Friederike Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt
Encyclopedia
Sophia Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt (Friederike Sophia Dorothea; 18 December 1736 – 9 March 1798) was Duchess of Württemberg (now in Germany
) and ancestor to many European royals of the 19th and 20th century.
From 1769 she lived at Montbéliard
, which was being managed by her husband, but which had to be abandoned in 1792 because of the French Revolution
. Her husband inherited the Dukedom of Württemberg in 1795-97.
and his wife Princess Sophia Dorothea of Prussia
, sister of Frederick the Great. Her siblings included Elisabeth Louise, Princess Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia
and Philippine, Landgravine of Hesse-Cassel.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) and ancestor to many European royals of the 19th and 20th century.
Biography
Sophia Dorothea was described as witty and charming. She belonged to the reformed faith, while her consort was Catholic, but she brought up her children as Lutheran upon agreement with the Lutheran council, from whom she received an allowance.From 1769 she lived at Montbéliard
Château de Montbéliard
The Château de Montbéliard , also known as the Château des ducs de Württemberg is a fortress located on an outcropping rock that surveys the town of Montbéliard in the Doubs département of France...
, which was being managed by her husband, but which had to be abandoned in 1792 because of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. Her husband inherited the Dukedom of Württemberg in 1795-97.
Family
Sophia Dorothea was a daughter of Margrave Frederick William of Brandenburg-SchwedtMargrave Frederick William of Brandenburg-Schwedt
Frederick William of Brandenburg-Schwedt was born 17 November 1700, Oranienbaum Castle near Dessau and died 4 March 1771, Wildenbruch Castle. He was Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt from 1711 to 1771 and a knight of the Order of the Black Eagle...
and his wife Princess Sophia Dorothea of Prussia
Princess Sophia Dorothea of Prussia
Princess Sophia Dorothea of Prussia was the ninth child and fifth daughter of Frederick William I of Prussia and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover...
, sister of Frederick the Great. Her siblings included Elisabeth Louise, Princess Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia
Margravine Elisabeth Louise of Brandenburg-Schwedt
Margravine Anna Elisabeth Louise of Brandenburg-Schwedt was a Prussian princess. She was a daughter of Margrave Frederick William of Brandenburg-Schwedt and his wife Princess Sophia Dorothea of Prussia.-Family:...
and Philippine, Landgravine of Hesse-Cassel.
Marriage and children
On November 2, 1753, she married Frederick Eugen of Württemberg. He would succeed his brother in 1795, making her Duchess consort of Württemberg. They had twelve children:- Frederick Wilhelm KarlFrederick I of WürttembergFrederick I William Charles of Württemberg was the first King of Württemberg. He was known for his size: at and about , he was in contrast to Napoleon, who recognized him as King of Württemberg.-Biography:...
(6 November 1754 – 30 October 1816), his successor, who would later become the first King of Württemberg; - Louis Frederick AlexanderDuke Louis of WürttembergDuke Louis of Württemberg was the second son of Friedrich II Eugen, Duke of Württemberg and Margravine Sophia Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt...
(30 August 1756 – 20 September 1817), of whom Queen Elizabeth II of the United KingdomElizabeth II of the United KingdomElizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
is a direct descendant; - Eugene Frederick HenryEugene Frederick Henry, Duke of WürttembergDuke Eugen of Württemberg was a German nobleman. He was brother of Frederick I of Württemberg-Life:Duke Eugen was born at Schwedt, Margraviate of Brandenburg, third child of Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg , and his wife, Margravine Sophia Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt...
(1758 – 20 June 1822); - Sophie Marie Dorothea (25 October 1759 – 5 November 1828), married to Paul I, Emperor of RussiaPaul I of RussiaPaul I was the Emperor of Russia between 1796 and 1801. He also was the 72nd Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta .-Childhood:...
), of whom Prince Philip, Duke of EdinburghPrince Philip, Duke of EdinburghPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
and Queen Sofia of SpainQueen Sofía of SpainQueen Sofía of Spain is the wife of King Juan Carlos I of Spain.-Early life and family:Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark was born in Psychiko, Athens, Greece on 2 November 1938, the eldest child of the King Paul of Greece and his wife, Queen Frederika , a former princess of Hanover...
are direct descendants;; - William Frederick PhilipDuke William Frederick Philip of WürttembergWilliam Frederick Philip, Duke of Württemberg was a prince of the House of Württemberg and a minister for war.-Early life:...
