Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

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Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Queen Alexandrine of Denmark.jpg
Queen consort of Denmark
Tenure 14 May 1912 – 20 April 1947
Queen consort of Iceland
Tenure 1 December 1918 – 17 June 1944
Born (1879-12-24)24 December 1879
Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Schwerin
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Copenhagen, Denmark
Burial Roskilde Cathedral
Spouse Christian X of Denmark
Issue Frederick IX of Denmark
Knud, Hereditary Prince of Denmark
Full name
Alexandrine Auguste
House House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Father Frederick Francis III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Mother Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia
Religion Lutheranism

Alexandrine Auguste of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (24 December 1879 – 28 December 1952) was Queen of Denmark as the wife of King Christian X. She was also Queen of Iceland from 1 December 1918 to 17 June 1944.

Family

She was born a Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, in the city of Schwerin, Germany. Her father was Frederick Francis III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin; her mother was Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia, a granddaughter of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia.

Marriage and issue

File:AlexandrineQueen of denmark wedding.JPG
Queen Alexandrine on her wedding day in the Villa Weden, Cannes

Princess Alexandrine married Prince Christian of Denmark on 26 April 1898, in Cannes, France, when she was 18 years old. They had two children:

She died in Copenhagen as Dowager Queen of Denmark in 1952 and is interred next to her husband in Roskilde Cathedral.

The only brother of Queen Alexandrine was Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, while her only sister was Duchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, wife of German Crown Prince William, eldest son of German Emperor William II.

Queenship

In 1902, the couple were given Marselisborg Palace, and the garden was to become one of her greatest interests. Alexandrine became crown princess in 1906 and queen in 1912. She is not considered to have played any political role, but is described as being a loyal support to her spouse.

She was interested in music, and acted as the protector of the musical societies Musikforeningen i København and Den danske Richard Wagnerforening. She was known for her needlework, which she sold for charitable purposes. After the death of her mother-in-law Louise of Sweden in 1926, she succeeded her as the official protector of the various charity organisations founded by Louise. She enjoyed golf and photography. During World War I, she founded Dronningens Centralkomité af 1914 ("The Queen's Central Committee of 1914") to the support of poor families.

She survived the 1918 flu pandemic.[1]

File:Queen alexandrineofdenmark.JPG
Queen Alexandrine

The couple were given great popularity as national symbols during the World War II occupation, which was demonstrated during a tour through the country in 1946. Before the occupation, she and her daughter-in-law were engaged in mobilising the women of Denmark. Her rejection of General Kaupisch on 9 April 1940 became a symbol for her loyalty toward Denmark before her birth country Germany.[2] When the General of the occupation forces first asked for an audience with the monarch, Christian was persuaded to receive him by his daughter-in-law as he would any other, which was supported by Alexandrine.[3] He asked to do so alone, but Alexandrine told him she would interrupt them. When the General was about to leave, she came in; and when he greeted her, she said: "General, this is not the circumstance in which I expected to greet a countryman."[3] It was reported, that although Alexandrine was seen as shy and disliked official ceremonies, she had a "sharp" intelligence, and she was, together with her daughter-in-law, Ingrid of Sweden, a true support of the monarch and a driving force for the resistance toward the occupation within the royal house.[3] It was also reported, that in contrast to the monarch himself and the Crown Prince, the Queen and the Crown Princess never lost their calm when the nation was attacked.[3] As she was not the Head of the Royal House, she could show herself in public more than her spouse, who did not wish to show support to the occupation by being seen in public, and she used this to engage in various organisations for social relief to ease the difficulties caused by the occupation.[2] Kaj Munk is quoted to describe the public appreciation of her during WWII with his comment: "Protect our Queen, the only German we would like to keep!"[2]

In 1947, she was widowed; she became the first queen dowager of Denmark to opt not to use that title.

Queen Alexandrine became the 1,170th Dame of the Royal Order of Queen Maria Luisa on 3 February 1929.

Ancestors

Family of Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 16. Frederick Louis, Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 8. Paul Frederick, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 17. Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna of Russia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 4. Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 18. Frederick William III of Prussia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 9. Princess Alexandrine of Prussia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 19. Duchess Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2. Frederick Francis III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 20. Prince Heinrich XLIV Reuss of Köstritz
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 10. Heinrich LXIII, Prince Reuss of Köstritz
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 21. Baroness Wilhelmine of Geuder genannt Rabensteiner
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 5. Princess Augusta Reuss of Köstritz
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 22. Count Heinrich of Stolberg-Wernigerode
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 11. Countess Eleonore of Stolberg-Wernigerode
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 23. Princess Johanna of Schönburg-Waldenburg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1. Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 24. Paul I of Russia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 12. Nicholas I of Russia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 25. Duchess Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 6. Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich of Russia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 26. Frederick William III of Prussia (= 18)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 13. Princess Charlotte of Prussia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 27. Duchess Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (= 19)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3. Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 28. Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Baden
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 14. Leopold, Grand Duke of Baden
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 29. Baroness Luise Karoline Geyer of Geyersberg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 7. Princess Cecilie of Baden
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 30. Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 15. Princess Sophie of Sweden
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 31. Princess Frederica of Baden
 
 
 
 
 
 

Notes and references

  1. ↑ Collier 1974.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Börge Outze & Aage Svendstorp (in Swedish): 5 år i bojor. Danmark under ockupationen 1940–1945 (5 years in chains. Denmark during the occupation) Aktiebolaget boktryck (1945) Hälsingborg.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 http://bjoerna.dk/Besaettelsen/Oberst%20Mygind/3.htm

External links

Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Cadet branch of the House of Mecklenburg
Born: 24 December 1879 Died: 28 December 1952
Danish royalty
Preceded by Queen consort of Denmark
1912–1947		 Succeeded by
Ingrid of Sweden

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