone for the memorial to commemorate the Wars of Liberation in Güstrow - now with officer rank.

With the influence of his father, Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II. , He was attached to Wilhelm I's headquarters at the beginning of the Franco-German War . He arrived in Berlin on July 29, 1870 to take over his duties there. After the end of the campaign, which was victorious for Germany, he took part in the imperial proclamation in Versailles on January 18, 1871, representing his father .

After his trip to the Orient he joined the Guard Cuirassier Regiment . However, he had to end his service in the Berlin regiment in January 1877 for health reasons.

Ranks and regiment chief

Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III. in the uniform of the Hussar Regiment "Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands" (Hannoversches) No. 15.

(Source: Mecklenburg-Schwerin State Handbook 1896 )

Rank

Regiment chief

À la suite

Awards

Coat of arms FF 3.jpg

(Source: Mecklenburg-Schwerin State Handbook 1896 )

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Residences of the Grand Duke

Summer residence Jagdhaus Gelbensande

Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III. von Mecklenburg gave the order to build a summer residence around 1880. Gelbensande, where the hunting ground of the Mecklenburg sovereigns was located, offered itself as a location. The good climatic conditions prevailing there during the summer should also have a favorable effect on the state of health of the grand duke, who was tormented by asthma. The hunting lodge was ready for occupancy in August 1887.

After the Grand Duke's death, the hunting lodge became the widow's seat of Grand Duchess Anastasia.

Winter residence Villa Wenden

South side of Villa Wenden.

Friedrich Franz III. had a villa built in the style of historicism in Cannes in 1889 . The necessary funds were provided by Grand Duchess Anastasia, who consequently also owned the property.

Villa Wenden was built on an artificially piled rock pedestal from which there was a wonderful view of the coast and the sea. The living area was also oriented to the south, so the owner and guests could enjoy the same view. An idyllic Mediterranean garden framed the stately property. The villa was also remarkable from a technical point of view, it was the first residence on site that was supplied with electricity .

Escaping the harsh northern German winter weather, the Grand Duke and his family spent the winter on the property in Cannes. Here they received numerous guests, including the Romanow family. One year after the death of the Grand Duke, the future Danish King Christian X. and Alexandrine zu Mecklenburg celebrated their wedding in the villa.

Like other German properties, Villa Wenden was confiscated by the French state after the beginning of the First World War. In 1918 the villa was then extended to the east. In 1923 it was sold to Joseph Gruss, who renamed the building Villa "Le Rouve". Today the villa is divided into luxury apartments.

Monuments

  • Sandstone bench with a bronze bust on the Schwerin (Marstall peninsula), designed by Max Buchholz (bench) and Hugo Berwald (bust), donated by the state's sailing and rowing clubs. The monument was inaugurated on May 24, 1898. In the aftermath of the November Revolution of 1918/19 , the bronze bust was removed in a nightly action. After it was found, it was returned to its original place. In 1948 the monument was destroyed.
  • Bronze bust on a granite base in Lübenheen ( Friedrich-Franz-Schacht ), designed by Hugo Berwald. The preserved monument was moved to the Ludwigslust Palace Park in 1936 .
  • Friedrich Franz III monument in Rostock from 1901, designed by Wilhelm Wandschneider . Monument was dismantled and melted down in 1941.
  • Memorial plaque in honor of Friedrich Franz III. in the Volkenshagen Church The memorial plaque donated by the community was unveiled on April 10, 1898.