(27 December 1761 – 10 August 1830); father of Wilhelm, 1st Duke of UrachWilhelm, 1st Duke of UrachCount Friedrich Wilhelm Alexander Ferdinand of Württemberg, 1st Duke of Urach , was the son of Duke Wilhelm of Württemberg , younger brother of King Frederick I of Württemberg, by his morganatic wife, Baroness Wilhelmine von Tunderfeldt-Rhodis , who had married in 1800... - Ferdinand Augustus Frederick (22 October 1763 – 20 January 1834);
- Friederike Elisabeth Amalie (27 July 1765 – 24 November 1785), married to Peter, Duke of OldenburgPeter, Duke of OldenburgPeter I or Peter Frederick Louis of Holstein-Gottorp was the Regent of the Duchy of Oldenburg for his incapacitated cousin Peter Frederick William from 1785 to 1823, and then served himself as Duke from 1823-1829...
; - Elisabeth Wilhelmine Luise (21 April 1767 – 18 February 1790), married to Francis I, Emperor of AustriaFrancis II, Holy Roman EmperorFrancis II was the last Holy Roman Emperor, ruling from 1792 until 6 August 1806, when he dissolved the Empire after the disastrous defeat of the Third Coalition by Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz...
; - Friederike Wilhelmine Katharina (born and died 1768);
- Charles Frederick Henry (3 May 1770 – 22 August 1791);
- Alexander Frederick Charles (24 April 1771 – 4 July 1833), the founder of the fifth branch of Württemberg, from which today's head of the House, Duke Carl Maria of WürttembergCarl, Duke of WürttembergCarl, Duke of Württemberg is the current Head of the House of Württemberg.-Heir to House of Württemberg:...
- Charles Henry (3 July 1772 – 28 July 1833);
Royal descendants
- Her daughter Sophie Dorothea married Emperor Paul I of RussiaPaul I of RussiaPaul I was the Emperor of Russia between 1796 and 1801. He also was the 72nd Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta .-Childhood:...
and become Empress Marie Feodorovna. The Empress was mother to (among others) Emperors Alexander IAlexander I of RussiaAlexander I of Russia , served as Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and the first Russian King of Poland from 1815 to 1825. He was also the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania....
and Nicholas INicholas I of RussiaNicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...
of Russia as well as Queen Anna Paulowna of the NetherlandsAnna Pavlovna of RussiaGrand Duchess Anna Pavlovna of Russia was a queen consort of the Netherlands.-Background:She was born as the eighth child and sixth daughter of Paul I of Russia and Empress Maria Feodorovna , and thus was Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna of Russia...
(from whom the current Dutch royal familyMonarchy of the NetherlandsThe Netherlands has been an independent monarchy since 16 March 1815, and has been governed by members of the House of Orange-Nassau since.-Constitutional role and position of the monarch:...
is descended) and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Saxe-Weimar-EisenachMaria Pavlovna of RussiaGrand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia was the third daughter of Paul I of Russia and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. She was the Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach by her marriage to Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.-Life:...
, great-grandmother of German Emperor William IIWilliam II, German EmperorWilhelm II was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia, ruling the German Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia from 15 June 1888 to 9 November 1918. He was a grandson of the British Queen Victoria and related to many monarchs and princes of Europe...
. - Through her second son LouisDuke Louis of WürttembergDuke Louis of Württemberg was the second son of Friedrich II Eugen, Duke of Württemberg and Margravine Sophia Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt...
she is also great-great-great-great-grandmother of Elizabeth II of the United KingdomElizabeth II of the United KingdomElizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
.
Ancestry
Titles and styles
- 18 December 1736 – 2 November 1753 Her Serene Highness Margravine Sophia Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt
- 2 November 1753 – 20 May 1795 Her Serene Highness Duchess Frederick Eugene of Württemberg
- 20 May 1795 – 23 December 1797 Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Württemberg
- 23 December 1797 – 9 March 1798 Her Royal Highness the Dowager Duchess of Württemberg