| Duke Adolf Friedrich | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.png) Duke Adolf Friedrich in 1910 | |||||
| 5thGovernor of Togoland | |||||
| In office 19 June 1912 – 31 August 1914 | |||||
| Monarch | Wilhelm II | ||||
| Chancellor | Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg | ||||
| Preceded by | Edmund Brückner | ||||
| Succeeded by | Hans Georg von Doering (acting) | ||||
| Duke-Elect of The United Baltic Duchy | |||||
| Reign | 5 November 1918 – 11 November 1918 (never reigned) | ||||
| Predecessor | Nicholas II (as Tsar of Russia) | ||||
| Successor | Konstantin Päts (as Prime Minister of Estonia) | ||||
| Regent | Adolf Pilar von Pilchau | ||||
| Born | (1873-10-10)10 October 1873 Schwerin,Mecklenburg-Schwerin, German Empire | ||||
| Died | 5 August 1969(1969-08-05) (aged 95) Eutin,West Germany | ||||
| Spouse | |||||
| Issue | Woizlawa Feodora, Princess Heinrich I Reuss of Köstritz | ||||
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| House | Mecklenburg-Schwerin | ||||
| Father | Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin | ||||
| Mother | Princess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt | ||||
Duke Adolf Friedrich Albrecht Heinrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (German:Adolf Friedrich Albrecht Heinrich,Herzog zu Mecklenburg-Schwerin; 10 October 1873 – 5 August 1969), was aGermanexplorer inAfrica, acolonial politician, and the first president of theNational Olympic Committee of West Germany (1949–1951).
Born inSchwerin, Adolf Friedrich was the third child ofFrederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1823–1883), and his third wifePrincess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. His younger brother wasPrince Hendrik of the Netherlands,prince consort to the DutchQueen Wilhelmina.
From 1907 to 1908, Adolf Friedrich led a scientific research expedition in the region of the Central AfricanGraben and traversedAfrica from east to west. In 1908, he was awarded theEduard Vogel Medal of the Association of Geography ofLeipzig. The insects from his expeditions and residence in Togo are in theMuseum für Naturkunde in Berlin and in theSenckenberg Museum.
From 1910 to 1911, he led an expedition toLake Chad and the northern rivers of theCongo to theNile in currentSudan. Adolf Friedrich and his companions explored the then little-knownprimeval forest region of the Congo tributaries and the basin of Lake Chad. Individual groups extended their explorations to theBahr el Ghazal near the upper Nile, while others travelled to southCameroon and the islands of theGulf of Guinea.Vom Kongo zum Niger und Nil ("From the Congo to theNiger and the Nile"), a two-volume work based on the 1910–1911 expeditions, has an excellent reputation today for its detail and images.
From 1912 to 1914, Adolf Friedrich was the last governor ofTogoland inGerman West Africa; he was invited for the official celebration of the independence ofTogo in 1960. AfterWorld War I, he served as the vice-president of the privately chartered German Colonial Society for Southwest Africa; his brotherJohann Albrecht was president from 1895 to 1920.
AfterSoviet Russia had formally relinquished all authority over its formerimperialBaltic provinces to Germany in theTreaty of Brest-Litovsk a temporary regency council (Regentschaftsrat) for all the Baltic provinces led by BaronAdolf Pilar von Pilchau was formed on 5 November 1918. It was to be a confederation of sevencantons: Kurland (Courland),Riga, Lettgallen (Latgale), Südlivland (Vidzeme), Nordlivland (SouthEstonia), Ösel (Saaremaa), and Estland (NorthEstonia). The capital of the new state was to be Riga. The proposed United Baltic Duchy was to be located in the future territory of Latvia and Estonia covering the territory of the medievalLivonian Confederation. According to some sources[better source needed], the first head of the futureUnited Baltic Duchy was planned to be Adolf Friedrich, however he never assumed office. The appointed regency council consisting of fourBaltic Germans, threeEstonians and threeLatvians functioned until 28 November 1918, without any international recognition, except from Germany.[better source needed]
Adolf Friedrich then served as a member of theInternational Olympic Committee from 1926 to 1956 and as the first president of the National Olympic Committee of Germany from 1949 to 1951.
Adolf Friedrich was married twice. InGera on 24 April 1917, he married Princess Viktoria Feodora ofReuss-Schleiz (1889-1918), daughter ofHeinrich XXVII, Prince Reuss Younger Line andPrincess Elise of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. She died a day after giving birth to their only daughter,Duchess Woizlawa Feodora, on 18 December 1918. He later married the widow of his half-brotherDuke John Albert,Princess Elisabeth of Stolberg-Rossla, on 15 October 1924; they were among the guests at the 1937 wedding ofJuliana of the Netherlands andPrince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld.
Princess Elisabeth survived her husband by only a few weeks after his death inEutin in 1969.
Adolf Friedrich is commemorated in the scientific names of a genus of lizards,Adolfus, and of a species of chameleon,Kinyongia adolfifriderici,[1] as well as in thecichlidHaplochromis adolphifrederici,[2] and in the large tree speciesAningeria adolfi-friederici.[citation needed]
Duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg Born: 10 October 1873 Died: 5 August 1969 | ||
| New title | Duke of the United Baltic Duchy 22 September 1918 – 28 November 1918 | Monarchy abolished |
| Titles in pretence | ||
|---|---|---|
| New title | — TITULAR — Duke of the United Baltic Duchy 28 November 1918 – 5 August 1969 Reason for succession failure: Monarchy abolished | Extinct |
