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Friederike Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt, Queen of Prussia

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Friederike Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt, Queen of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

Friederike Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt was the second wife of King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia. She was born in Prenzlau, Kingdom of Prussia, now Brandenburg, Germany, on October 16, 1751 to Ludwig IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Caroline of Zweibrücken. Friederike Luise had seven siblings:

Friederike Luise with her husband and children, circa 1777. source: Wikipedia

On July 14, 1769, at Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg, Friederike Luise married the future King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia as his second wife. The groom’s uncle, King Friedrich II (the Great) of Prussia, also Friederike Luise’s godfather, arranged the marriage. Despite their arranged and unhappy, marriage, they had seven children:

Friederike Luise faced resistance from her new Prussian family from the moment of her marriage. She was constantly compared to her husband’s first wife, who was much loved by the family and the Prussian people, despite having been divorced from her husband for both of their well-known affairs. Friederike Luise’s husband ignored and neglected her, choosing instead to spend his time with his official mistress and later two additional morganatic wives. Even King, Friedrich II, who had arranged the marriage, failed to give her the support and privileges her predecessor had enjoyed. So instead of being a major part of the Prussian court, Friederike Luise lived primarily in Potsdam, rarely permitted to visit Berlin.

In 1786, her husband became King of Prussia. Friederike Luise moved to Berlin and took up her role and duties as Queen. Still neglected by her husband, she often lacked the funds to pay for the basic needs of her household. The new King instead spent great amounts on his mistresses and focused more on his illegitimate children than his legitimate ones. The following year, the King decided to enter into a morganatic marriage with a lady-in-waiting Julia von Voss. Asked to consent to it, Friederike Luise agreed on the condition that her husband would pay off all of her debts. The same situation arose again three years later when the King wished to marry Sophie von Dönhoff. Relieved that she no longer had to receive her husband or bear him any further children, Friederike Luise again requested a significant financial settlement to consent to this marriage. She also had to deal with her husband’s official mistress Wilhelmine Ecke with whom he had several children, and who became his primary companion.

Monbijou Palace. source: Wikipedia

After moving to Berlin, Friederike Luise lived at Monbijou Palace, while her husband lived at the nearby Berlin Palace. Monbijou would remain her primary residence for the rest of her life. She spent her summers in the spa town of Freienwalde in 1788. Her presence increased the popularity of the small spa town and contributed greatly to its economy and success. As a result, many new buildings were built to accommodate her court. Following her husband’s death, she had a summer palace Schloss Freienwalde (link in German) built there, where she stayed each year until her death.

Schloss Freienwalde. photo: by Clemensfranz – Own Work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49554486

Widowed in 1797, the Dowager Queen lived a quiet and private life at her homes in Berlin and Freienwalde and enjoyed a close relationship with her son King Friedrich Wilhelm III. Increasingly eccentric as she got older, she claimed to see ghosts and became afraid of sleeping at night. As a result, she began to stay awake all night long and sleep during the day. On February 25, 1805, 53-year-old Friederike Luise suffered a stroke and died at Monbijou Palace in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany. She is buried in the royal vault at the Berliner Dom in Berlin.

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Prussia Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Crown Princess of Prussia

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2021

Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Crown Princess of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth Christine Ulrike was the first wife of the future King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia. She was born in Wolfenbüttel, Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, now in Lower Saxony, Germany, on November 8, 1746, to Karl, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Princess Philippine Charlotte of Prussia, and had 12 siblings:

King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia. source: Wikipedia

On July 14, 1765, Elisabeth Christine married her first cousin, Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia (the future King Friedrich Wilhelm II), in a marriage arranged by their mutual uncle, King Friedrich II (the Great) of Prussia. Initially planned to take place at Charlottenburg Palace, the marriage instead took place at her family’s country home, Schloss Salzdahlum. They had one daughter:

The marriage was never happy, as Friedrich Wilhelm carried on constant affairs with a string of actresses and dancers, and completely ignored and neglected his wife. Elisabeth Christine found favor with her uncle, Friedrich II (the Great) of Prussia, who was quite fond of her and disliked his nephew’s adultery. After Elisabeth gave birth to their first and only child, a girl, the marriage further deteriorated. Having suffered through her husband’s infidelity, Elisabeth Christine soon began her own affair and found herself pregnant. When word reached the Crown Prince, he insisted upon a divorce. Her lover, a musician, was arrested and reportedly beheaded, and Elisabeth Christine took some drugs to end her pregnancy. The couple was officially divorced on April 18, 1769.

