Sophia-Dorothea favored the French side in the War of the Polish Succession of 1733-36. Born in 1630 at The Hague, Sophia was James I’s granddaughter by his daughter Elizabeth, the ‘Winter Queen’ of Bohemia, wife of Frederick, Count Palatine of the Rhine and a leading Protestant figure of her time. Sophia-Dorothea was detested by her elder brother, King George II of Great Britain. In order for Sophia Dorothea to make as good an impression as possible in Berlin, her grandmother, Electress Sophia, commissioned her niece Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess of the Palatinate to procure her trousseau in Paris. [7], Sophia was, at first, against the marriage of her son and Sophia Dorothea of Celle, looking down on Sophia Dorothea's mother (who was not of royal birth) and concerned by Sophia Dorothea's legitimated status, but was eventually won over by the advantages inherent in the marriage. She was christened on January 30, 1631, in the Kloosterkerk, The Hague, which was the same place where her sister, Princess Charlotte, was buried three days before. Although considerably older than Queen Anne, Sophia enjoyed much better health. She was the sister of George II, King of Great Britain, and the mother of Friedrich II, King of Prussia. In fact, despite their vastly different backgrounds, their lives intertwined in more ways than one, as recounted in the following article from 2010, that is re-published from the official website of, On the Tercentenary of the Hanoverian Succession. Electress of Hanover (1692-1698) and heiress presumptive to the throne of the Kingdom of Great Britain. Just over a month after Sophia’s death, Queen Anne, too, died at the age of 49. Philosoph... Back to News > Sophia-Dorothea married her cousin, Crown Prince Friedrich-Wilhelm of Prussia, heir apparent to the Prussian throne, on November 28, 1706. She was then taken to Leiden to be raised well.Her typical day at Leiden started early in the morning, followed by reading Bible and chanting prayers. Her brother was restored to the ‘Rhine Palatinate’ as part of the ‘Peace of Westphalia.’ She went there with two ladies, but they couldn’t stay in the Castle as it was damaged due to the war. Sophia-Dorothea of Hanover (March 26, 1687 – June 28, 1757) was a Queen Consort in Prussia as spouse of King Friedrich-Wilhelm I. Her bridal paraphernalia attracted great attention and was referred to as the greatest of any German Princess yet. Their success in holding onto the Crown over three centuries, probably owes a great deal to the fact that they arrived with no illusions about their Divine Right, or entitlement to rule. She died without becoming the Queen of England. The matter went on for 11 long years until King William III, who was childless, fell ill. Sophia was the nearest ‘Protestant’ heir to the throne and after the ‘Act of Settlement 1701,’ she was officially set to sit on the throne. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Given the ailing William III's reluctance to remarry, the inclusion of Sophia in the line of succession was becoming more likely.[9]. Nove... Review: *Physic without Physicians* by John Toland Elisabeth-Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern, October 22nd 2010. Part V Conclusion. Even though Sophia wanted to be the Queen of Great Britain, her wish couldn’t come to fruition and she died before wearing the crown. Her death paved the way for the Hanoverian succession to the throne of the Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland as, under the terms of the Act of Settlement of 1701, the lawful descendants of the Electress Sophia of Hanover and her non-Roman Catholic heirs would accede to the throne in the event that Queen Anne should die childless, which is what happened. Aged 83, she died at the palace at Herrenhausen in Hanover, collapsing after rushing indoors to get out of a sudden rain shower. Sophia’s eldest son, King George I, became King of Great Britain.. Sophia was buried in the chapel of the ‘Leine Palace’ with her husband and later, their son King George I. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/sophia-of-hanover-37192.php, Top NBA Players With No Championship Rings. Two days later, on June 7, 1714, she died of stroke at the age of 83. Sophia-Dorothea saw her son for the last time after his first campaign in January 1757 during the Seven Years’ War. Two days later she was walking in the gardens of Herrenhausen when she ran to shelter from a sudden downpour of rain and collapsed and died, aged 83—a very advanced age for the era. Some time in 1686, Sophia and Leibniz embarked upon a project to reconcile the Christian churches. During this time, she became friends with Gottfried Leibniz , a librarian at the ‘Court of Hanover.’Along with him, she published a correspondence in the 19th century proving that she was exceptionally intelligent and ahead of her time. Her death occured just a few short weeks before the passing of Queen Anne of Great Britain (1665... Christoph Bernhard Francke [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, who was born on this day in 1646, was an ... Sophia of the Palatinate (who was Electress of Hanover from 1692 to 1698) was born on this day in 1630. However, she enjoyed a great health at such an age. ( Log Out /  From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core. Sophia was courted by her first cousin, Charles II of England, but she rebuffed his advances as she thought he was using her in order to get money from her mother's supporter, Lord William Craven.[4]. Much has been written about th... John Toland, the Irish-born philosopher whose writings had an important influence on the early Enlightenment period of European history, was born on this day (30 November) in 1670. Over the centuries, the Hanoverians have served their adopted realms well and Britain should be proud of them. © Copyright 2020 History Today Ltd. Company no. Sophia had several children. Everything is in God’s hands. Nagorno-Karabakh’s Myth of Ancient Hatreds. Before her marriage, Sophia, as the daughter of Frederick V, Elector Palatine of the Rhine, was referred to as Sophie, Princess Palatine of the Rhine, or as Sophia of the Palatinate. During the last years of the king’s life, he was afflicted with fits of illnesses which often forced him to use a wheelchair, and Sophia-Dorothea was ordered to attend to him continuously. In 1658 she married Ernest Augustus, of the Brunswick-Lüneburg family, which ruled Hanover. Chronicling the life and times of a woman of letters and patron of the arts. She gave the reason that she was against the idea of two courts in her country, when many consider that she was jealous of the more refined and elegant Sophia. ( Log Out /  Sophia was made heiress presumptive for the purpose of cutting off any claim by the Roman Catholic James Francis Edward Stuart, who would otherwise have become James III & VIII, as well as denying the throne to many other Roman Catholics and spouses of Roman Catholics who held a claim. Sophia was determined to marry him after meeting him for the first time and the couple got married on October 17, 1658. It was to his mother’s chamber the king paid the first visit on his return from campaigns, summoning the queen to meet him there; he regularly invited his mother to his personal residence at Potsdam, where his wife was never invited, and while he seldom visited his wife, he regularly attended his mother at Monbijou, where he took off his hat and remained standing until she gave him permission to sit.