#Sophia Dorothea of Hanover

[authorjessicacale]

Ill-Fated, Scandalous Lovers: Sophia Dorothea and the Swedish Count

The tale of Sophia Dorothea of Celle and her handsome, dashing lover, the Swedish Count Philip Christoph von Königsmarck, is tragic, but also rather foolish, because the lovers were so reckless that they brought about their own doom. It almost seems to me that the heedless teens Romeo and Juliet went about their wooing with more dignity and more sober awareness of the threats they faced than…

[nanshe-of-nina]

Women’s History Meme || Scandals (big or small) (4/5) ↬ Sophie Dorothea von Braunschweig & the Königsmarck Affair

When Count Philip Christoph von Königsmarck wrote those lines to his lover, Sophia Dorothea, Electoral Princess of Hanover, they were just one stitch in a patchwork of romance, intrigue and, ultimately, catastrophe. From her spoiled girlhood in Celle to her lonely incarceration at Ahlden, her life truly ran the gamut from charmed to cursed. Confined to her genteel prison, Sophia Dorothea was supposed to vanish like a conjurer’s assistant. Yet she never quite disappeared and as the mother of George II, she played a vital role not only in the history of the United Kingdom, but of Europe. Without her the world would have been a different place and though she may have been locked away, her memory has persisted. Today Sophia Dorothea’s fate continues to fascinate as a grim fairy tale that was all too real. No matter how much her husband hoped that she would be forgotten, she lives on, as vibrant today as she was more than three centuries ago when she took up her pen and wrote, ‘My only pleasure is to make you remember me’. And to this day, we do. — The Imprisoned Princess: The Scandalous Life of Sophia Dorothea of Celle by Catherine Curzon

[tiny-librarian]

An anecdote is related of him, which shows the jealousy with which his filial reverence guarded his mother's name from every approach to disrespect from others.

When, during his journey to receive the homage of his Westphalian subjects, the fancy to tread for once on French ground and see a French garrison, or, as some persons imagine, the idea of an incognito visit to Paris, led him to pass the French frontier and visit Strasbourg, under the name of the Count du Four, the wife of the governor Marechal de Broglie, ignorant of the rank of her guest, asked him if he had ever been at Hanover; he replied in the negative, but asked her if she had.

“Oh, yes,” she said, “my father was the French Minister there, and I knew the Princess Sophia Dorothea, now Queen Dowager of Prussia ; she possessed so much amiability and goodness, and so many virtues, that she would have been perfect, had it not been for a little of that pride from which the great houses of Germany can never quite free themselves.” The King replied, " I beg to inform you, madam, that I have never heard the Queen Dowager of Prussia spoken of, save with the most profound respect.” “Oh, monsieur, she deserves it, there is but this little tinge of the morgue Germanique” - “I have just observed to you, madam, that it is only in terms of the most profound respect, and without any reserve, that Her Majesty has been spoken of before me,” interrupted Frederick, when fortunately the return of the Governor broke off the conversation.

Memoirs of the Queens of Prussia

[valkyries-things]

SOPHIA DOROTHEA OF CELLE // QUEEN OF GREAT BRITAIN

“She was the repudiated wife of future King George I of Great Britain. The union with George, her first cousin, was a marriage of state, arranged by her father George William, her father-in-law the Elector of Hanover, and her mother-in-law, Electress Sophia of Hanover, first cousin of King Charles II of England. Sophia Dorothea is best remembered for her alleged affair with Count Philip Christoph von Königsmarck that led to her being imprisoned in the Castle of Ahlden for the last thirty years of her life.”

[autodidactprofessor]

Frederick the Great: The Soldier King of Prussia

Frederick II of Prussia, known to history as Frederick the Great, was one of the most significant and influential monarchs of the 18th century. His reign, from 1740 to 1786, transformed Prussia from a relatively minor German state into a major power.

Snuffbox with portrait of Frederick the Great (1712–1786), King of Prussia by Daniel Baudesson is licensed under CC-CC0 1.0 The Early Life of Frederick: A Prince in Conflict Frederick was born on January 24, 1712, in Berlin, the eldest surviving son of Frederick William I of Prussia and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover. From the outset, Frederick’s life was shaped by the intense and often brutal…

[venicepearl]

Sophia Dorothea of Hanover (26 March 1687 – 28 June 1757) was a Queen Consort of Prussia as spouse of Frederick William I. She was the sister of George II, King of Great Britain, and the mother of Frederick II, King of Prussia.