Elisabeth Christine was sent to the Küstrin Fortress and later placed under house arrest at the Ducal Castle of Stettin, under the supervision of her cousin, August Wilhelm of Brunswick-Bevern. Later, her former father-in-law gave her a summer residence in the cloister in Jasenitz. Her condition improved when her former husband came to the throne in 1786. The new King permitted her to entertain visitors and to venture out in the town. Her final years were spent at a small country estate outside of Stettin, where she lived in virtual isolation for the rest of her life, never seeing her daughter or her siblings again.

The former Crown Princess died in Stettin, Kingdom of Prussia, now Szczecin in Poland, on February 18, 1840. Initially buried in a mausoleum in the park, her remains were later moved to the Chapel of the Ducal Castle of Stettin.

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Prussia Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Kingdom of Prussia: The Protestant Franconian branch of the House of Hohenzollern ruled as Margraves of Brandenburg, Dukes of Prussia, Electors of Brandenburg, Kings of Prussia from 1415 until 1918. In November 1700, in exchange for supporting the Holy Roman Empire in the Spanish War of Succession, Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor agreed to allow Friedrich III, Duke of Prussia, Elector of Brandenburg to make Prussia a kingdom and become its first king. In the aftermath of World War I, Prussia had a revolution that resulted in the replacement of the monarchy with a republic. Wilhelm II, German Emperor, King of Prussia abdicated on November 9, 1918.

The Kingdom of Prussia had territory that today is part of Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, and Switzerland. All or parts of the following states of today’s Germany were part of the Kingdom of Prussia: Brandenburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saarland, Saxony-Anhalt, and Schleswig-Holstein.

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Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

Friedrich Wilhelm II was King of Prussia from 1786 until 1797. He was born at the Berlin City Palace in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg, on September 25, 1744, the eldest son of Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia (a younger son of King Friedrich Wilhelm I) and Duchess Luise of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Friedrich Wilhelm had three younger siblings:

Friedrich Wilhelm was christened on October 11, 1744. His godparents included:

When he was three years old, Friedrich Wilhelm was taken from his parents and raised in the court of his uncle King Friedrich II of Prussia. With a steady stream of tutors, the young Friedrich Wilhelm studied mathematics, law, philosophy, and history and received a military education. Friedrich was a devoted patron of the arts and established a private orchestra renowned throughout Europe. As King Friedrich II had no children, Friedrich Wilhelm’s father, the king’s younger brother, was the heir presumptive. Friedrich Wilhelm then became the heir when his father died in 1758.

Although close to his uncle in his youth, their relationship became strained as Friedrich Wilhelm grew older. King Friedrich II gave his nephew a solid education but did little to prepare Friedrich Wilhelm for his future role. Friedrich Wilhelm also resented King Friedrich II for forcing him into two arranged marriages, neither of which he welcomed.

Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. source: Wikipedia

Friedrich Wilhelm was married several times. His first wife was his first cousin Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, the daughter of Carl I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Princess Philippine Charlotte of Prussia. The couple married at Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin on July 14, 1765, but the marriage was unhappy. The couple was divorced in 1769 after Elisabeth Christine became pregnant by a lover and had one daughter:

Friederike Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt. source: Wikipedia

In 1769, Friedrich Wilhelm married a second time, to Friederike Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt, the daughter of Ludwig IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Caroline of Zweibrücken. Friedrich Wilhelm and Friederike Luise married on July 14, 1769, at Charlottenburg Palace, and had seven children:

Julie von Voss, Countess von Ingenheim. source: Wikipedia

While married to his second wife, Friedrich Wilhelm entered into two morganatic marriages. The first was Elisabeth Amalie “Julie” von Voss (1766-1789). Julie became a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elisabeth Christine (Friedrich Wilhelm’s aunt) in 1783. In 1787, she and Friedrich Wilhelm married at the chapel at Charlottenburg Palace. Julie insisted that Friedrich Wilhelm’s wife, Friederike Luise, give her consent for the marriage. Friederike Luise, having already given her husband seven children, felt her “conjugal duties had been fulfilled” and willingly agreed. The couple married in April 1787, and in November of that year, Julie was created Countess von Ingenheim. The marriage was short-lived. In March 1789, Julie died of tuberculosis, just two months after giving birth to their only child:

  • Gustav Adolf, Count von Ingenheim (1789-1855) – married Eugenie de Thierry, had issue

Sophie von Dönhoff. source: Wikipedia

In April 1790, again in the chapel at Charlottenburg Palace, Friedrich Wilhelm married Countess Sophie Juliane von Dönhoff. Born in 1768, Sophie had become a lady-in-waiting to Friedrich Wilhelm’s wife, Queen Friederike Luise, the previous year. The couple separated just a few years later, but they did have two children together:

Wilhelmine Encke, Countess von Lichtenau. source: Wikipedia

In addition to his numerous marriages, Friedrich Wilhelm also had several children with his official mistress Wilhelmine Encke (later Countess von Lichtenau). Born in Potsdam in 1753, Encke was the daughter of a musician in the court of King Friedrich II. In 1764, she met Friedrich Wilhelm and became his official mistress in 1769 when she was just 15 years old,  and remained so until he died in 1797. They had five children together:

  • stillborn daughter (1770)
  • Ulrike Sophie von Berkholz (born and died 1774) – died in infancy
  • Christina Sophie von Lützenberg (born and died 1777) – died in infancy
  • Count Alexander von der Marck (1779-1787) – died in childhood
  • Countess Marianne von der Marck (1780-1814) – married three times, had four daughters

King Friedrich II (Frederick the Great). source: Wikipedia

Friedrich Wilhelm became King of Prussia on August 17, 1786, upon the death of his uncle, King Friedrich (the Great) II. By that time, he had little respect for his uncle and ignored the late King’s wishes relating to his burial. He moved the Prussian court, based for many years in Potsdam, back to Berlin, and overturned many of his uncle’s policies. Friedrich Wilhelm became popular with the Prussian people because of his patronage of the arts and the improvement of trade and transportation. However, that popularity soon faded, when he began to impose consumption taxes on items such as sugar, flour, and beer. He also depleted the country’s treasury, from overspending during military ventures and his personal projects. When Friedrich Wilhelm came to the throne, the treasury had over 50 million dollars. But by the time his reign ended, just 11 years later, the country was in debt of 48 million.

King Friedrich Wilhelm II was a huge supporter of the arts and helped develop Berlin into one of the cultural centers for classical music, keeping in pace with Vienna and Weimar. A skilled cello player, he spent several hours a day playing, alone and with his private orchestra, the largest in Europe at the time. In addition, he took great interest in architecture and oversaw the construction of many buildings, including the Marble Palace in Potsdam, the Pfaueninsel Palace, and the famed Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.

Brandenburg Gate. photo: By Drrcs15 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33364194

Having been ill for some time, King Friedrich Wilhelm II retreated to the Marble Palace in October 1797, where he limited his court to just a few close confidants, including his official mistress Countess von Lichtenau. By early November, his health was rapidly declining, and he handed over his responsibilities to his son and heir. King Friedrich Wilhelm II died at the Marble Palace in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg, on November 16, 1797, and was buried in the family vault at the Berliner Dom in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg.

