Duchess Jutta of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

Duchess Jutta of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Augusta Charlotte Jutta Alexandra Georgina Adophine; 24 January 1880 – 17 February 1946) was a member of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and the consort of Crown Prince Danilo of Montenegro. When a married woman, after being converted to the Serbian Orthodoxy, she was officially known as Milica.

Duchess Auguste Charlotte Jutta Alexandra Georgina Adolphine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was born in Neustrelitz, the youngest daughter of the then Adolf Friedrich, Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and his wife, Princess Elisabeth of Anhalt.^[1] At her christening Jutta had numerous godparents; the most noted among them were Augusta, Empress of Germany and Queen Alexandra of Great Britain. She had two younger brothers: Adolphus Frederick VI and Karl Borwin.

During her childhood she was especially devoted to her adored and energetic paternal grandmother, Princess Augusta of Cambridge, aunt of Queen Mary of Teck, whom the children affectionately called 'grandmama', a distinction not shared with their other grandmother, Princess Antoinette of Anhalt.^[2] The children always spoke English to their paternal grandparents and frequently attended the theater in Neustrelitz to hear Italian operas, an activity encouraged and supervised by their grandmother.^[2] They usually spent Easter, Halloween, and other holidays with their mother's Anhalt family in Dessau, where they were lovingly indulged by their maternal grandparents.^[2] Back in Neustrrelitz, the atmosphere of Carolinenpalais, where they lived, was noted for its rigor and need for etiquette.^[1]

Along with her sister Marie, whom they affectionately called "Magie", Jutta was raised by the strict and frightful French governess, known as "Mademoiselle B", and thereafter had little contact with her parents.^[1][2] Subsequently, a scandal broke out when her 19-year-old sister became pregnant by a palace servant.^[1]

When both of sisters officially came out to society, Jutta was only 15, and Marie 17. In 1896, their grandmother brought them to London, where she presented them to her first cousin, Queen Victoria, as well as to her siblings Prince George, Duke of Cambridge and Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck. During the visit, they stayed at Mecklenburg house, near Buckingham palace, acquired in 1889 on a lease by the Grand Duchess Augusta following the death of her mother, the Duchess of Cambridge.^[3] The sisters were received in distinguished circles, and their likenesses were published in the principal English newspapers, which styled them as "the handsome young granddaughters of Grand Duchess Augusta Caroline of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, making their first appearance in high society".^[2]

In January 1898, her parents sought to have her presented at the Russian Imperial Court and introduced into Russian high society. While in Berlin, she became acquainted with her cousin, Princess Helena of Saxe-Altenburg, who divided her time between Berlin and St. Petersburg. Princess Helena was the daughter of Duke Georg August of Mecklenburg-Strelitz—her grandfather's only brother—and Grand Duchess Catherine Mikhailovna, a granddaughter of Emperor Paul I. Married to Prince Albert of Saxe-Altenburg, a figure well regarded in St. Petersburg society, Helena resided with him in her Kamenny Island Palace, situated on the delta of the Neva River. There they lived with his two daughters from his first marriage to Princess Marie of Prussia: Princess Olga of Saxe-Altenburg, later Countess of Pückler-Burghauss, who was quiet and reserved, and Princess Marie of Saxe-Altenburg, later Princess Reuss of Köstritz, known as 'Dicky,' lively and inventive in character. During her stay, Jutta occupied rooms on the first floor of their elegantly appointed palace on Kamenny Islands.

One evening, Princess Helena formally presented her to the Imperial couple at the Winter Palace. At the Anichkov Palace she was subsequently received by the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, and there made the acquaintance of the Emperor's younger brother, Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich, as well as his sisters, Grand Duchesses Xenia and Olga.^[2] She also became friends with Grand Duchess Helen Vladimirovna, sharing with her lessons in dance and riding.^[2]

After a brief return home, in 1899 Jutta, this time accompanied by her parents, chose to spend the season in Russia once more. Although her affections leaned toward Grand Duke Andrei, she was unaware that her marriage had already been arranged to Crown Prince Danilo, heir apparent of Montenegro, through the influence of Wilhelm II, German Emperor. The Emperor, acting through his diplomatic and familial connections, sought to strengthen ties between the Montenegrin and German courts, and in doing so, arranged the union without Jutta's prior knowledge or consent. Thus, what appeared to her as a chance encounter and swift engagement was in fact the culmination of careful political planning, reflecting the broader dynastic strategies of European royalty at the turn of the century.^[2][5]

