Gustav Adolph, Duke of Mecklenburg | |
---|---|
Spouse(s) | Magdalene Sibylle of Holstein-Gottorp |
Noble family | House of Mecklenburg |
Father | John Albert II, Duke of Mecklenburg |
Mother | Eleonore Marie of Anhalt-Bernburg |
Born |
Güstrow |
26 February 1633
Died | 6 October 1695 Güstrow |
(aged 62)
Gustav Adolph, Duke of Mecklenburg [-Güstrow] (26 February 1633 – 6 October 1695) was the last ruler of Mecklenburg-Güstrow from 1636 until his death and last Lutheran Administrator of the Prince-Bishopric of Ratzeburg from 1636 to 1648.
Gustav Adolph was born at the ducal residence in Güstrow, the son of Duke John Albert II and his third wife Eleonore Marie (1600–1657), daughter of Prince Christian I of Anhalt-Bernburg.
A minor upon his father's death in 1636, his uncle Duke Adolph Frederick I of Mecklenburg-Schwerin at first became regent at Güstrow, fiercely opposed by Gustav Adolph's mother. In 1654 he came of age and married Magdalene Sibylle, a daughter of Duke Frederick III of Holstein-Gottorp. Their marriage produced eleven children:
The death of the only surviving son, the Hereditary Prince Charles, in 1688 at the age of 23, caused a succession crisis in Mecklenburg-Güstrow. Gustav Adolph's daughter Marie married her cousin Adolphus Frederick II of Mecklenburg, who after the death of his father-in-law claimed the Güstrow heritage, but could not prevail against the ruling duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. A younger daughter, Louise in 1695 married the Danish crown prince Frederick IV and in 1699 became queen consort of Denmark.