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Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Bevern, Queen of Prussia

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern, Queen of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern was the wife of King Friedrich II of Prussia (Friedrich the Great) and the longest-serving Queen of Prussia, from 1740 until her husband died in 1786. She was born November 8, 1715, at Schloss Bevern, in Wolfenbüttel, Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, now in Lower Saxony, Germany, the daughter of Ferdinand Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Antoinette of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.

Elisabeth Christine had 12 siblings:

King Friedrich II of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

On June 12, 1733, at her father’s summer residence, Schloss Salzdahlum in Wolfenbüttel, Elisabeth Christine married Crown Prince Friedrich of Prussia. The marriage had been arranged between the groom’s father, King Friedrich Wilhelm I in Prussia, and the bride’s uncle, Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI. Friedrich and Elisabeth Christine had no children and lived separate lives until their deaths.

The couple had little in common, and Friedrich resented the arranged marriage. The couple first lived at the Crown Prince’s Palace in Berlin, where Elisabeth Christine was particularly close to her father-in-law who was quite fond of her. In 1736, the couple moved to Rheinsberg Palace, where for the first time, her husband was able to maintain his own court. For the next four years, the couple enjoyed as normal a married life as could be expected, and she recalled these years as the “happiest of her life”.

It all changed in May 1740, when her father-in-law died and her husband succeeded him as King of Prussia. The new King and Queen began to live separately. Elisabeth Christine was given Schönhausen Palace and apartments at the Berlin Stadtschloss, both in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia now in the German state of Brandenburg, and presided over her own quite large court, while Friedrich lived primarily in Potsdam. Despite their separation, the new King understood the importance of court life and ensured that Elisabeth Christine had a very prominent and official role. While the King rarely attended any court functions, the Queen was always there, often representing him, even at his own birthday celebrations.

Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern, Queen of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

Beloved by the people of Prussia, Elisabeth Christine became a symbol of strength during the Seven Years’ War, overseeing the evacuation of the royal court to Magdeburg in 1757. Her charity works further endeared her to the Prussian people. She donated the majority of her allowance to charitable causes each year. She was also responsible for bringing silk cultivation to Prussia and published several translations under a pseudonym.

Widowed in 1786, as the Dowager Queen, Elisabeth Christine continued to have a very prominent role at court and was often consulted on etiquette and court life. Despite her husband’s indifference during their marriage, she was also well provided for in his will, receiving an increase in her allowance, residence at any of the royal palaces of her choice, and the distinct order that she always be treated with the utmost respect due to her as Queen.

Eleven years later, on January 13, 1797, Dowager Queen Elisabeth Christine died at the Stadtschloss in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany, and was buried at the Berlin Cathedral.

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Prussia Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Friedrich Wilhelm I, King in Prussia

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Kingdom of Prussia: The Protestant Franconian branch of the House of Hohenzollern ruled as Margraves of Brandenburg, Dukes of Prussia, Electors of Brandenburg, Kings of Prussia from 1415 until 1918. In November 1700, in exchange for supporting the Holy Roman Empire in the Spanish War of Succession, Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor agreed to allow Friedrich III, Duke of Prussia, Elector of Brandenburg to make Prussia a kingdom and become its first king. In the aftermath of World War I, Prussia had a revolution that resulted in the replacement of the monarchy with a republic. Wilhelm II, German Emperor, King of Prussia abdicated on November 9, 1918.

The Kingdom of Prussia had territory that today is part of Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, and Switzerland. All or parts of the following states of today’s Germany were part of the Kingdom of Prussia: Brandenburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saarland, Saxony-Anhalt, and Schleswig-Holstein.

