Birth of Sophia Dorothea of Hanover

Birth of Sophia Dorothea of Hanover

Sophia Dorothea of Hanover was the only daughter of George I of Great Britain and Sophia Dorothea of Celle.
She was born in Hanover on 16th March 1687.
Sophia was the great~great grandaughter of James VI/I of Scotland and England, and great~great~great grandaughter of Mary Queen of Scots.

In 1706, Sophia married her cousin, Crown Prince Frederick William of Prussia.
Initially, the Crown Prince was very affectionate towards Sophia, and although the couple had little in common, he appears not to have taken a mistress.
However, Frederick William was known for his boorish attitude, and quick temper.

Sophia Dorothea was described as tall, with a beautiful slender figure, graceful and dignified with big blue eyes.
Though not regarded as strictly beautiful, she was seen as quite attractive at the time of her marriage and described as charming in her manners.

Sophia Dorothea and Frederick William differed from each other in every aspect and the marriage suffered as a result.
Sophia Dorothea was interested in art, science, literature and fashion, while Frederick William was described as an unpolished, uneducated and spartan military man, with rough manners.
One of the most important differences between them, was that Sophia Dorothea, unlike her husband, loved all sorts of entertainment ~ something he regarded to be frivolous.

The birth of their firstborn son Frederick Louis in 1707, was celebrated greatly in Prussia.
Sadly the joy was short lived ~ little Frederick died, shortly after.
The physicians advised that Sophia might not be able to have any more children.
In fact, Sophia went on to have a further thirteen children with Frederick!
A surviving male heir, the future Frederick the Great of Prussia, was born in 1712.

Sophia and Frederick William became King and Queen in Prussia upon the death of Frederick I, in 1713.
Unfortunately, Frederick William’s violent and unpredictable behaviour was becoming worse.
It was especially directed at his eldest son, whom he treated with particular harshness.
There was little Sophia could do to protect them from their father’s brutality.
Sophia and her children began to live in fear of Frederick William’s temper.

Frederick’s death in 1740 brought a reprieve for the whole family.
Prince Frederick succeeded his father and Sophia benefited from the warm relationship she had with him.
Her son allowed her to maintain her status at court, and Sophia was also allowed to indulge in her passions without reproach.
Until her death, he honoured her as the first lady of his court ~ and placed her before that of his wife, the queen.

When the old King used to come to Sophia’s apartments, the music ceased, dancing stopped, and the Queen would hide her jewels to avoid his anger.
Frederick William viewed her interests in theatre, dancing, jewellery and music as frivolous, and resented any sign of her living a life independently from his authority.
He particularly disliked her interest in gambling, and it is reported that she and her partners would have coffee beans ready on the table during gambling, so that if the king appeared, they could pretend to be playing with them rather than money!
In her widowhood, she could, to a certain extent, live as she pleased.

Sophia Dorothea died in on 28th June 1757, at the Monbijou Palace in Berlin.
She was 70 years old.
She was interred in the Hohenzollern crypt in Berlin Cathedral.

? Queen Sophie Dorothea of Prussia c.1737
By Antoine Pesne.