Sophia Dorothea of Hanover
Encyclopedia
Sophia Dorothea of Hanover ( – 28 June 1757) was a Queen consort
in Prussia as wife of Frederick William I
. She was the sister of George II of Great Britain
and the mother of Frederick the Great.
. She was the only daughter of George Louis of Brunswick-Lüneburg
, later King George I of Great Britain, and Sophia Dorothea of Celle
. She was detested by her elder brother, King George II of Great Britain
.
, heir apparent to the Prussian throne, on 28 November 1706. They had met as children under the care of their grandmother, Sophia of Hanover
, and had disliked each other ever since. Sophia Dorothea differed from her husband in every aspect and the marriage suffered as a result. One of the most important differences between them was that Sophia Dorothea, unlike her husband, loved entertainment.
.
Sophia Dorothea was interested in art, science, literature and fashion. She had a good relationship with her son, Frederick
, later known as "Frederick the Great", who was very attached to her and deeply mourned her death. She spent many days talking to him in the library and was informed of his plans to escape from his father's custody. After he did withdraw from the Prussian court, she corresponded with him from the fortress of Küstrin
. She was not described as a beauty, and she was scarred from smallpox
. Nonetheless, she kept an attractive figure in spite of her many pregnancies. 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.
and Queen Sophia had ten surviving children:
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
in Prussia as wife of Frederick William I
Frederick William I of Prussia
Frederick William I of the House of Hohenzollern, was the King in Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg from 1713 until his death...
. She was the sister of George II of Great Britain
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
and the mother of Frederick the Great.
Biography
Sophia Dorothea was born on 16 March 1687 (O.S.), in Brunswick-LüneburgBrunswick-Lüneburg
The Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , or more properly Duchy of Brunswick and Lüneburg, was an historical ducal state from the late Middle Ages until the late Early Modern era within the North-Western domains of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, in what is now northern Germany...
. She was the only daughter of George Louis of Brunswick-Lüneburg
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....
, later King George I of Great Britain, and Sophia Dorothea of Celle
Sophia Dorothea of Celle
Sophia Dorothea of Brunswick and Lunenburg was the wife and cousin of George Louis, Elector of Hanover, later George I of Great Britain, and mother of George II through an arranged marriage of state, instigated by the machinations of Duchess Sophia of Hanover...
. She was detested by her elder brother, King George II of Great Britain
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
.
Crown Princess of Prussia
Sophia Dorothea married her cousin, Crown Prince Frederick William of PrussiaFrederick William I of Prussia
Frederick William I of the House of Hohenzollern, was the King in Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg from 1713 until his death...
, heir apparent to the Prussian throne, on 28 November 1706. They had met as children under the care of their grandmother, Sophia of Hanover
Sophia of Hanover
Sophia of the Palatinate was an heiress to the crowns of England and Ireland and later the crown of Great Britain. She was declared heiress presumptive by the Act of Settlement 1701...
, and had disliked each other ever since. Sophia Dorothea differed from her husband in every aspect and the marriage suffered as a result. One of the most important differences between them was that Sophia Dorothea, unlike her husband, loved entertainment.
Queen in Prussia
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, who may have suffered from the hereditary disease porphyriaPorphyria
Porphyrias are a group of inherited or acquired disorders of certain enzymes in the heme bio-synthetic pathway . They are broadly classified as acute porphyrias and cutaneous porphyrias, based on the site of the overproduction and accumulation of the porphyrins...
.
Sophia Dorothea was interested in art, science, literature and fashion. She had a good relationship with her son, Frederick
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...
, later known as "Frederick the Great", who was very attached to her and deeply mourned her death. She spent many days talking to him in the library and was informed of his plans to escape from his father's custody. After he did withdraw from the Prussian court, she corresponded with him from the fortress of Küstrin
Küstrin
Before 1945 Küstrin was a town in the former Prussian province of Brandenburg in Germany, situated on both sides of the Oder river...
. She was not described as a beauty, and she was scarred from smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
. Nonetheless, she kept an attractive figure in spite of her many pregnancies. 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.
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 The Queen mother
Issue
King Frederick WilliamFrederick William I of Prussia
Frederick William I of the House of Hohenzollern, was the King in Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg from 1713 until his death...