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Friedrich Wilhelm I, King in Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

Friedrich Wilhelm I, King in Prussia

Friedrich Wilhelm I was the second King in Prussia, reigning from 1713 until 1740. He was born at the Berlin City Palace in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg, on August 14, 1688, to Friedrich I, King in Prussia and his second wife, Sophie Charlotte of Hanover. He had one older brother:

  • Prince Friedrich August (1685-1686) – died in infancy

Friedrich Wilhelm also had one half-sister from his father’s first marriage to Elisabeth Henriette of Hesse-Kassel:

Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm, c1701. source: Wikipedia

For the first few years of his life, he was raised in Hanover, at the court of his grandmother, the Electress Sophia of Hanover, along with his cousins – his future wife, Sophie Dorothea of Hanover, and her brother, the future King George II of Great Britain. He returned to Berlin in 1692 and was educated by a Huguenot governess who did not speak German. At just six years old, he was given command of his own infantry regiment, and at eight years old, began to study under the direction of a Prussian general. However, his mother soon intervened because he could neither read nor write by the age of nine. A new Huguenot tutor was brought in to teach him. From a very young age, Friedrich Wilhelm developed a strong sense of thrift and a love for all things related to the military. For his tenth birthday, he was given his own estate at Wusterhausen where he learned the basic fundamentals of economics and management, both skills which would serve him well during his reign.

Sophie Dorothea of Hanover. source: Wikipedia

On November 28, 1706, in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg, Friedrich Wilhelm married his first cousin, Princess Sophie Dorothea of Hanover. She was the daughter of the future King George I of Great Britain and Sophie Dorothea of Celle. Despite a relatively unhappy marriage, the couple had 14 children:

Friedrich Wilhelm came to the Prussian throne upon his father’s death in 1713. Unlike his father who viewed the treasury as his own money and lived a lavish lifestyle, the new king chose to go the opposite direction. He sold many of his father’s possessions and lived an austere life. While his father was focused more on his personal enjoyment, Friedrich Wilhelm focused on strengthening Prussia, particularly the economy and the military. He was involved in every detail of the management of the Kingdom, even personally establishing guidelines for all state officials to ensure that everyone was doing their jobs to the fullest extent. He promoted farming throughout Prussia and encouraged the farmers to plan accordingly for the possibility of lean years. He also focused greatly on the military – reforming their training and tactics and leaving the Prussian army as one of the most powerful in Europe.

A devout Calvinist, Friedrich Wilhelm invited the Salzburg Protestants to settle in East Prussia when they were permitted to emigrate from Salzburg to a Protestant state. He ensured that they made their way safely, and personally greeted the first group.

Garrison Church, Potsdam. source: Wikipedia

King Friedrich Wilhelm I died at the Potsdam City Palace in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg on May 31, 1740, and was interred at the Garrison Church in Potsdam. During World War I, his coffin was moved for safekeeping, first to Berlin and then to a salt mine near Berterode. After being recovered by American forces, he was re-interred at St. Elisabeth’s Church in Marburg, Germany in 1946. His coffin was moved again in 1953 to Hohenzollern Castle, and in 1991 his coffin was placed on the steps of the altar in the Kaiser Friedrich Mausoleum at the Church of Peace in Sanssouci Park in Potsdam, Germany.

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Prussia Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Sophie Luise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Queen in Prussia

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Sophie Luise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Queen in Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

Sophie Luise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was the third wife of Friedrich I, King in Prussia. She was born at Grabow Castle in Grabow, Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on May 6, 1685, the only daughter of Friedrich, Duke of Mecklenburg-Grabow and Christine Wilhelmine of Hesse-Homburg. Sophie Luise had three older brothers:

Friedrich I, King in Prussia. source: Wikipedia

In Berlin on November 28, 1708, Sophie Luise married Friedrich I, King in Prussia, as his third wife. The couple had no children. Being so much younger than her husband, and close in age to his children, Sophie struggled to find acceptance at the Prussian court. It did not help that her predecessor Sophie Charlotte of Hanover was greatly loved and admired by the Prussian people, and many saw Sophie Luise as a poor replacement. The King surrounded her with courtiers who did not serve her best interests, and she avoided them as best she could, instead of spending most of her time with the lady-in-waiting who had accompanied her from Mecklenburg.

