Duchess Sophie Caroline Marie of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Encyclopedia
Duchess Sophie Caroline Marie of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (7 October 1737 - 22 December 1817) was the eldest daughter of Charles I, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, and his wife Philippine Charlotte of Prussia
, sister of Frederick the Great.
In 1753, George II of the United Kingdom hoped to marry Sophie Caroline to his grandson George, Prince of Wales
(the future George III). This was an attempt to improve relations with Prussia, as Sophie Caroline was a niece of Frederick II of Prussia
and George II needed Prussian troops to help offset the alliance between France and Austria that had occurred as a result of the Diplomatic Revolution
. The prince's mother Augusta, Dowager Princess of Wales
, thwarted the King's plans, however, which increased tensions within the British royal family. The Prince of Wales himself, influenced by his mother, was vehemently opposed to the match, declaring he would not be "bewolfenbuttelled". Augusta wanted her son to marry her niece Frederica, but this union also fell through. Soon after becoming king in 1760, George III married Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
instead the following year, in what was to become a happy marriage.
George and his mother's refusal also reflected another changing reality in British foreign policy: the relationship with the Electorate of Hanover
. George II and his father George I
were both descended from the House of Hanover, and thus held the electorate very dear to their hearts. As a daughter of the Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Sophie Caroline was ancestrally related to neighboring Hanover; good relations between the electorate and its neighbors were vital to its continuing security, particularly when another war was soon expected (see: Seven Years War). The Prince of Wales and his mother however did not possess the same attachment to Hanover, thus influencing their decision to reject a match with Sophie Caroline. Though this match was not to be, Sophie Caroline's brother Charles II, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, married George's sister Princess Augusta in 1764, and George III's son George IV
married their daughter Caroline of Brunswick
, thus continuing the close ties between the two houses.
on 20 September 1759, 11 months after the death of his first wife Princess Wilhelmine of Prussia (Sophie Caroline's aunt), Sophie Caroline married Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
. He was 26 years older than she was, and their marriage was childless. Frederick did have a daughter, Margravine Elisabeth Fredericka Sophie of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, from his first marriage; the girl was only five years younger than Sophie Caroline. Frederick died on 26 February 1763. Without any male issue, he was succeeded on his death by his uncle, Frederick Christian
.
Sophie Caroline died on 22 December 1817 at the age of 80. She never remarried.
Princess Philippine Charlotte of Prussia
Princess Philippine Charlotte of Prussia was a daughter of Frederick William I of Prussia and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover.-Family:...
, sister of Frederick the Great.
George, Prince of Wales
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
(the future George III). This was an attempt to improve relations with Prussia, as Sophie Caroline was a niece of Frederick II of Prussia
Frederick II of Prussia
Frederick II was a King in Prussia and a King of Prussia from the Hohenzollern dynasty. In his role as a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, he was also Elector of Brandenburg. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel...
and George II needed Prussian troops to help offset the alliance between France and Austria that had occurred as a result of the Diplomatic Revolution
Diplomatic Revolution
The Diplomatic Revolution of 1756 is a term applied to the reversal of longstanding diplomatic alliances which were upheld until the War of the Austrian Succession and then reversed in the Seven Years' War; the shift has also been known as "the great change of partners"...
. The prince's mother Augusta, Dowager Princess of Wales
Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha
Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg was Princess of Wales between 1736 and 1751, and Dowager Princess of Wales thereafter. She was one of only three Princesses of Wales who never became queen consort...
, thwarted the King's plans, however, which increased tensions within the British royal family. The Prince of Wales himself, influenced by his mother, was vehemently opposed to the match, declaring he would not be "bewolfenbuttelled". Augusta wanted her son to marry her niece Frederica, but this union also fell through. Soon after becoming king in 1760, George III married Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was the Queen consort of the United Kingdom as the wife of King George III...
instead the following year, in what was to become a happy marriage.
George and his mother's refusal also reflected another changing reality in British foreign policy: the relationship with the Electorate of Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
. George II and his father George I
George I of Great Britain
George I was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death, and ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire from 1698....
were both descended from the House of Hanover, and thus held the electorate very dear to their hearts. As a daughter of the Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Sophie Caroline was ancestrally related to neighboring Hanover; good relations between the electorate and its neighbors were vital to its continuing security, particularly when another war was soon expected (see: Seven Years War). The Prince of Wales and his mother however did not possess the same attachment to Hanover, thus influencing their decision to reject a match with Sophie Caroline. Though this match was not to be, Sophie Caroline's brother Charles II, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, married George's sister Princess Augusta in 1764, and George III's son George IV
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
married their daughter Caroline of Brunswick
Caroline of Brunswick
Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was the Queen consort of King George IV of the United Kingdom from 29 January 1820 until her death...
, thus continuing the close ties between the two houses.
Marriage
In BrunswickBraunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
on 20 September 1759, 11 months after the death of his first wife Princess Wilhelmine of Prussia (Sophie Caroline's aunt), Sophie Caroline married Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth , was a member of the House of Hohenzollern and Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth....
. He was 26 years older than she was, and their marriage was childless. Frederick did have a daughter, Margravine Elisabeth Fredericka Sophie of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, from his first marriage; the girl was only five years younger than Sophie Caroline. Frederick died on 26 February 1763. Without any male issue, he was succeeded on his death by his uncle, Frederick Christian
Frederick Christian, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
Frederick Christian of Brandenburg-Bayreuth , was a member of the House of Hohenzollern and Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth.-Family:...
.
Sophie Caroline died on 22 December 1817 at the age of 80. She never remarried.