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 Wilhelmine of Bayreuth Princess Wilhelmine of Prussia was a German noblewoman and composer. She was the eldest daughter of Frederick William I of Prussia and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover. In 1731, she married Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth... |
3 July 1709 | 14 October 1758 | married, 1731, 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.... ; had issue |
| Prince Friedrich Wilhelm | 16 August 1710 | 31 July 1711 | |
| 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... |
24 January 1712 | 17 August 1786 | married, 12 June 1733, Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Bevern Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Bevern Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern was a Queen of Prussia as wife of Frederick the Great... ; no issue |
| Princess Charlotte Albertine | 5 May 1713 | 10 June 1714 | |
| Frederica Louise, Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach Princess Friederike Luise of Prussia Princess Friederike Luise of Prussia was a daughter of Frederick William I of Prussia and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover and Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach.-Family:... |
28 September 1714 | 4 February 1784 | married 1729, Charles William Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach; had issue |
| Philippine Charlotte 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:... , Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel |
13 March 1716 | 17 February 1801 | married, 1733, Charles I, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel; had issue |
| Prince Ludwig Karl Wilhelm | 2 May 1717 | 31 August 1719 | |
| Sophia Dorothea, Margravine of Brandenburg-Schwedt 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... |
25 January 1719 | 13 November 1765 | married, 1734, Margrave Frederick William of Brandenburg-Schwedt Margrave 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... ; had issue |
| Louisa Ulrika, Queen of Sweden Louisa Ulrika of Prussia Louisa Ulrika of Prussia was Queen of Sweden between 1751 and 1771 as the spouse of King Adolf Frederick of Sweden, and queen mother during the reign of King Gustav III of Sweden.-Background:... |
24 July 1720 | 2 July 1782 | married, 1744, Frederick of Holstein-Gottorp (later Adolf Frederick of Sweden Adolf Frederick of Sweden Adolf Frederick or Adolph Frederick was King of Sweden from 1751 until his death. He was the son of Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp, Prince of Eutin and Albertina Frederica of Baden-Durlach.... ); had issue |
| Prince Augustus William Prince Augustus William of Prussia Augustus William of Prussia was Prince of Prussia and a brother of Frederick the Great... |
9 August 1722 | 12 June 1758 | married, 1742, Louise Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg Louise Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg Luise of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was daughter of Ferdinand Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and his wife Antoinette of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.-Background:... ; had issue, inc. Frederick William II Frederick William II of Prussia Frederick William II was the King of Prussia, reigning from 1786 until his death. He was in personal union the Prince-Elector of Brandenburg and the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel.-Early life:... |
| Princess Anna Amalia of Prussia Princess Anna Amalia of Prussia Princess Anna Amalia of Prussia was Princess-Abbess of Quedlinburg. She was one of ten surviving children of King Frederick William I of Prussia and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover.-Background:... |
9 November 1723 | 30 March 1787 | married secretly 1743, Baron Frederick of the Trenck Friedrich von der Trenck Friedrich Freiherr von der Trenck was a Prussian officer, adventurer, and author.- Life :Von der Trenck was born in Haldensleben, which is north of Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Prussia on 16 February 1727. His parents were Major-General Baron Christopher Ehrenreich von der Trenck and Marie Charlotte... ; had issue |
| Prince Henry Prince Henry of Prussia Frederick Henry Louis , commonly known as Henry , was a Prince of Prussia. He also served as a general and statesman, and, in 1786, was suggested as a candidate for a monarch for the United States.... |
18 January 1726 | 3 August 1802 | married, 1752, Wilhelmina of Hesse-Kassel Princess Wilhelmina of Hesse-Kassel Wilhelmina av Hessen-Kassel was a Prussian princess, married to prince Henry of Prussia.Wilhelmina was the daughter of prince Maximilian of Hesse-Kassel and Friederike Charlotte of Hessen-Darmstadt and the niece of landgrave William VIII of Hesse-Kassel and king Frederick of Sweden... (or Hesse-Cassel); no issue |
| Prince Ferdinand Prince Ferdinand of Prussia Prince August Ferdinand of Prussia was a Prussian Prince and general, and Herrenmeister of the Bailiwick of Brandenburg of the Order of Saint John... |
23 May 1730 | 2 May 1813 | married, 1755, Elisabeth Louise of Brandenburg-Schwedt; had issue |