Background
He was a son of Gustavus Adolph and his wife Magdalene Sibylle née Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp, a daughter of Frederick III.
He was a son of Gustavus Adolph and his wife Magdalene Sibylle née Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp, a daughter of Frederick III.
Charles married on 10 August 1687 in Potsdam to Marie Amalie of Brandenburg, the daughter of the "Great Elector" Frederick William of Brandenburg. The marriage remained childless. He died unexpectedly of smallpox.
However Duke Frederick William of Mecklenburg-Schwerin disagreed and the legal situation was unclear, leading to a long succession dispute.
The dispute was settled in the Partition of Hamburg, in which the relationship between Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz was redefined and Mecklenburg-Güstrow was given to Mecklenburg-Schwerin.