Duke Charles Louis Frederick Of Mecklenburg

Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was born on 23 February 1708 in Strelitz. He was a member of the Strelitz branch of the House of Mecklenburg. His father was Adolphus Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1658–1708), and his mother was Princess Christiane Emilie of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (1681–1751), who was his father's third wife.

Charles was the second son and the youngest child of his father's children. His paternal half-brother, Adolphus Frederick III, succeeded their father as duke after his death. Charles's mother retired to the estate of Mirow following her husband's death, and Charles was raised there. He had one full sister who died as an infant, and he also had one half-sister from his father's first marriage and one half-brother.

His father died when Charles was approximately three months old. As a result, Charles inherited the commanderies of Mirow and Nemerow. He later attended the University of Greifswald in Pomerania. In 1726, at the age of 18, Charles undertook a Grand Tour of Europe, visiting locations including Geneva, Italy, and France. During his travels, he visited Vienna and briefly served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the service of the Holy Roman Emperor. His primary interests during this period included music, particularly playing the transverse flute.

After completing his travels, Charles resided with his family at the castle of Mirow, managing his estates and focusing on his children's education. He remained in Mirow until his death at the age of 44 on 4 June 1752.

Charles Louis Frederick was styled as the Prince of Mirow (Prinz von Mirow) and was not a reigning duke himself, unlike his father and two of his sons. His older half-brother, Adolphus Frederick III, died in December 1752 without a male heir. Subsequently, Charles’s son, Adolf Friedrich, succeeded as Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, reigning as Adolphus Frederick IV.

He married Princess Elisabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen on 5 February 1735 in Eisfeld. She was the daughter of Ernest Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Elisabeth Albertine served as regent to her son in 1752 and was involved in struggles over succession during that period.

Charles Louis Frederick and Elisabeth Albertine had ten children, six of whom survived into adulthood. His daughter Charlotte became the Queen of the United Kingdom and Hanover, and through her descendants, Charles Louis Frederick is an ancestor of all subsequent British monarchs beginning with George IV, who ascended to the throne in 1820.