Mecklenburg-Güstrow

Duchy of Mecklenburg-Güstrow Hertzogtum Mecklenburg-Güstrow (de) Hertogdom Mekelenborch-Güstrow (nds)
State of the Holy Roman Empire
← 1480–1483   1520–1610a 1621–1695b →
Flag of Mecklenburg Coat of arms
Güstrow Castle
Capital	Güstrow
Government	Principality
Duke
- 1520–1547	Albert VII
- 1556–1603	Ulrich III
- 1628–1631	Albrecht von Wallenstein
- 1636–1695	Gustav Adolph
History
- Death of Henry IV	1477
- First partition of     Mecklenburg	1480–83 1480
- Neubrandenburg     Treaty	1520c
- Ruppin dictum	1556d
- Third partition of     Mecklenburg	1621
- Emp. Ferdinand II     stripped duchies	1628–31
- Acquired secularised     Bp Ratzeburg	1648 1695
- Ducal line extinct,     to M-Schwerin	1695
a: De jure partition was from 1556 to 1603. b: Between 1628 and 1631, the duchies of Mecklenburg-Güstrow and Mecklenburg-Schwerin were stripped from the ducal brothers and awarded to Albrecht von Wallenstein by Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor. c: Second de facto partition. d: Second de jure partition.

Mecklenburg-Güstrow was a state of the Holy Roman Empire in Northern Germany, that existed on three separate occasions ruled by the House of Mecklenburg at Güstrow.

History

A first short-lived predecessor existed after the death of Henry IV, Duke of Mecklenburg, in 1477 and the partition of the land among his sons in 1480, when Albert VI received the estates of the former Lordship of Werle around Güstrow. Nevertheless, Albert died without issue in 1483 and his lands were again inherited by his younger brother Magnus II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

When Magnus died in 1503, his sons Henry V and Albert VII at first ruled jointly over the entire Mecklenburg duchy until its renewed division by the 1520 Neubrandenburg Treaty. Albert, a fierce opponent of the Protestant Reformation, had insisted on the partititon and became duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, while his brother Henry retained Mecklenburg-Schwerin. However Mecklenburg de jure remained undivided, both brothers held the title of Duke of Mecklenburg and, as Henry only left one insane son when he died in 1552, the Schwerin lands fell back to Albert's sons Ulrich III and John Albert I.

At this time John Albert and Ulrich had ruled jointly over the Güstrow lands, but now came into conflict over the inherited Schwerin part. The controversy was finally decided in 1556 by the Ruppin dictum of Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg: John Albert I received Schwerin while Ulrich remained Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. Nevertheless, Ulrich died without heirs in 1603 and Güstrow fell back to John Albert's grandchildren Adolf Frederick I and John Albert II, joint rulers of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1610 onwards.

Mecklenburg-Güstrow was created for a third and final time with the partition of 1621, when John Albert II received the Güstrow part of Mecklenburg. In 1628 he and his brother at Schwerin were stripped off their duchies by order of Emperor Ferdinand II of Habsburg in favour of his Generalissimo Albrecht von Wallenstein. Officially the dukes were reproached for having secretly sided with Christian IV, King of Denmark, while in fact Mecklenburg was given in compensation of the enormous expenses Wallenstein had paid in building up Imperial troops. He took his residence at Güstrow but nevertheless was dismissed by the Emperor under pressure of the Prince-electors three years later, while the dukes with the support of Swedish troops were restored.

The House of Mecklenburg-Güstrow had assumed the administration of the former Catholic Prince-Bishopric of Ratzeburg after its conversion to Lutheranism in 1554. By the 1648 Peace of Westphalia, the diocese was finally secularised and adjudicated to the last administrator, Duke Gustav Adolph.

Gustav Adolph's death in 1695 led to an inheritance dispute between his son-in-law Adolphus Frederick II, younger son of Adolf Frederick I and his nephew Frederick William, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, which would lead to the creation of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in 1701.

Dukes of Mecklenburg-Güstrow

• Albert VI 1480–1483
• Güstrow reunited with Mecklenburg[-Schwerin] 1483–1520
• Albert VII 1520–1547
• John Albert I 1547–1556, son
• Ulrich III 1556–1603, brother
• Karl I 1603–1610, custodian for:
• John Albert II 1610–1628, jointly with his brother
  • Adolf Frederick I, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1610–1621
• Albrecht von Wallenstein 1628–1631
• John Albert II (restored) 1631–1636
• Gustav Adolph, son 1636–1695

To Mecklenburg-Schwerin

References

• Regnal chronologies
• Genealogy of the House of Mecklenburg
• Map of Mecklenburg-Güstrow in 1600, Euratlas.net