Duke George Augustus of Mecklenburg

German military officer (1748–1785)

Duke George Augustus of Mecklenburg

Portrait by Allan Ramsay

Born| (1748-08-16)16 August 1748
Mirow
Died| 14 November 1785(1785-11-14) (aged 37)
Tyrnau
House| House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Father| Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg
Mother| Princess Elisabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen

Duke George Augustus of Mecklenburg (German: Georg August; 16 August 1748 – 14 November 1785) was a German nobleman, sailor, and soldier.

## Early life[edit]

Duke George Augustus was born in Mirow the youngest child of Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg and his wife Princess Elisabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen.[1] His grandfather Adolf Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was the founder of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

Extract from Observations on the Transit of Venus, a manuscript notebook from the collections of George III, showing George and his brother Ernest among the observers.

On 8 September 1761 his sister Charlotte married the King of Great Britain, George III. Following the marriage George Augustus moved to the Kingdom of Great Britain and after learning the English language volunteered to serve in the Royal Navy. He spent two years serving in the Navy before he was forced to leave due to illness brought on by the climate and life at sea.[2] During his time in Great Britain George Augustus became a Doctor of Laws[3] and attended observations of the 1769 Transit of Venus at the King's Observatory in Richmond-upon-Thames.

George Augustus developed a love of Britain and though a firm Protestant himself, he disapproved of the country's discrimination and intolerance of Catholics.[2]

## Imperial service[edit]

After recovering from his illness George Augustus spent some time studying at the University of Leiden before being invited to enter into the service of the Queen-Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.[4] He accepted the offer and was made a lieutenant-colonel. He was promoted to rank of colonel after a fellow officer complained to Empress Maria Theresa that Duke George Augustus associated with socially inferior officers and that he had forgot that he was a German prince. The Empress who was only concerned if George Augustus had forgotten that he was Lieutenant-Colonel in her service, responded by promoting him to the rank of Colonel after the complaining officer admitted he was a good officer as she was only interested that he did his duty as an officer in her service.[2]

He continued his rise up the ranks and a short while after being made a colonel he was made 'General of Horse' and was decorated with various honours. In 1780 he was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general and was appointed inspector of two carabinier regiments. He won the praise of Austrian field marshal Baron Ernst Gideon von Laudon in 1782 after carrying out army manœuvres in Prague with 50,000 infantry and cavalry soldiers.[2]

Duke George Augustus never married and died in Tyrnau in the Kingdom of Hungary at the age of 37.[1] He was buried in Mirow in 1852.

## Ancestry[edit]

Ancestors of Duke George Augustus of Mecklenburg[5]

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 16\. John VII, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

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| 8\. Adolf Frederick I, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|

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| 17\. Princess Sophie of Holstein-Gottorp

| 4\. Adolf Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz|

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| 18\. Julius Ernst, Duke of Brunswick-Dannenberg

| 9\. Duchess Marie Katharina of Brunswick-Dannenberg|

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| 19\. Countess Maria of East Frisia

| 2\. Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg|

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| 20\. Anton Günther I, Count of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen

| 10\. Christian William I, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen|

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| 21\. Countess Palatine Marie Magdalene of Birkenfeld

| 5\. Princess Christiane Emilie of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen|

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| 22\. Albert Frederick, Count of Barby-Mühlingen

| 11\. Countess Antonie Sibylle of Barby-Mühlingen|

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| 23\. Countess Sophie Ursula of Oldenburg

| 1\. Duke George Augustus of Mecklenburg|
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| 24\. Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha

| 12\. Ernest, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen|

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| 25\. Princess Elisabeth Sophie of Saxe-Altenburg

| 6\. Ernest Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen|

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| 26\. Prince Georg Friedrich of Waldeck

| 13\. Countess Sophie of Waldeck|

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| 27\. Countess Elisabeth Charlotte of Nassau-Siegen

| 3\. Princess Elisabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen|

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| 28\. George Albert, Count of Erbach-Erbach

| 14\. George Louis I, Count of Erbach-Erbach|

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| 29\. Countess Elisabeth Dorothea of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst

| 7\. Countess Sophia Albertine of Erbach-Erbach|

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| 30\. Philip Dietrich, Count of Waldeck

| 15\. Countess Amalia Katharina of Waldeck-Eisenberg|

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| 31\. Countess Maria Magdalena of Nassau-Siegen

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## References[edit]

1. ^ a b Huberty, Michel; Alain Giraud; F. et B. Magdelaine (1945). L'Allemagne Dynastique, Tome VI : Bade-Mecklembourg. p. 211\. ISBN 978-2-901138-06-8.
2. ^ a b c d Watkins, John (1832). The Life and Times of "England's Patriot King," William the Fourth. Fisher, son, & Jackson. pp. 110, 111.
3. ^ Boswell, James (1785). The Scots Magazine. Sands, Brymer, Murray and Cochran. p. 622.
4. ^ Stevens, George Alexander (1764). The Beauties of all the Magazines. T. Waller. p. 143.
5. ^ Genealogie ascendante jusqu'au quatrieme degre inclusivement de tous les Rois et Princes de maisons souveraines de l'Europe actuellement vivans [Genealogy up to the fourth degree inclusive of all the Kings and Princes of sovereign houses of Europe currently living] (in French). Bourdeaux: Frederic Guillaume Birnstiel. 1768. p. 84.

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House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

Founded by Adolphus Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

1st generation|

* Adolphus Frederick III
* Gustave Caroline
* Charles Louis Frederick

2nd generation|

* Adolphus Frederick IV
* Charles II
* Ernst Gottlob
* Charlotte
* George Augustus

3rd generation|

* Charlotte Georgine
* Therese
* Louise
* Frederica
* George
* Charles

4th generation|

* Frederick William
* Caroline
* Georg August

5th generation|

* Adolphus Frederick V
* Helene
* George Alexander
* Charles Michael

6th generation|

* Marie
* Jutta
* Adolphus Frederick VI
* George

7th generation|

* Georg Alexander
* Carl Gregor

8th generation|

* Borwin

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* Germany

People|

* Deutsche Biographie

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