Princess Anna of Hesse and by Rhine

Princess Anna of Hesse and by Rhine (German: Prinzessin Anna von Hessen und bei Rhein; 25 May 1843 – 16 April 1865) was the consort and second wife of Friedrich Franz II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

Princess Anna
Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Reign4 July 1864 – 16 April 1865
Born(1843-05-25)25 May 1843
Bessungen, Grand Duchy of Hesse
Died16 April 1865(1865-04-16) (aged 21)
Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Schwerin
SpouseFriedrich Franz II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
IssueDuchess Anna of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Full name
Maria Anna Wilhelmine Elisabeth Mathilde
HouseHesse-Darmstadt
FatherPrince Karl of Hesse and by Rhine
MotherPrincess Elizabeth of Prussia
Grand Ducal Family of
Hesse and by Rhine
Louis II
Children
Louis III
Prince Charles
Princess Elisabeth
Prince Alexander
Maria Alexandrovna, Empress of Russia
Grandchildren
Louis IV
Prince Heinrich
Anna, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Prince Wilhelm

Early life

Anna, third child and only daughter of Prince Karl of Hesse and by Rhine, and his wife, Princess Elisabeth of Prussia, was born at Bessungen, Grand Duchy of Hesse.[1] Her paternal grandfather was Ludwig II, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine. Her mother was a granddaughter of King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia.

Her eldest brother, Ludwig, married in 1862 to Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, third child and second daughter of Queen Victoria.

Marriage

As a young girl, Anna was considered as a possible bride for the future Edward VII (known as 'Bertie' to his family).[2] While his mother, Victoria, was in favor of Anna, Bertie's elder sister was opposed to the match, as she believed Anna had a "disturbing twitch".[2] As time went by however, Victoria grew increasingly impatient, and tried to ignore her daughter's hints that Anna was not suitable, declaring, "I am much pleased with the account of Princess Anna, (minus the twitching)".[3] In the end, Alexandra of Denmark was chosen instead.

On 4 July 1864 in Darmstadt, Anna married Friedrich Franz II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin son of Paul Friedrich, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.[1] (Friedrich Franz's first wife, Princess Augusta Reuss of Köstritz, had died in 1862.) Together they had one daughter:

  • HH Duchess Anna Elisabeth Auguste Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (7 April 1865 – 8 February 1882)[4]

Death

Anna died of puerperal fever a week later after giving birth to her only daughter. She was buried at the Schwerin Cathedral. Her husband remarried to Princess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, and fathered by her Duke Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, consort of Wilhelmina of the Netherlands.

Ancestry

References
  1. C. Arnold McNaughton, The Book of Kings, volume 1, page 416
  2. Pakula, p. 143.
  3. Pakula, p. 144.
  4. C. Arnold McNaughton, The Book of Kings, volume 1, page 417.

Sources
  • Pakula, Hannah (1995). An Uncommon Woman: The Empress Frederick, Daughter of Queen Victoria, Wife of the Crown Prince of Prussia, Mother of Kaiser Wilhelm. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-684-84216-5.
  • thePeerage.com Anne Prinzessin von Hessen und bei Rhein
Princess Anna of Hesse and by Rhine
Cadet branch of the House of Hesse
Born: 25 May 1843 Died: 16 April 1865
German royalty
Vacant
Title last held by
Princess Augusta Reuss of Köstritz		 Grand Duchess consort of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
4 July 1864 – 16 April 1865		 Vacant
Title next held by
Princess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
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