At her cousin Helena's palace, she was introduced to her future husband, Crown Prince Danilo, heir to the Montenegrin throne, through his elder sister, Anastasia, Duchess of Leuchtenberg. Their acquaintance quickly deepened, and at a ball in the Vladimir Palace given by Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, Danilo proposed; they became engaged after only fourteen days. A significant matter concerned Jutta's potential conversion from Protestantism to Orthodoxy, to which she was initially hesitant. During a private luncheon, however, the young Empress Alexandra Feodorovna reassured her, remarking that the change was challenging even for herself, but that she had no cause for regret.^[2] Encouraged by the Empress's words, Jutta consented to embrace the Orthodox faith following her marriage, despite the displeasure of Wilhelm II. When they later met, the Emperor received her with a cold and formal demeanor, reflecting his lingering disapproval.^[2]

Upon her arrival on the Montenegrin coast aboard the Graf Wurmbrand, a vessel specially chartered for the occasion, Jutta disembarked and, together with her retinue, was accommodated at Villa Topolica, Danilo's summer residence.^[2] There they were received by his younger brother, Prince Mirko, who was bound to Danilo by a touching fraternal devotion. The following day, in the Orthodox church of Antivari, a small town on the Adriatic coast, Jutta formally embraced the Orthodox faith. She read aloud a prayer in Church Slavonic, which she had first transcribed in Latin, thereby completing her conversion. Witnesses to the act were Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich and Prince Mirko. Her own family was not present at the ceremony itself, but awaited her return at the villa. This, however, was not her first encounter with an Orthodox faith. She had earlier received religious instruction in Neustrelitz from Archpriest Aleksei Petrovich Maltsev (1854–1915), rector of the Russian Embassy Church of St. Vladimir in Berlin. Following the religious ceremony, she was accompanied by her future brother in law the Crown Prince of Italy as she made her way to Cetinje for her wedding. During the journey they were joined by her sister-in-law Elena, who, in keeping with local custom, fastened a beautiful white lace to her head.^[6]

Tsar Nicholas II accepted the role of sponsor at the wedding and, in his name, sent Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich as his representative. Jutta was married to Crown Prince Danilo on 17 July 1899, with the ceremony performed by Mitrofan Ban, Metropolitan of Montenegro. In addition to members of the Montenegrin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz ruling families, the wedding was attended by other European royals, among them Prince Nicholas of Greece, Prince Francis Joseph of Battenberg, who was married to Danilo's sister Anna; and Prince Petar Karađorđević, widower of her eldest sister-in-law, Zorka. He was accompanied by his young sons, George and Alexander, his nephew Paul, and his fifteen-year-old daughter Princess Helen. After her marriage and conversion to Orthodoxy she took the name Milica.^[2]

Jutta received numerous wedding gifts of great splendor. Among the most notable were a diamond tiara from her father-in-law, Prince Nicholas; a pearl brooch surrounded by diamonds with a matched set of pearl earrings from her mother-in-law, Princess Milena; a magnificent diamond necklace presented by Sultan Abdul Hamid II; and a rivière of brilliant-cut diamonds given by Tsar Nicholas II.^[2] Upon her marriage, she received a dowry of 1,100,000 francs, as her family ranked among the wealthiest in the German Empire. The revenues, paid in semiannual installments, provided the pair with security and the means to sustain a life appropriate to their rank, which was elevated to Royal Highness in 1910 upon the proclamation of the Kingdom of Montenegro.^[2]

During the First World War, Montenegro fought against the Central Powers which included the country of her birth, the German Empire. These links did not stop her from being a target; the villa in Antivari where she was staying was bombed by Austrian aircraft.^[7] After the war, the Royal Family established a government in exile after Montenegro was incorporated into the new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, now ruled by her nephew-in-law Alexander of Sebia as its regent. Her father-in-law King Nicholas I died on 1 March 1921 and her husband succeeded as titular King of Montenegro. He only held the position for a week before abdicating in favour of his nephew Michael. Jutta spent the rest of her life in exile, along with her husband and his family, mainly in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France.

Jutta died on 17 February 1946 in Rome, Italy, during the reign of her husband's brother-in-law, King Victor Emmanuel III.^[8] Her body was buried in Cimitero Acattolico, Rome.^[9] Her husband died on 24 September 1939 in Vienna, which had recently been annexed by Nazi Germany, and was buried in Zentralfriedhof, Vienna, Austria.^[10]

• Pope-Hennessy, James (1959). Queen Mary 1867-1953. London: George Allen and Unwin Unlimited. ISBN 0-04-923025-5. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)

• Queen Militza of Montenegro - mecklenburg-strelitz.org Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine