Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Bevern
Encyclopedia
Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern (8 November 1715 – 13 January 1797) was a Queen of Prussia as wife of Frederick the Great. By birth, she was a duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.
, and Antoinette of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
.
, having failed in his attempt to flee from his father's tyrannical regime, was ordered to marry a daughter of the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Elisabeth Christine was the niece of Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI
's wife Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
; the match had thus been arranged by the Austrian court in the hopes of securing influence over Prussia for another generation.
. She then moved with him to Neuruppin
and later to the palace at Rheinsberg
. The story goes that before the wedding, a pastoral
was enacted. The best flute player of three shepherd
s featuring in the play got Elisabeth's hand, and Frederick was the winner.
Due to the circumstances behind their betrothal, Frederick was well known to have resented the marriage from the very beginning. Frederick almost completely ignored Elizabeth and the marriage did not result in children. In 1740, Frederick's father died and he succeeded to the throne of Prussia
as Frederick II. He then initiated the separation between the two. Elisabeth began living separately from him, taking up her residence at Schönhausen Palace
, nowadays in the north of Berlin. It should be mentioned that throughout his life, Frederick did not show any interest in women. He had no known affairs and presided over a very spartan, almost military court, where women rarely appeared and never held any influence.
Frederick never came to see his wife and she was never invited to his palace of Sanssouci
in Potsdam
. The couple usually met only at family reunions. In 1757-58 and again in 1760-63, both times during the Seven Years' War
, Elisabeth was forced to flee her home and move to Magdeburg
. It was on the first of these occasions that she saw Sanssouci for the first time. In 1763, when Frederick saw his wife for the first time in six years, he only commented: "Madame has grown quite fat."
Elisabeth was interested in literature. She also wrote books herself, about morals, in French, and introduced silk cultivation to Prussia.
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Biography
Elisabeth Christine was born the daughter of Ferdinand Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-WolfenbüttelFerdinand Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Ferdinand Albert , Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, was an officer in the army of the Holy Roman Empire...
, and Antoinette of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Duchess Antoinette of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Antoinette of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was a Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and the wife of her cousin Ferdinand Albert II of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel...
.
Marriage
In 1733, Crown Prince Frederick of PrussiaFrederick 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...
, having failed in his attempt to flee from his father's tyrannical regime, was ordered to marry a daughter of the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Elisabeth Christine was the niece of Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VI was the penultimate Habsburg sovereign of the Habsburg Empire. He succeeded his elder brother, Joseph I, as Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia , Hungary and Croatia , Archduke of Austria, etc., in 1711...
's wife Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was Princess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Holy Roman Empress, German Queen, Queen of Bohemia and Hungary; and Archduchess of Austria by her marriage to Emperor Charles VI. She was renowned for her delicate beauty and also for being the mother of Empress...
; the match had thus been arranged by the Austrian court in the hopes of securing influence over Prussia for another generation.
Life in Prussia
On 12 June 1733, she married Frederick at her father's summer palace, Schloss SalzdahlumSchloss Salzdahlum
Schloss Salzdahlum was a former summer palace built by Anthony Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel in 1684.It was dismantled in 1813 but parts of it can still be seen in the town of Salzdahlum....
. She then moved with him to Neuruppin
Neuruppin
Neuruppin is a town in Brandenburg, Germany. Located on the shore of Ruppiner See , it is the capital of the district of Ostprignitz-Ruppin. Population: 32,800 .-Overview:...
and later to the palace at Rheinsberg
Rheinsberg
Rheinsberg is a town and a municipality in the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated on the river Rhin, approx. 20 km north-east of Neuruppin and 75 km north-west of Berlin.-History:...
. The story goes that before the wedding, a pastoral
Pastoral
The adjective pastoral refers to the lifestyle of pastoralists, such as shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasturage. It also refers to a genre in literature, art or music that depicts such shepherd life in an...
was enacted. The best flute player of three shepherd
Shepherd
A shepherd is a person who tends, feeds or guards flocks of sheep.- Origins :Shepherding is one of the oldest occupations, beginning some 6,000 years ago in Asia Minor. Sheep were kept for their milk, meat and especially their wool...
s featuring in the play got Elisabeth's hand, and Frederick was the winner.
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
as Frederick II. He then initiated the separation between the two. Elisabeth began living separately from him, taking up her residence at Schönhausen Palace
Schönhausen Palace
Schönhausen Palace is a Baroque palace at Niederschönhausen, in Berlin's borough of Pankow. It is surrounded by gardens through which the Panke river runs...
, nowadays in the north of Berlin. It should be mentioned that throughout his life, Frederick did not show any interest in women. He had no known affairs and presided over a very spartan, almost military court, where women rarely appeared and never held any influence.
Sanssouci
Sanssouci is the name of the former summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, in Potsdam, near Berlin. It is often counted among the German rivals of Versailles. While Sanssouci is in the more intimate Rococo style and is far smaller than its French Baroque counterpart, it too is...
in Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
. The couple usually met only at family reunions. In 1757-58 and again in 1760-63, both times during the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
, Elisabeth was forced to flee her home and move to Magdeburg
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
. It was on the first of these occasions that she saw Sanssouci for the first time. In 1763, when Frederick saw his wife for the first time in six years, he only commented: "Madame has grown quite fat."
Elisabeth was interested in literature. She also wrote books herself, about morals, in French, and introduced silk cultivation to Prussia.
Ancestors
Titles and styles
- 8 November 1715 - 12 June 1733 Her Highness Princess Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
- 12 June 1733 - 31 May 1740 Her Royal Highness The Crown Princess of Prussia
- 31 May 1740 – 19 February 1772 Her Majesty The Queen in Prussia
- 19 February 1772 – 17 August 1786 Her Majesty The Queen of Prussia
- 17 August 1786 - 13 January 1797 Her Majesty The Dowager Queen
Sources
- Biskup, Thomas. (2004). "The Hidden Queen: Elisabeth Christine of Prussia and Hohenzollern Queenship in the Eighteenth Century" in Queenship in Europe 1660-1815: The Role of the Consort. Clarissa Campbell Orr (ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521814227.
- Hans-Henning Grote (2005) Schloss Wolfenbüttel. Residenz der Herzöge zu Braunschweig und Lüneburg. S. 228. ISBN 3-937664-32-7.
- Paul Noack: Elisabeth Christine und Friedrich der Große. Ein Frauenleben in Preußen. 2. Auflage. Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 2002, S. 185, ISBN 3-608-94292-0
External links
- Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Bevern at Find-A-Grave
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