MECKLENBURG-SCHWERIN, a orand duchy of northern Germany, bounded on the a. by the Baltic, e. by Pomerania, sby Brandenburo; and w. by Lauenburg. The area is about 5,136 sq.m., and the pop. '75, 553,734. Mbecklenburo.-Schwerin is watered by several rivers, the most important of which are the Elbe and' the \\Tarnow, and has a great many lakes and ponds, yielding an abundant supply of fish. The country is gen erally flat, although here and there intersected by low ranges of hills, and its surface is still extensively covered with wood, notwithstanding the great clearings which have been made in the forests during the present centur,)-. Near the sea, tracts of sand and tnorass cover large areas; but on the whole the soil is of a good quality, and well adapted for the' growth of corn or the rearing of cattle, which constitute the principal native industry. There is considerable commerce through Warnenifinde (Rostock) and Wismar; there were in 1875, belonging to the two ports, 426 vessels, with a burden of 113,656 tons. The grand duchy is divided into the circles of Schwerin, Glistrow, Rostock, and Wismai. The capital is Schwerin. The central and s.e. districts are the most densely peopled. The people of both the Mecklenburg duchies (Schwerin and Strelitz) are for the most part of Slavonic origin, but amalg,amation with their Saxon neighbors has targely Germanized the original race. The predominating form of religion is the Lutheran, Roman Catholic and other churches numbering.about 1100, while there ale upwards of 3,000 Jews. Much has been done of late years in extending the educatioN1 organization of both duchies, although the lower classes do not yet enjoy as many advan tages as in some other districts of Germany. Besides the university at Rostock (q.v.), there are five gymnasia, and numerous burgher, parochial, and other schools. The troops of Mecklenburg-Schwerin number in time of peace 2,700 mcn, and when on a war-footing, 5,380 men. The principal towns are the capital Schliterin, Ludwigshist, Rostock, Ghstrow, and Wismar. The grand duke, whose powers are limited by a mixed feudal and constitutional form of government, has the title of royal highness, and is styled prince of the Wends, and of Schwerin and Ratzeburg, count of Schwerin, and lord of Rostock, Stargard, etc. The two Mecklenburg duchies have provincial estates in common, which meet once a year, alternately at Malchin and Sternberg This united chamber consists of 684 landowners and the representatives of 47 provincial boroughs, while the country people have no representation. There is no general budget for Mecklenburg-Schwerin. ; there are three entirely distinct systems of finance. The budget of the first system, called the administration of the sovereign, is estimated at about 12,000,000 marks; the second, the states administration, has but small resources to dispose of : the ordinary budget of the common administration of the sovereign and the states was, for 1876-77, about 2,000,000 marks. The public debt is upwards of 43,000,000 marks. Mecklenburg-Schwerin has two votes in the federal council, and six representa tives in the imperial diet. ' Ilistory.—The Mecklenburg territory, anciently occupied by Germanic, and after ward by Slavonic tribes, was finally subdued, in the 12th c., by Ilenry the lion, duke of Saxony, who, after thoroughly devastating' the country, and compelling the small num ber of inhabitants remaining after the war to adopt Christianity, rskstored the greater part of the territory to Burewin, the heir of the slain Slavonic prince Nikki, and gave his daughter in marriage. The country at that period received its present designa tion from its principal settlement, Mikilinburg, now a village between Wismar and Bruel. In 1340 it was elevated into a duchy by the emperor Charles. Duke Johann
Albrecht introduced the Protestant doctrines in 1550, and his grandsons, Wolf-Friedrich and Johann Albrecht, founded the lines of Meeklenburg-Schwerin and 141ecklenburg Gtistrow, which were, however, deprived of the ducal title in 1627, in consequence of their adhesion to the Protestant cause, when the imperial gen. Wallenstein was pro claimed duke of all Mecklenburg. In 1632 Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden restored his kinsrnen, the deposed dukes, to their domains. After various subdivisions of the ducal line into the branches of Schwerin, Strelitz, and others, and the successive extinction of several of these collateral houses, the imperial commission, which 'I-net at Hamburg in 1701, brought about the settlement of a family compact, by which it was arranged that chwerin and Gustrow should form one duchy, and Strelitz, with Ratzeburg and Star -gard, 3Iirow and NemeroW, another independent sovereignity. After this, very few -events of importance occurred till the accession in Schwerin, in 1785, of Friedrich Franz, who obtained the title of grand duke in 1815, and died iu 1837, after a long reign, which he had made highly conducive to the internal welfare and external reputation of his hereditary dominions. The reign of Friedrich Franz II., who succeeded his father, Paul Friedrich, in 1842, was disturbed by a contest between the nobles and the burgher and •equestrian landowners, the former arrogating to themselves the exclusive right of elect ing members into the equestrian order, nominating to benefices, and monopolizing other prerogatives of the ancient feudal nobility. The revolutionary excitement of 184-8 gave .a fresh stimulus to the popular ferment, and the disturbances could only be quelled by the intervention of Prussian troops. Both as members of the north German confedera 3tion and of the empire, the two duchies have maintained their internal eonstitution very 'much on the old footing-.
a grand duchy of Germany, composed of two distinct portions of territory, viz., Stargard (by far the larger division, lying to the e. of Meck lenburg-Schwerin) and the principality of Ratzeburg (between Mecklenburg-Schwerin -and Lauenburg), and comprising an area of rather more 'than 1000 sq,m., with a pop. '75, of 95,673. 'The country is flat, and similar in its physical characters to Schwerin, .although, from its greater distance from the sea, the climate is less humid and less .changeable. Strelitz, as already observed, has one joint representative chamber with Schwerin, but the lordship of Ratzeburg is not included in these estates, and is governed ,tlirectly.by the grand duke, who possesses very considerable private domains, frona which the draws large revenues. The grand duke gave Ratzeburg a representative constitution in 1869. Mecklenburg-Strelitz has one vote in the federal council of the empire, and one representative in the diet. Meckleuburg-Strelitz has a debt of nearly 2,000,000 thalers. For the history of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, see preceding article.
The Mecklenburg duchies are essentially agricultural, 71 per cent of the inhabitants being employed on the land. In Mecklenburg-Schwerin 3,549 sq.m., and in Mecklenburg Strelitz 670 sq.m. are under cultivation. The cattle of the duchies are considered the best in Germany; the horses especially are held in high esteem. Thc principal products .are corn (which is exported to Scandinavian and British ports), cattle and sheep (which are sent to the markets of Hamburg and Berlin), wool, tobacco, butter, cheese, fish, fruit, hides, etc. The matricular contribution of both duchies towards imperial expen diture amounted in 1876 to 890,560 marks, the share of Mecklenburg-Strelitz being 132, -364.