Over time, Sophie Luise became deeply religious, spending the majority of her time in prayer and listening to sermons, and often avoiding her duties as Queen Consort. As time progressed, her devotion became almost obsessive and manic. This caused distance between her and her husband, particularly because of her overzealous attempts to get him to convert from Calvinism to Lutheranism. This led to her husband Friedrich removing her closest confidantes and courtiers, and soon Sophie Luise became even more deeply entrenched in what is described as her obsession with religion, resulting in depression and mental derangement.

Friedrich was mostly unaware of Sophie Luise’s mental decline, until several months before his own death. Deeply ill, he awoke to find his wife standing before him, covered in blood and screaming at him. She had crashed through a glass door while running from her apartments to his, apparently to confront him in a fit of hysteria. Sophie Luise had no recollection of the event afterward, and Friedrich soon sent her back to Mecklenburg to be with her family. He would die just months later in 1713.

Sophie Luise, Queen in Prussia, lived the rest of her life with her widowed mother and died on July 29, 1735, at Schwerin Castle in Mecklenburg, Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. She is buried in the Schelfkirche St. Nikolai in Schwerin.

Sophienkirche, Berlin. photo: By A.Savin (Wikimedia Commons · WikiPhotoSpace) – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25766110

The Sophienkirche in Berlin is named for Sophie Luise. Construction began during the reign of her husband Friedrich I, but he died just months before it was completed in 1713. His successor Friedrich Wilhelm I, the son of his second wife Sophie Charlotte of Hanover, refused to name the church after his stepmother Sophie Luise as had been intended, consecrating it as the Spandauischekirche (Spandau Church). Later, when Friedrich Wilhelm I’s son  Friedrich II (the Great) came to the throne, he renamed it the Sophienkirche (Sophie Church), which remains the name to this day.

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Sophie Charlotte of Hanover, Queen in Prussia

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Sophie Charlotte of Hanover, Queen in Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

Sophie Charlotte of Hanover was the second wife of King Friedrich I in Prussia, and the first Queen in Prussia. She was born at Iburg Castle in Osnabrück, Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg, later in the Electorate of Hanover, now in Lower Saxony, Germany, on October 30, 1668, the only daughter of Ernst August, Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Sophia of the Palatinate. Her mother was named heiress-presumptive to the British throne under the Act of Settlement 1701, and it would be Sophie Charlotte’s eldest brother who would become King George I of Great Britain in 1714. She had six brothers:

Raised initially at Iburg Castle, the family moved to Osnabrück Castle in 1673 and later to Hanover in 1679. Given a well-rounded education, she was proposed as a potential bride for Louis, the Grand Dauphin of France, son of King Louis XIV, and then even considered as a bride for the King himself following the death of his wife in 1683. Neither of these alliances panned out.

Friedrich I, King in Prussia. source: Wikipedia

Instead, on October 8, 1684, she married Friedrich of Hohenzollern, the future King Friedrich I in Prussia. He was the son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg and Luise Henriette of Orange-Nassau. Friedrich had been widowed in 1683 and had one young daughter. Sophie Charlotte and Friedrich had two sons:

Upon marriage, Sophie Charlotte became Electress of Brandenburg, and would later become the first Queen in Prussia in 1701. The marriage – arranged purely for political purposes – was not a happy one. Several years after giving birth to her children, Sophie Charlotte retired to private life. In 1696, she had received an estate – Lietzow – just outside of Berlin, and soon began construction on a summer residence. The new home – called Lietzenburg – was completed in July 1699, and became Sophie Charlotte’s primary residence. Here, she lived separately from her husband and maintained her own court. After her husband became King in Prussia in 1701, the residence was expanded, with new wings and courtyards, becoming the palace that exists today. Following Sophie Charlotte’s death, her husband renamed the palace in her honor – Charlottenburg Palace.

Charlottenburg Palace. source: Wikipedia

At Lietzenburg, the Electress – and then Queen – indulged in her love of the arts, philosophy, and theology. She surrounded herself with some of the leading minds of the day, including Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, a prominent German mathematician and philosopher she had known since childhood. With Leibniz, she was instrumental in the founding of the Prussian Academy of Sciences.