Literature and Sources

literature

  • Carl Schröder: Friedrich Franz III., Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin: From his life and his letters. Published by Friedrich Bahn, Schwerin 1898 ( digitized version ).
  • Bernd Kasten : Prince Schnaps. Black sheep in the Princely House of Mecklenburg. Hinstorff Verlag GmbH, Rostock 2009, ISBN 3-356-01334-3 .
  • Bernd Kasten: Friedrich Franz III., Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. In: Biographical Lexicon for Mecklenburg. Volume 6, Rostock 2011, ISBN 978-3-795037-50-5 , pp. 117-120.
  • Bernd Kasten, Matthias Manke , René Wiese: The Grand Dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Hinstorff Verlag GmbH, Rostock 2015, ISBN 978-3-356-01986-5 .
  • Jürgen Borchert : Mecklenburg's Grand Dukes: 1815-1918. Demmler Verlag Schwerin 1992, ISBN 978-3-910150-14-0 , pp. 71-90.
  • Elsbeth Andre: Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III. and builder Georg Daniel. In: Association for Mecklenburg history and antiquity (Hrsg.): Mecklenburgische Jahrbücher. Volume 119, Schwerin 2004, pp. 263-277.
  • The regency in the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin . In: Mecklenburgische Zeitung. Year 1897, p. 177, p. 180, p. 183.
  • Christiane Freuck: History from Gelbensande: from the life of Friedrich Franz III. (1851-1897) - Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. In: Information sheet of the Rostocker Heide office. Volume 15, Gelbensande 2006, pp. 13-14.
  • Grand Ducal Mecklenburg - Schwerin State Calendar. : Born 1891 , Born 1896 , Born 1897 , Born 1898 , Born 1899 , Verlag der Bärensprungschen Hofbuchdruckerei Schwerin.
  • Friedrich Wigger: Family Tables of the Grand Ducal House of Mecklenburg. In: Association for Mecklenburg history and antiquity (Hrsg.): Mecklenburgische Jahrbücher . Volume 50, Schwerin 1885, p. 304 f.
  • Wolfgang Golther: Carl Schröder In: Year Books of the Association for Mecklenburg History and Archeology, Volume 81 (1917), pp. 111–125, Here: pp. 116 ff.
  • Friedrich Karl Devens : Biographical corps album of Borussia in Bonn 1827-1902. Düsseldorf 1902, p. 178.

