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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