Sadly, at just 36 years of age, Sophie Charlotte died of pneumonia on January 21, 1705, while visiting her mother in the Electorate of Hanover. She was buried in the crypt at the Berlin Cathedral in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany.

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Elizabeth Henriette of Hesse-Kassel, Electoral Princess of Brandenburg

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Elizabeth Henriette of Hesse-Kassel, Electoral Princess of Brandenburg – source: Wikipedia

Elisabeth Henriette of Hesse-Kassel was the first wife of the future Friedrich I, King in Prussia. She was born in Kassel on November 18, 1661, the youngest child of Wilhelm VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and Hedwig Sophie of Brandenburg. Elisabeth Henriette had six older siblings:

Friedrich, Electoral Prince of Brandenburg (future King in Prussia). source: Wikipedia

On August 13, 1679, in Berlin, Elisabeth Henriette married Friedrich, Electoral Prince of Brandenburg. The two were first cousins and had known each other for most of their lives. I Elisabeth Henriette’s mother encouraged and promoted the marriage, which was a love match. They became officially engaged in 1676 but had secretly been engaged three years earlier. Following their marriage, they took up residence at Köpenick Palace in Berlin, and had one daughter:

Köpenick Palace. photo: By A.Savin (Wikimedia Commons · WikiPhotoSpace) – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33316525

Sadly, Elisabeth Henriette contracted smallpox and died on July 7, 1683, just weeks before her 4th wedding anniversary.  She is buried at Berlin Cathedral. Eighteen years later, in 1701, her husband would become King in Prussia, reigning until he died in 1713.

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Friedrich I, King in Prussia

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Kingdom of Prussia: The Protestant Franconian branch of the House of Hohenzollern ruled as Margraves of Brandenburg, Dukes of Prussia, Electors of Brandenburg, Kings of Prussia from 1415 until 1918. In November 1700, in exchange for supporting the Holy Roman Empire in the Spanish War of Succession, Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor agreed to allow Friedrich III, Duke of Prussia, Elector of Brandenburg to make Prussia a kingdom and become its first king. In the aftermath of World War I, Prussia had a revolution that resulted in the replacement of the monarchy with a republic. Wilhelm II, German Emperor, King of Prussia abdicated on November 9, 1918.

The Kingdom of Prussia had territory that today is part of Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, and Switzerland. All or parts of the following states of today’s Germany were part of the Kingdom of Prussia: Brandenburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saarland, Saxony-Anhalt, and Schleswig-Holstein.

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Friedrich I, King in Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

Friedrich I was the founder of the Kingdom of Prussia and its first King, reigning from 1701 until 1713. He was born on July 11, 1657, at Königsberg Castle in Königsberg, Electorate of Brandenburg, now Kaliningrad, Russia,  the third son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg and Countess Louise Henriette of Orange-Nassau. Friedrich had five siblings:

  • Wilhelm Heinrich, Electoral Prince of Brandenburg (1648-1649) – died in infancy
  • Karl Emil, Electoral Prince of Brandenburg (1655-1674) – unmarried
  • Amalia (1664-1665) – died in childhood
  • Heinrich (born and died 1664) – died in infancy
  • Ludwig (16661687) – married Ludwika Karolina Radziwiłł, no issue

He also had seven half-siblings from his father’s second marriage, to Sophie Dorothea of Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg:

While still an infant, Friedrich’s shoulder was injured when his nurse accidentally dropped him. This physical impairment caused him problems for the rest of his life but also resulted in being particularly doted upon by his mother. His formal education began in 1662, under the supervision of Otto von Schwerin, First Minister of Brandenburg. Friedrich studied religion, history, and geography, and learned French, Polish, and Latin. As a younger son, he was not expected to succeed as the Elector, so in 1664, his father gave him the Principality of Halberstadt. In 1670, he was appointed Captain of a cavalry unit but did not actually serve due to his shoulder injury. Four years later, in 1674, his older brother Karl Emil died, and Friedrich became the heir.