Unprinted sources

  • State Main Archive Schwerin
    • Holdings: (10.09. L / 06) 270, personal estate Lisch - Heraldry, request of Hereditary Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III. a heraldic and historically accurate drawing of the Mecklenburg coat of arms, running time : 1871.
    • Holdings: (02.26.03) 935, Grand Ducal Marstallamt, establishment of an equipage for the Hereditary Grand Duke Friedrich Franz during his stay in Bonn, duration: 1869–1872.
  • State Church Archive Schwerin
    • Inventory: (03.01.01.01.) 0944, file group II. - Church affairs and church regiment, the death of members of the grand ducal house, funeral ceremonies for Ghz. Friedrich Franz III, running time: 1897.
    • Holdings: (11.01.01.) D3 / roll, file group II. - Church affairs and church regiment, inscription Friedrich Franz III., Grand Duke of Mecklenburg Schwerin, Ludwigslust mausoleum.
  • Schwerin City Archives
    • Holdings: Magistrate file group 05.05.03. - Deaths / 5951, celebrations on the occasion of the funeral of Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III., Duration: 1897–1901.
    • Holdings: Magistrate file group 31.06 - Monuments / 9042, support for the erection of a memorial for Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III., Duration: 1897–1898.
  • Baden-Württemberg State Archive
    • Stock: Q 2/3 Bü 7, Bü 8, Bü 9, estate of Dr. Berthold von Fetzer , personal physician and Councilor of State, diaries 1885–1887, Fetzer's conversation with Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III. von Mecklenburg-Schwerin (November 27, 1885), Fetzer's visit to Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III. von Mecklenburg-Schwerin (p. 31), award of the Cross of Honor of the Order of the Griffin of the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin to Fetzer (May 6, 1886), visits from Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III. from Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Jürgen Borchert: Mecklenburg's Grand Dukes. 1815-1918 , Schwerin 1992, p. 74.
  2. Friedrich Franz II. Provided his son with the private tutor Carl Schröder from 1865, who also acted as a travel companion.
  3. ^ Carl Schröder: Friedrich Franz III., Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin: From his life and his letters , Verlag Friedrich Bahn, Schwerin 1898, pp. 63-64.
  4. ^ Carl Schröder: Friedrich Franz III., Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin: From his life and his letters , Verlag Friedrich Bahn, Schwerin 1898, p. 356.
  5. ^ Carl Schröder: Friedrich Franz III., Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin: From his life and his letters , Verlag Friedrich Bahn, Schwerin 1898, p. 63.
  6. Kösener corps lists from 1798 to 1910, p. 47, 19. Borussia Bonn, 469. Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III. to Mecklenburg.
  7. ^ Jürgen Borchert: Mecklenburg's Grand Dukes. 1815-1918 , Schwerin 1992, p. 86.
  8. Wolfgang Golther : Obituary Carl Schröder. In: Yearbooks of the Association for Mecklenburg History and Archeology . No. 81 (1917), p. 117 ( digitized version ).
  9. ^ Hariot Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood: Our Viceregal Life in India: Selections from my Journal, 1884-1888. Volume I. John Murray, London 1890, pp. 44-49 ( digitized ).
  10. Bernd Kasten: Prince Schnaps. Black sheep in the Princely House of Mecklenburg. Hinstorff, Rostock 2009, p. 27.
  11. ^ Carl Schröder: Friedrich Franz III., Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin: From his life and his letters. Verlag Friedrich Bahn, Schwerin 1898, p. 213.
  12. Valentina Grigorian: The Romanows and the Mecklenburg princes, loyal nurse on many sick days: the Tsar's niece Anastasia, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Demmler Verlag, Schwerin 2007, p. 114 f.
  13. Bernd Kasten, Mathias Manke, René Wiese: The Grand Dukes of Mecklenburg . Friedrich Franz III. The distant prince. Hinstorff Verlag, Rostock 2015, p. 103 ff .
  14. Bernd Kasten, Mathias Manke, René Wiese: The Grand Dukes of Mecklenburg . Friedrich Franz III. The distant prince. Hinstorff Verlag, Rostock 2015, p. 111 f .
  15. Bernd Kasten: Prince Schnaps. Black sheep in the Princely House of Mecklenburg. Rostock 2009, p. 20 f.
  16. ^ Carl Schröder: Friedrich Franz III. Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin: From his life and his letters. Verlag Friedrich Bahn, Schwerin 1898, p. 317 f.
  17. Bernd Kasten, Mathias Manke, René Wiese: The Grand Dukes of Mecklenburg . Friedrich Franz III. The distant prince. Hinstorff Verlag, Rostock 2015, ISBN 978-3-356-01986-5 , p. 112 f .
  18. Bernd-Ulrich Hergemöller:  About the last events during the death of His Royal Highness Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III. von Mecklenburg Schwerin, in the year 1897.  In: Association for Mecklenburg history and antiquity:  Yearbooks of the association for Mecklenburg history and antiquity.  Volume 119, 2004, pp. 279-292.
  19. Irma Freiin von Waldstedt: Thirty Years Court Lady 1870–1900. Vossische Buchhandlung, Berlin 1907, p. 349.
