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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