[germanaustriannoblesandroyals]

House of Hanover & of Hohenzollern: Princess Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, Princess of Great Britain

Sophia Dorothea was the second child and only daughter of King George I of Great Britain, The Elector of Hanover, and his wife Princess Sophia Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Celle, better known as Sophia of Celle or The Princess of Ahlden.

After the imprisonment of her mother, Sophia and her brother were raised in Hanover by their grandmother Princess Sophie (Sophia) of the Palatine, The Electress of Hanover, through who the House of Hanover would also ultimately claim the British throne. Until he was three years old, Sophia Dorothea’s future husband Electoral-Prince Frederick William of Prussia was raised by their common grandmother as well. However, Frederick did not care for Sophia as a child and even bullied her brother, the future King of Britain.

Nevertheless, Sophia Dorothea and Frederick William were wed on November 28th, 1706. The couple could not have been different. While he would become known as The Soldier King, she was a person who was interest in the fine arts which her children, to their father’s displeasure, would mostly inherit from her. Sophia Dorothea also corresponded with Princess Palatine Elisabeth Charlotte “Liselotte”, The Duchess of Orléans who was a cousin of her mother’s and had also been raised once by Electress Sophia.

Frederick William and Sophia Dorothea would go on to have 14 children. Among them Frederick the Great, Princess Wilhelmine, Princess Anna Amalia and Princess Louisa Ulrika, who would become Queen of Sweden. Sophia Dorothea had always wanted to marry one of her children to one of her British relatives. However, although she tried it multiple times, a Prussian-Anglo alliance was never made in that generation. Instead most of her children married within the kingdom of Prussia or into the House of Welf she herself descended from.

Sophia was close to her eldest son all life long. She knew about his escape plans and together with her daughter Wilhelmine destroyed as much evidence as they could after the escape failed. Frederick showed his appreciation of his mother by keeping her the first lady of Prussia even after his father’s death. Sophia Dorothea outranked her daughter-in-law Princess Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern. Additionally, Frederick demanded that she would be referred to as Queen Mother and not as Queen Dowager as it should have been by tradition. Furthermore, he asked his mother not to adress him as Majesty but as her son as this was to him the highest honor he could ever receive by her.

Sophia Dorothea died on June 28th, 1757, after her health had been declining. Her final resting place in the Hohenzollern vault in Berlin Cathedral. She was the last Queen in Prussia, since her son and by that his wife became monarch of Prussia in 1772.

// Christina Große as Sophia Dorothea in Friedrich - Ein deutscher König (2011)

[a-royal-obsession]

Sophia Dorothea of Hanover (1687-1757), Queen consort of Prussia. Oil on canvas. After 1713.

[widvile-blog]

Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, Queen of Prussia (26 March 1687 - 28 June 1757)

[indolentfop]

Sophia Dorothea (1666-1726) with her two children (Georg August the future George II of Great Britain (1683-1760), and Sophia Dorothea, future Queen of Prussia (1687-1757)), by Jacques Vaillant (1643-1691), ca. 1690–1691

[nanshe-of-nina]

favortive french and german historical figures

French: Adela of Normandy, Charles of Orléans and his siblings, Christine de Pizan, Count of St. Germain (maybe; we don't actually know where he was from), Eleanor of Aquitaine, Émilie du Châtelet, Germaine de Staël, Héloïse d'Argenteuil, Jean de Venette, Jeanne the Lame of Burgundy, Jeanne de Clisson, Marguerite of Angoulême, Mathilde de Morny, Olympe de Gouges, Philippe I of Orléans (he was a crappy husband and his wives deserved better, but the stories about him are never dull)

German: Agnes of Hohenstaufen, Caroline of Brunswick, Elisabeth of the Palatinate, Hildegard of Bingen, Ludwig II of Bavaria, Mathilde of Ringelheim, Mechthild of Magdeburg, Sophia of Hanover, Sophia Dorothea of Celle, Sophie Scholl, Wilhelmine of Prussia

