920 GERMAN EMPIRE: — MECKLENBURG-SCHWERIN
MECKLENBURG-SCHWERIN.
(Grossherzogthum Mecklenburg-Schweein. )
Grand-duke Friedrich Franz IV., born April 9, 1882; son of Friedrich Franz III. and Anastasia Mikhailovna, daughter of the Grand-duke Michael Nikolajevitch of Russia, married June 7, 1904, to Alexandra, daughter of Ernst August of Brunswick-Lueneburg, Duke of Cumberland ; succeeded on the death of his father, April 10, 1897. Offspring : Prince Friedrich Franz, born April 22, 1910. Sisters of the Grand-duke are : 1. Alexandrine, born December 24, 1879 ; married April 26, 1898, to Christian, King of Denmark. 2. Cecilie, born September 20, 1886, married June 6, 1905, to Friedrich Wilhelm, Crown-Prince oT the German Empire and of Prussia.
Vncles and Auntg of the Grand-duhe. — I. Paul Friedrich, born September 19, 1852 ; married May 5, 1881, to the Princess Marie of Windisch-Grsetz. Offspring : 1. Marie Antoinette, born May 28, 1884. 2. Heinrieh Borwin, born December 16, 1885. Duke Paul in 1884 renounced all hereditary rights to the Grand-duchy for himself and his descendants ; he himself became a Roman Catholic. II. Marif, born May 14, 1854 ; married August 28, 1874, to Grand-duke Vladimir, second son of Alexander II., Emperor of Russia. III. Johann Albrecht, born December 8, 1857, Regent of the Duchy of Brunswick, married for the second time to Elisabeth, daughter^of the late Duke Botho zu Stolberg-Rossla. IV. Elisabeth, born August 10, 1869 ; married October 24, 1896, to Friedrich August, Grand-duke of Oldenburg. V. Adolf Friedrich, born October 10, 1873. VI. Heinrieh, born, April 19, 1876; njarried February 7, 1901, to Queen Willielmina of the Netherlands, with the title ' Prince of the Netherlands.'
The Grand-ducal house of Mecklenburg is the only reigning family in "Western Europe of Slavonic origin, and claims to be the oldest sovereign house in tlie Western world. In their full title, the Grand-dukes style themselves Priuces of the Wends. Their genealogical table begins with Niklot, who died 1160, and comprises 25 generations. The title of Grand-duke was assumed in 1815.
The political institutions of the Grand-duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and of Mecklenburg- Strelitz are of an entirely feudal character, but in March, 1907, the Grand-Dukes of both Grand-Duchies intimated to the estates at Schwerin and New Strelitz, respectively, their intention of introducing a form of constitutional government. Part of the legislative power (only in the Domain has the Grand-duke the whole legislative power) is in the hands of the Diet — ' Landtag.' There is only one Diet for both Grand-duchies, and it assembles every year for a few weeks ; when it is not in actual session it is represented by a committee of nine members. Seats and votes in the Diet belong to the Ritterschaft — that is, the proprietors of Rittergiiter, or Knights' Estates — and to the Landschaft, consistingof the burgomasters of 42 towns of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and 7 towns of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, The Ritterschaft has nearly 800 members, but only a few of them take seats in the Diet. The Domain has not a represntation of its own. The only elected representa- tives of the people are the 6 deputies returned to the German Reichstag.
The executive is represented by a ministry divided into four departments, appointed by, and resi^onsible to the Grand-duke alone. There is no other administrative division than that springing from the ownership of the soil, in which respect the country is divided as follows, with population in 1910 : — Grand-ducal Domains, 198,250 ; Knights' Estates (Rittergliter), 120,454 ; Convent Estates (Klostergiiter), 7,889 ; Towns and Town Estates, 313,365. Total, 639,958, half rural. The chief towns (1911) were Rostock (65,383 inhabitants), Scliwerin (42,519 inhabitants), the capital, Wismar (24,378 inhabitants), Giistrow (17,805 inhabitants), and Parchim (10,608 inhabitants).
Jn 1910 there were : Protestants, 615,512; Catholics, 21,043; other Christians, 1,288 ; Jews, 1,413 ; not stated, 702. The parishes are generally well endowed with landed property.
There are 1,235 elementary schools with 92,912 pupils (1911) ; Gymnasia, 7 with 1,819 pupils ; Realgymnasien, 6 with 1,492 pupils ; Realprogymnasien,
