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:
- Karl II, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1735-1806) – married Princess Augusta of Great Britain, had issue
- Georg Franz (1736-1737) – died in infancy
- Sophie Caroline Marie (1737-1817) – married Friedrich, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, no issue
- Christian Ludwig (1738-1742) – died in childhood
- Anna Amalia (1739-1807) – married Ernst August II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, had issue
- Friedrich August (1740-1805) – married Princess Friederike Sophie of Württemberg-Oels, no issue
- Albrecht Heinrich (1742-1761) – unmarried
- Luise Friederike (1743-1744) – died in infancy
- Wilhelm Adolf (1745-1770) – unmarried
- Friederike Wilhelmine (1748-1758) died in childhood
- Augusta Dorothea, Abbess of Gandersheim (1749-1803) – unmarried
- Maximilian Julius Leopold (1752-1785) – unmarried
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:
- Princess Friederike Charlotte of Prussia (1767-1820) – married Prince Frederick of Great Britain, Duke of York and Albany, no children
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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