Mecklenburg-Güstrow was a North German state that existed on three separate occasions ruled by the House of Mecklenburg.
History
A first short-lived predecessor existed after the death of Duke Henry IV of Mecklenburg in 1477 and the partition of the land among his sons in 1480, when Albert VI received the estates of the former Werle Lordship around Güstrow. Nevertheless Albert died in 1483 and his lands were inherited by his younger brother Magnus II.
When Magnus died in 1503, his sons Henry V and Albert VII ruled jointly over entire Mecklenburg until its division by the 1520 Neubrandenburg Treaty. Albert VII had insisted on the partititon and became Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, while his brother Henry held Mecklenburg-Schwerin. As Henry only left one insane son when he died in 1552 the Schwerin lands fell back to the Güstrow branch.
At this time Albert's sons John Albert I and Ulrich III ruled jointly over the Güstrow lands, but came into conflict over the inherited Schwerin part. The controversy was finally decided in 1556 by the "Ruppin dictum" of Elector Joachim II Hector of Brandenburg: John Albert I received Schwerin while Ulrich remained Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. Nevertheless Ulrich died without an heir in 1603 and Güstrow fell back to John Albert I's grandchildren Adolf Frederick I and John Albert II, joint rulers of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1610 on.
Mecklenburg-Güstrow was created for a third and final time with the partition of 1621, when John Albert II received the Güstrow part of Mecklenburg. He was deposed in 1628 by Albrecht von Wallenstein but was restored three years later. The death of Gustav Adolph in 1695 led to a dispute between Adolf Frederick II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, son of Adolf Frederick I and his nephew Frederick William which would lead to the creation of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in 1701.
Dukes of Mecklenburg-Güstrow (1610-1695)
To Mecklenburg-Schwerin
References
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