[oldfritz]

The court still spoke French after the death of the first Prussian king, and contrary to some reports, Frederick William spoke it fluently, albeit ungrammatically. He was no match for his wife [Sophia Dorothea], who 'might have been confused for a princess of the French royal house'. The other attributes of French life were shunned, however, especially the fashions of the contemporary petit maitre.                                                                                       To get her revenge, Sophia Dorothea what many mothers might be tempted to do in the circumstances: she brought her children over to her side and taught them to hate their father. What he forbad, she allowed; even if it ended up with them being beaten black and blue as a result. To her husband, she played the meek, devoted wife, writing him endless letters when he was away in Potsdam, assuring him of her complete submission to his will; while she further developed her schemes for bringing her Hohenzollern children into line with their Welf cousins on the throne of Britain.

Frederick the Great by Giles MacDonogh

[tiny-librarian]

Sophia Dorothea of Celle, Electoral Princess of Hanover, with her two children: Prince George (The future George II) and Sophia Dorothea (Future Queen in Prussia).

[margueritedanjou]

Fᴏʀᴇɪɢɴ ᴄᴏɴsᴏʀᴛs ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴋɪɴɢs ᴏғ Eɴɢʟᴀɴᴅ [part III]

[carolineofansbach]

“Still smarting from her guardian’s fury over her refusal to convert to marry Archduke Charles, Caroline decided to remain in Ansbach with her brother for the time being. Undeterred in Berlin, the king began to make overtures that might result in the possible reopening of negotiations with Charles or even, as a last resort, see Caroline hitched to Frederick’s own son. Although this plan had been discussed with his late wife, her death had halted the planning; now, however, it could begin again.

No doubt Caroline was considering her own future too when she travelled to Triesdorf to spend the summer with the brother who had become her rock. Still mourning for the woman who had been as good as a mother to her, she passed calm days in the peace of the summer palace, slowly adjusting to life without Sophia Charlotte.

Into that tranquil idyll rode a party of Hanoverian gentlemen led by a most notable noble, who was introduced to the young lady as Monsieur de Busch. Though not particularly handsome, his aspect was pleasing enough, he was excellent company and, crucially, heir to a throne.

For Monsieur de Busch was no travelling nobleman at all, but George Augustus, heir to the House of Hanover, one day to rule as George II.

Mindful of his own disastrous marriage to Sophia Dorothea, when the time came to find a wife for his son, George Louis knew that he must give the young man some say. Although the dowager electress was singing Caroline’s praises from the roof-tops, it was vital that the perspective groom also be involved in the decision. 

On the other hand, any young lady faced with a chap with George Augustus’s illustrious lineage might well employ a little subterfuge of their own to win his hand. It was important, therefore, that the lady in question did not know exactly who her suitor was; only that way would she know her true self. Sophia knew nothing of the scheme and, when she learned of it, was stunned as she was delighted.

George fell for Caroline at first sight, ‘seized with such affection and desire for her that he is most eager to marry her without delay’. Happily, she appeared to be enchanted by him too, but was she really taken in by the subterfuge? Whether the rather fairtytale romance was as wide-eyed as it appeared, when Caroline was finally told of the true identity of her suitor by his envoy, Baron Von Eltz, she certainly seemed surprised.

(...) Caroline was quick to accept the proposal and receive consent from her brother. Only then, was Sophia informed that the young lady she adored would soon be wife to the electoral prince, George Augustus. 

It was the start of a powerful partnership.”.

From: “Queens of Georgian Britain”, by Catherine Curzon.

[venicepearl]

Portrait of Sophia Dorothea of Celle and her two children - Jacques Vaillant

Sophia Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Celle (15 September 1666 – 13 November 1726) was the repudiated wife of future King George I of Great Britain, and mother of George II. The union with her first cousin was a marriage of state, arranged by her father George William, her father-in-law the Elector of Hanover, and her mother-in-law, Electress Sophia of Hanover, first cousin of King Charles II of England. She is best remembered for her alleged affair with Count Philip Christoph von Königsmarck that led to her being imprisoned in the Castle of Ahlden for the last thirty years of her life.