  20. ^ A b Adolf Langfeld: My Life: Memories of the Mecklenburg-Schwerin State Minister i. RD Dr. Adolf Langfeld . Printing and publishing house Bärensprungsche Hofbuchdruckerei, Schwerin 1930, p. 128 f.
  21. ^ Wiener Bilder, Illustrierter Sonntagsblatt . 2nd year 1897, No. 17 (from Sunday, April 25, 1897), p. 10.
  22. ^ Letter to Cosima Wagner dated October 1, 1897.
  23. Lothar Machtan: Prince Max von Baden: The last chancellor of the emperor . Suhrkamp Verlag, Berlin 2013, ISBN 978-3-518-73294-6 , pp. 134 f .
  24. ^ Louise von Reibnitz-Maltzan: Figures from the last Tsar's court and other personal encounters. Verlag C. Reissner, 1928, p. 176.
  25. Bernd Kasten: Prince Schnaps. Black sheep in the Princely House of Mecklenburg. Rostock 2009, p. 23.
  26. LHAS inventory: (02.26.03) 971, file group 6. 6. - Provision of horses and wagons for funerals , Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III., April 1897.
  27. Bernd-Ulrich Hergemöller : Man for man. A biographical lexicon. Frankfurt / M. 2001, p. 253.
  28. a b c d Tresckow: From princes and other mortals, memories of a detective inspector. Berlin 1922, pp. 88-106.
  29. ^ Gustav Rhode received a prison sentence of 5 years.
  30. Bernd-Ulrich Hergemöller : Man for man. A biographical lexicon , LIT Verlag, Münster 2010, ISBN 978-3-643-10693-3 , p. 991.
  31. Peter Winzen: The end of the imperial glory: the scandal processes around the homosexual advisors of Kaiser Wilhelm 1907-1909. Böhlau Verlag, Cologne 2010, p. 213 f., P. 108.
  32. "Gays like removing nettles". How the authorities have always fought homosexuals in uniform. In: spiegel.de. January 16, 1984. Retrieved November 10, 2016 .
  33. ^ Reprint of the letter from 1895. In: Sonntagsblatt der Mecklenburger Nachrichten. April 10, 1898.
  34. ^ Carl Schröder: Friedrich Franz III. Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin: From his life and his letters. Verlag Friedrich Bahn, Schwerin 1898, p. 277.
  35. ^ Carl Schröder: Friedrich Franz III., Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin: From his life and his letters . Verlag Friedrich Bahn, Schwerin 1898, p. 385.
  36. Dieter C. Reconstruction: Dissolution of Parliament in Germany: Constitutional History and Constitutional Process , Verlag Walter de Gruyter & Co, Berlin 1989, p. 227.
  37. ^ Carl Schröder: Friedrich Franz III. Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin: From his life and his letters. Verlag Friedrich Bahn, Schwerin 1898, p. 275.
  38. Bronze medal, front portrait of the Duke, back inscription, was worn on a dark red ribbon.
  39. Uwe Wieben: People in Boizenburg: Their work in politics and culture, in handicrafts, in the shipyard and in the record factory in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Akademische Verlagsanstalt Leipzig, Leipzig 2013, ISBN 978-3-931982-80-5 , p. 46.
  40. ^ Carl Schröder: Friedrich Franz III., Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin: From his life and his letters . Verlag Friedrich Bahn, Schwerin 1898, p. 303.
  41. ^ Grand Ducal Mecklenburg - Schwerin State Calendar 1891, Neue Annalen 1890, p. 419.
  42. Bernd Kasten, Mathias Manke, René Wiese: The Grand Dukes of Mecklenburg. Hinstorff Verlag, Rostock 2015, p. 109.
  43. inventory Municipal Archives Schwerin : M 7069, Grand Duke to the magistrate, February 13 1890th
  44. Otto Kade: The music collection of the Grand Ducal Mecklenburg-Schwerin Princely House from the last two centuries. 2 volumes. Printed by the Sandmeyerschen Hofbuchdruckerei, Schwerin 1893 (digital copies: Volume 1 , Volume 2 on archive.org).
  45. ^ Carl Schröder: Friedrich Franz III., Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin: From his life and his letters , Verlag Friedrich Bahn, Schwerin 1898, p. 12.
  46. Theodor Toeche-Mittler: The imperial proclamation in Versailles on January 18, 1871 with a list of the festival participants , Ernst Siegfried Mittler and Son, Berlin 1896, p. 52.
  47. H. Schnaebeli: photographs of the imperial proclamation in Versailles , Berlin 1871st
  48. ^ Carl Schröder: Friedrich Franz III. Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin: From his life and his letters. Verlag Friedrich Bahn, Schwerin 1898, p. 136.
  49. Cecilie of Prussia: Crown Princess Cecilie. Memories. Koehler & Amelang Verlag, Berlin 2001, ISBN 978-3-733803-04-9 , p. 69 ff.
  50. Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes: 03E 102/059, 03E 102/189 Mortgage letter on Villa Wenden in Cannes, sold by the Queen of Denmark, term: 1922–1929.
  51. Neue Annalen 1898. In: Großherzoglich Mecklenburg - Schwerinscher Staatskalender 1899. Bärensprungsche Hofbuchdruckerei, p. 510.
  52. ^ Adolf Langfeld: My Life: Memories of the Mecklenburg-Schwerin Minister of State i. RD Dr. Adolf Langfeld. Printing and publishing house Bärensprungsche Hofbuchdruckerei, Schwerin 1930, p. 133.
predecessor Office successor
Friedrich Franz II. Grand Duke of Mecklenburg [-Schwerin]
1883–1897
Friedrich Franz IV.