Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg (1674–1748)
Elisabeth Sophie von Brandenburg (born April 5, 1674 in Cölln , † November 22, 1748 in Römhild ) was a princess and margravine of Brandenburg and through their marriages successively Duchess of Courland , Margravine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth and Duchess of Saxony-Meiningen .
Life
Elisabeth Sophie was the youngest daughter of the "Great Elector" Friedrich Wilhelm von Brandenburg (1620–1688) from his second marriage to Dorothea Sophie (1636–1689), daughter of Duke Philip of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg . Little is known about the details of their upbringing. This must have been thorough, especially in the artistic field, because Elisabeth Sophie not only played the harpsichord and lute, but also appeared at the Berlin court as a singer-soloist in operas by Giovanni Bononcini and Attilio Ariosti . And the red chalk studies she has received from her hand reveal an “above-average” talent for drawing.
Duchess of Courland
On April 29, 1691, she married her cousin, Duke Friedrich Kasimir von Kurland (1650–1698) from the Kettler family in Berlin . The marriage further cemented the connection between the two houses after Elisabeth Sophie's aunt Luise Charlotte von Brandenburg had become the wife of Duke Jakob Kettler . After the death of her husband in 1700 she fled with the Hereditary Prince from Courland, which became a scene of the Great Northern War , to the court of her half-brother Friedrich .
Margravine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
Her second husband became Margrave Christian Ernst of Brandenburg-Bayreuth (1644-1712) in Potsdam on March 30, 1703 . For Christian Ernst it was already the third marriage and he came completely under the influence of his young wife, who pursued pro-Prussian politics and was called the “Prussian governor”. Christian Ernst acquired the palace in Erlangen for his wife , which he gave to her in 1704 and which was named Elisabethenburg in her honor. Elisabeth Sophie, described as proud and gorgeous, increased the national debt considerably. Elisabeth Sophie had the cook Paul Escoffier, an ancestor of the famous cook Auguste Escoffier, bring his kitchen waste in wooden barrels every week so that she could compare it with the garbage cans at her castle in Erlangen . This should be for quality control of your chef's work.
Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen
The widowed margravine married on June 3, 1714 at Ehrenburg Palace with Duke Ernst Ludwig I of Saxony-Meiningen (1672–1724). On the occasion of the marriage, a commemorative coin was minted and the Duke renewed the Order of Loyalty established in 1703 .
Elisabeth Sophie, widow for the third time, survived her last husband by 24 years and died at the age of 74 at her widow's residence at Schloss Glücksburg in Römhild. She was buried in Meiningen.
progeny
From her first marriage to the Duke of Courland, Elisabeth Sophie had the following children:
- Friedrich Wilhelm (1692–1711), Duke of Courland
- ⚭ 1710 Tsarina Anna Ivanovna of Russia (1693–1740)
- Leopold Karl (1693–1697)
Her two other marriages remained childless.
literature
- Ludwig Brunier: Kurland: Descriptions of country and people , H. Matthes, 1868, p. 251 ff.
- Julius Mebes : Contributions to the history of the Brandenburg-Prussian state and army , Volume 2, Lüderitz, 1867, p. 146
- Andrea Schödl: Women and dynastic politics (1703-1723) - The margravines Elisabeth Sophie von Brandenburg and Christiane Charlotte von Ansbach. Kulmbach 2007, ISBN 978-3-925162-24-4
- Ingeborg Weber-Kellermann (ed.): A Prussian king's daughter. Splendor and misery at the court of the soldier king in the memoirs of Margravine Wilhelmine von Bayreuth. From the French by Annette Kolb 1910. Frankfurt (Main) 1981, p. 246.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Sascha Rashid Pegah (contribution in :) Exhibition catalog Berlin 1999: Sophie Charlotte and her castle . Prestel, Munich, etc. 1999, ISBN 3-7913-2225-7 , p. 250.
- ↑ Images in Christina Hofmann-Randall (ed.): The Erlanger Castle as a widow's seat (1712–1817) . Exhibition catalog Erlangen, University Library 2002, ISBN 3-930357-52-6 , ISSN 0344-5801, p. 216 a. 217.
- ↑ Samuel Sugenheim: Russia's influence on, and relations with Germany from the beginning of the sole government of Peter I until the death of Nicholas I (1689-1855): with an introductory review of the earlier period , H. Keller, 1856, p. 205
- ↑ Max Spindler, Andreas Kraus: Handbook of Bavarian History , Volume 3, CH Beck, 1995, p. 503
- ↑ Martin Schieber: Erlangen: an illustrated history of the city , CH Beck, 2002, p. 49
- ↑ Ludwig Bechstein: Mittheilungen from the life of the dukes of Saxony Meiningen and their relationships with men of science , Pfeffer, 1856, p. 40
- ↑ Andrea Schödl: Women and Dynastic Politics 1703-1723. The margravines Elisabeth Sophie von Brandenburg and Christiane Charlotte von Ansbach , Verlag Freunde der Plassenburg, 2007, ISBN 3925162240 , p. 211.
- ↑ Boris Köhne: Koehne's magazine for coin, seal and heraldry , Volume 6, ES Mittler., 1846, p. 24
- ↑ Ludwig Bechstein: Chronicle of the City of Meiningen from 1676 to 1834 , Volume 1–2, F. Keyssner, 1834, p. 70
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from March 21, 2019 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Duchess of Courland; Margravine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth; Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 5, 1674 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Cölln |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 22, 1748 |
| Place of death | Römhild |