Princess Mary of Great Britain

For other persons known as Princess Mary, see Princess Mary (disambiguation).
Mary of Great Britain

Portrait by George Desmarées
Landgravine consort of Hesse-Kassel
Tenure 1 February 1760[1] – 14 January 1772
Born (1723-03-05)5 March 1723 (New Style)
Leicester House, Westminster, London, England, Kingdom of Great Britain
Died 14 January 1772(1772-01-14) (aged 48)
Hanau, Germany
Burial 1 February 1772
Hanau, Germany
Spouse Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
Issue William I, Elector of Hesse
Prince Charles
Prince Frederick
House Hanover
Father George II of Great Britain
Mother Caroline of Ansbach
Religion Anglican

Princess Mary of Great Britain (5 March 1723 14 January 1772) was the second-youngest daughter of King George II and Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel as the wife of Landgrave Frederick II.

Early life

Princess Mary

Princess Mary was born at Leicester House, Westminster, London.[2] Her father was the Prince of Wales, later King George II. Her mother was Caroline of Ansbach, daughter of Johann Friedrich, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach.[2]

Her father succeeded, as George II, on 11 June 1727, and she became HRH The Princess Mary. Upon her death in 1737, her mother, queen Caroline, entrusted Mary to her elder sister Caroline, urging her to "do what she could to support the meek and mild disposition of Princess Mary".[3]

Marriage

A marriage was negotiated with Landgrave Frederick of Hesse-Kassel, the only son and heir of William VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel.[4] For the marriage, Parliament voted Mary £40,000.[4]

They married by proxy at the Chapel Royal of St. James's Palace in London on 8 May, then in person on 28 June 1740 at Kassel.[2] They had four sons, three of whom survived to adulthood.[4]

The marriage was unhappy, and Frederick was said to be "brutal" and "a boor". Frederick reportedly subjected Mary to spousal abuse.[5] In late 1746, Mary made an extended trip to Britain to escape his maltreatment. The couple separated in 1754 on Frederick's conversion to Roman Catholicism. She was supported by her father-in-law, who provided her with a residence in Hanau, as she did not wish to return to Great Britain, but to stay on the continent to raise her children.[6]

In 1756, Mary moved to Denmark, to take care of the children of her sister, Louise of Great Britain, who had died in 1751. She took her children with her, and they were raised at the royal court and her sons were married to Danish princesses. Her husband succeeded his father as Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel in 1760, and so Mary was technically Landgravine consort for the last twelve years of her life, despite her estrangement from her husband.

Mary died on 14 or 16 January 1772, aged 48 at Hanau, Germany.[2]

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

Arms

On 30 August 1727, as a child of the sovereign, Mary was granted use of the arms of the realm, differenced by a label argent of three points, each bearing a canton gules.[8]

Issue

NameBirthDeathNotes
Prince William of Hesse-Kassel17411742died in infancy
William I, Elector of Hesse17431821married, 1763, Wilhelmina Caroline of Denmark and Norway; had issue
Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel17441836married, 1766, Louise of Denmark; had issue
Prince Frederick of Hesse-Kassel17471837married, 1786, Caroline of Nassau-Usingen; had issue

Ancestors

References

  1. The Peerage – Landgrave William VIII
  2. 1 2 3 4 Weir, Alison (2008). Britain's Royal Families, The Complete Genealogy. London: Vintage Books. p. 284. ISBN 978-0-09-953973-5.
  3. Michael A. Beatty: The English Royal Family of America, from Jamestown to the American Revolution
  4. 1 2 3 Williamson, David (2004). "Mary, Princess (1723–1772)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/18253. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  5. James Panton:Historical Dictionary of the British Monarchy
  6. James Panton:Historical Dictionary of the British Monarchy
  7. The London Gazette refers to her as "Princess Mary"
  8. Marks of Cadency in the British Royal Family

Sources

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Princess Mary of Great Britain.
Princess Mary of Great Britain
Cadet branch of the House of Welf
Born: 5 March 1723 Died: 14 January 1772
German royalty
Vacant
Title last held by
Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden
Landgravine consort of Hesse-Kassel
1 February 1760 14 January 1772
Vacant
Title next held by
Philippine of Brandenburg-Schwedt
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