Sophia Dorothea of Hanover

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Sophia Dorothea of Hanover
Portrait by Antoine Pesne, 1726
Queen consort in Prussia
Electress consort of Brandenburg
Tenure 25 February 1713 – 31 May 1740
Spouse Frederick William I of Prussia
Issue
Wilhelmine, Margravine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
Frederick II of Prussia
Princess Frederica Louise
Philippine Charlotte, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Sophia Dorothea, Margravine of Brandenburg-Schwedt
Louisa Ulrika, Queen of Sweden
Prince Augustus William
Princess Anna Amalia
Prince Henry
Prince Ferdinand
House House of Hohenzollern
House of Hanover
Father George I of Great Britain
Mother Sophia Dorothea of Celle
Born 16 March 1687(1687-03-16)
Hanover, Germany
Died 28 June 1757 (aged 70)
Monbijou Palace, Berlin

Sophia Dorothea of Hanover (16 March 1687[1] – 28 June 1757) was the Queen consort in Prussia.

Contents

Biography

Duchess Sophia Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg was born, on 16 March 1687, in Brunswick-Lüneburg. She was the only daughter of George Louis of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Sophia Dorothea of Celle. She was detested by her elder brother, King George II of Great Britain.[2]

Sophia Dorothea married her cousin, Crown Prince Frederick William of Prussia, heir apparent to the Prussian throne, on 28 November 1706. They had met as children under the care of her grandmother, Sophia of Hanover. She differed from her husband in every aspect and the marriage suffered because of such disharmony. Unlike her husband, Sophia Dorothea loved entertaintment[3]

Her husband ascended the throne in 1713 and Sophia Dorothea became queen. She was nicknamed Olympia for her regal bearing. The queen and her children were terrorized and beaten by Frederick William.[4][5][6]

Sophia Dorothea was interested in art, science, litterature and fashion. She had a good relationship with her son, Frederick: she spent many days talking to him in the library, and she was informed about his plans to escape from his father's custody. She corresponded with him from the fortress of Kustrin. She was not described as a beauty, and she was marked with smallpox; although despite her many pregnancies she kept a good figure. She was regarded as proud and ambitious, but her spouse refused to allow her any influence, as it was his belief that women should be kept only for breeding as they would otherwise dominate their husbands. It was the opinion of her daughter Wilhelmine, that her father treated her mother unjustly.

Sophia Dorothea's eldest son, King Frederick II of Prussia, was very attached to her and deeply mourned her death.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

  • 16 March 1687 – October 1692: Her Highness Duchess Sophia Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg
  • October 1692 – 28 November 1706: Her Serene Highness Princess Sophia Dorothea of Hanover
  • 28 November 1706 – 25 February 1713: Her Royal Highness The Crown Princess in Prussia
  • 25 February 1713 – 31 May 1740: Her Majesty The Queen in Prussia
  • 31 May 1740 – 28 June 1757: Her Majesty Queen Sophia in Prussia

Issue

King Frederick William and Queen Sophia had ten surviving children:

Name Birth Death Notes
Prince Friedrich Ludwig 23 November 1707 13 May 1708
Wilhelmine, Margravine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth 3 July 1709 14 October 1758 married, 1731, Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth; had issue
Prince Friedrich Wilhelm 16 August 1710 31 July 1711
Frederick II of Prussia 24 January 1712 17 August 1786 married, 12 June 1733, Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Bevern; no issue
Princess Charlotte Albertine 5 May 1713 10 June 1714
Frederica Louise, Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach 28 September 1714 4 February 1784 married 1729, Charles William Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach; had issue
Philippine Charlotte, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg 13 March 1716 17 February 1801 married, 1733, Charles I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg; had issue
Prince Ludwig Karl Wilhelm 2 May 1717 31 August 1719
Sophia Dorothea, Margravine of Brandenburg-Schwedt 25 January 1719 13 November 1765 married, 1734, Margrave Frederick William of Brandenburg-Schwedt; had issue
Louisa Ulrika, Queen of Sweden 24 July 1720 2 July 1782 married, 1744, Frederick of Holstein-Gottorp (later Adolf Frederick of Sweden); had issue
Prince Augustus William 9 August 1722 12 June 1758 married, 1742, Louise Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg; had issue, inc. Frederick William II
Princess Anna Amalia of Prussia 9 November 1723 30 March 1787 married secretly 1743, Baron Frederick of the Trenck; had issue
Prince Henry 18 January 1726 3 August 1802 married, 1752, Wilhelmina of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel); no issue
Prince Ferdinand 23 May 1730 2 May 1813 married, 1755, Elisabeth Louise of Brandenburg-Schwedt; had issue

Ancestors

Notes and sources

  1. ^ The Peerage – Sophie Dorothy
  2. ^ John David Griffith Davies: A king in toils, L. Drummond, ltd., 1938
  3. ^ The Education of the Enlightened Despots
  4. ^ W. F. Reddaway: Frederick the Great and the Rise of Prussia, READ BOOKS, 2008, ISBN 144372467X
  5. ^ Alexander J. Nemeth: Voltaire's tormented soul: a psychobiographic inquiry, Associated University Presse, 2008, ISBN 0934223920
  6. ^ John David Griffith Davies: A king in toils, L. Drummond, ltd., 1938
Preceded by
Sophia Louise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin		 Electress of Brandenburg
Queen in Prussia
1713 – 1740		 Succeeded by
Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Bevern
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophia_Dorothea_of_Hanover"

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