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| Sophia Dorothea of Hanover | |
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| Portrait by Antoine Pesne, 1726 | |
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Electress consort of Brandenburg |
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| 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 |
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| House | House of Hohenzollern House of Hanover |
| Father | George I of Great Britain |
| Mother | Sophia Dorothea of Celle |
| Born | 16 March 1687 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.
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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
- ^ The Peerage – Sophie Dorothy
- ^ John David Griffith Davies: A king in toils, L. Drummond, ltd., 1938
- ^ The Education of the Enlightened Despots
- ^ W. F. Reddaway: Frederick the Great and the Rise of Prussia, READ BOOKS, 2008, ISBN 144372467X
- ^ Alexander J. Nemeth: Voltaire's tormented soul: a psychobiographic inquiry, Associated University Presse, 2008, ISBN 0934223920
- ^ John David Griffith Davies: A king in toils, L. Drummond, ltd., 1938
- Thea Leitner: Skandal bei Hof, Ueberreuter, 1993, ISBN 3800034921
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| Preceded by Sophia Louise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin |
Electress of Brandenburg Queen in Prussia 1713 – 1740 |
Succeeded by Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Bevern |
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