Christian Ludwig II of Mecklenburg

Christian Ludwig is the third son of Prince Friedrich of Mecklenburg and Christina Wilhelmina of Hesse-Homburg (1653-1722) and was the nephew of the childless Duke Christian Ludwig I of Mecklenburg . The older brother of Christian Ludwig II - Friedrich Wilhelm I of Mecklenburg inherited from his uncle on June 21, 1692. Friedrich Wilhelm himself died in 1713, and the second brother of Christian Ludwig, Karl Leopold, came to power in the duchy.

The brother of Christian Ludwig II, Karl Leopold, sought to gain absolute power by any means and fought with chivalry and Rostock supporting him. He demanded that the estates approve additional taxes on the creation of a standing army, forced the Rostock city council to renounce its privileges, and put forward to the knighthood decisive requirements for paying taxes.

During the Northern War, Mecklenburg-Schwerin became a battlefield, and with the help of a standing army, Karl Leopold hoped to stop the stint of foreign troops in Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Thus a sharp conflict arose between Karl Leopold and the estates. According to the complaint of the Mecklenburg estates filed by the head of the empire against Karl Leopold’s offenses and his autocratic aspirations, the emperor Charles VI issued an imperial execution against Karl Leopold. The execution of the imperial execution was entrusted to the director of the Lower Saxon imperial district, Elector of Hanover George Ludwig .

Imperial execution was performed in the spring of 1719. Karl Leopold soon left the country. Management Mecklenburg-Schwerin as performers took over the Elector of Hanover and the King of Prussia. After the death of the elector in 1727, who by that time had also become King of Great Britain George I, the imperial execution was withdrawn.

In the end, the imperial Court Board in Vienna transferred power to Mecklenburg-Schwerin to Christian Ludwig II. ^[3]

Christian Ludwig II had to eliminate the consequences of the policies of his predecessor. Eight Amts were secured by the Hanover Elector and four Amts by the Prussian King. The political and administrative fragmentation of the country has aggravated in this regard. The pledge of the four amts of Prussia was withdrawn only in 1787.

In 1733, Karl Leopold tried to regain power in Mecklenburg-Schwerin, but lost.

In 1748, Christian Ludwig II, together with Adolf Frederick III, decided to dissolve the common Clenburg state. However, they encountered fierce resistance from chivalry. Subsequently, Christian Ludwig II concluded an estate agreement with the estates, which further strengthened the power of the Mecklenburg knighthood and preserved the country's backwardness until the end of the Mecklenburg monarchy in 1918.

Christian Ludwig and his wife were buried in the Schwerin church of St. Nicholas .

On November 13, 1714, in Schwerin, the Duke Christian Ludwig married Princess Gustav Caroline (1694−1748), daughter of the Duke Adolf Frederick II . Five children were born in the marriage:

• Frederick the Pious (1717-1785), Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
• Ulrika Sofia (1723–1813), in 1728–1756 Abbess of the Rune Monastery
• Ludwig , Crown Prince of Mecklenburg (1725-1778)
• Louise (1730)
• Amalia (1732-1775)

• Hela Baudis: Christian Ludwig II. von Mecklenburg-Schwerin im Porträt - zu Aspekten des Herrscherbildes im 18. Jahrhundert . In: Mecklenburgische Jahrbücher 122 (2007), S. 99-120
• Antje Koolman: Die Erziehung eines Prinzen. Die Ausbildung Herzog Christian Ludwigs II. in Grabow in Grabow, Wolfenbüttel, London und Rom . In: Mecklenburgische Jahrbücher 122 (2007), S. 81-98

• Christian Ludwig's curriculum vitae at www.emecklenburg.de (German)
• Family Tree of the Mecklenburg House