Elisabeth Henriette of Hesse-Kassel. source: Wikipedia

Friedrich married three times. On August 13, 1679, he married Elisabeth Henriette of Hesse-Kassel, the daughter of Wilhelm VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and Hedwig Sophie of Brandenburg. Soon after their marriage, they took up residence at Schloss Köpenick in Berlin. Elisabeth Henriette died of smallpox four years later, but the couple did have one daughter:

Sophie Charlotte of Hanover. source: Wikipedia

On October 8, 1684, Friedrich married Sophie Charlotte of Hanover, daughter of Ernst August, Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Sophia of the Palatinate. The couple had two sons:

Sophie Luise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. source: Wikipedia

Three years after his second wife died, Friedrich married for the third time. His bride was Sophie Luise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, daughter of Friedrich, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Grabow and Christine Wilhelmine of Hesse-Homburg. They had no children.

Upon his father’s death in April 1688, Friedrich succeeded him as Friedrich III, Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia. The Electorate was part of the Holy Roman Empire, while the Duchy of Prussia, formerly a fief of the Crown of Poland, lay outside the Empire’s borders. The Duchy had been inherited by the Hohenzollern prince-electors of Brandenburg in 1618 and was ruled in personal union. In November 1700, in exchange for supporting the Holy Roman Empire in the Spanish War of Succession, Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor agreed to allow Friedrich to make Prussia a kingdom and become its first king. However, there were several concessions. Because the Hohenzollerns’ sovereignty over the Duchy of Prussia was dependent upon succession in the male line, it would return to the Polish crown if there were no male heirs to succeed. Friedrich also had to agree to style himself King IN Prussia and pay large amounts of money to the Holy Roman Emperor and the German clergy.

The coronation of Friedrich I, King in Prussia. source: Wikipedia

On January 18, 1701, Friedrich crowned himself King (as Friedrich I) in the castle church at Königsberg Castle. He also remained Elector of Brandenburg and added several other titles over the next few years. In 1702, he inherited the counties of Lingen and Moers following the death of King William III of England (later incorporated into the County of Tecklenburg) and was elected Prince of Neuchâtel in 1707, which was recognized by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. He and his heirs bore the title ‘Sovereign Prince of Orange, Neuchâtel, and Valangin’.  A huge supporter of the arts and education, Friedrich founded the Academy of Arts in 1696 and the Academy of Sciences in 1700.

King Friedrich I was in ill health for some time. He died in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany, on February 25, 1713, and was buried at the Berliner Dom in Berlin. His son, Friedrich Wilhelm I succeeded him.

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Prussia Resources at Unofficial Royalty

The Duchess of Cambridge created Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order

source: Daily Mail/Getty Images

HRH The Duchess of Cambridge has been appointed a Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, it was announced today from Buckingham Palace.

The Royal Victorian Order was established by Queen Victoria in 1896, to recognize people for distinguished service to the Sovereign.  It is one of just a few of the British Honours that are solely granted at the pleasure of the Sovereign.  In addition to British and Commonwealth citizens, it is often given to foreign royals and heads of state.

Aside from the Queen’s family order, this is the first British Honour that the Duchess has received.

Other Dames Grand Cross within the Royal Family:

  • The Princess Royal (also Grand Master of the Order since 2007)
  • The Duchess of Cornwall
  • The Countess of Wessex
  • The Duchess of Gloucester
  • The Duchess of Kent
  • Princess Alexandra, The Hon. Lady Ogilvy

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Knights Grand Cross within the Royal Family:

  • The Duke of Edinburgh
  • The Duke of York
  • The Earl of Wessex
  • The Duke of Gloucester
  • The Duke of Kent
  • Prince Michael of Kent

In addition, The Duke of Sussex holds a lower rank of the order, Knight Commander.

Official statement from Buckingham Palace

Read more about the Royal Victorian Order here.