Luise Ulrike of Prussia
Luise Ulrike von Prussia (* July 24, 1720 in Berlin , † July 16, 1782 at Svartsjö Castle in Sweden ) was a Prussian princess and queen of Sweden.
Life
Luise Ulrike von Prussia was born on July 24, 1720 as the daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia , and his wife Sophie Dorothea von Hanover in Berlin . She was the fifth of six sisters of Frederick II of Prussia and later, as Queen of Sweden, was one of his most influential siblings.
In contrast to the eldest children of the soldier king, the princess, described as extremely lively, showed an early interest in everything military and thus earned the sympathy of her father, while her mother described her as the only daughter to whom she “could never refuse anything ".
Crown Princess and Queen of Sweden
At the age of twenty-four, Luise Ulrike (Swedish: Lovisa Ulrika) married at the request of her brother Friedrich II on August 29, 1744, the Swedish Crown Prince Adolf Friedrich of the Holstein-Gottorp family , who was elected King of Sweden in 1751 and as King Adolf Friedrich ascended the throne. In her castle in Drottningholm , the spirited and cultivated monarch held a brilliant court, which was clearly under the influence of her art-loving brother and France , which was decisive at the time . Nevertheless, Luise Ulrike, who was occasionally characterized as domineering by contemporaries, found it difficult to identify with her new environment and its residents. As early as 1747 Frederick II had concluded an alliance with Sweden, which he wanted to come to the aid of in the event of a threat from Russia. He also let his sister share in his own war experiences through extensive correspondence, the tone of which reveals an intimate relationship.
Failed coup
After her husband's accession to the throne in 1751, a court party formed around her and the king , initially from the couple's closest friends within the high aristocracy and some people from literary and artistic circles who could be won over due to the queen's strong interest in art. Several officers and civil servants who had rejected the established parties or who hoped for personal advantages also joined later. The court party was not comparable to the two established parties, the hats and caps . There was no deeper involvement with any of the estates , and there was no political or economic program. There was only a fundamental rejection of the parliamentary constitution and an effort to strengthen the king's power.
At the Estates' Congress of 1751/1752, the court party was able to achieve some advantages for the royal couple without causing a fundamental shift in the balance of power. After that, the conflict between the court party and the dominant in Parliament and by the 1755 pursed Landmarschall elected Fredrik Axel von Fersen listed Hutpartei always more. It culminated in a failed coup in 1756 by Luise Ulrike's closest allies. The overturn plans were exposed early on, and several members of the court party were sentenced to death and executed or forced to emigrate . The Queen herself received a serious admonition from Parliament.
The Queen then also became active in Swedish opera history and had the Drottningholm Palace Theater built , which still exists today .
Last years
After twenty-eight years of absence, Luise Ulrike returned to her Prussian homeland for the first time at the urging of her brother in 1771, after the death of her husband, and was showered with attentions during an eight-month stay, despite her occasionally bitterness.
The relationship with her eldest son Gustav III, who carried out a coup against the power of the estates shortly after his accession to the throne, remained tense.
progeny
Ulrike and Adolf Friedrich had the following children:
- Gustav III (January 24, 1746 - March 29, 1792), King of Sweden
- Charles XIII (7 October 1748 - 5 February 1818), King of Sweden
- Friedrich Adolf (July 18, 1750 - December 12, 1803), Duke of Ostergötland
- Sophie Albertine (October 8, 1753 - March 17, 1829), Princess of Sweden
literature
- Anna Eunike Röhrig : Family Prussia. The siblings of Frederick the Great . Taucha b. Leipzig 2008, pp. 69-85.
- Helmut Schnitter: The dissimilar sisters . In the S. (Ed.): Gestalten around Frederick the Great. Biographical sketches . Volume 1, Reutlingen 1991, pp. 67-82.
Web links
- Works by and about Luise Ulrike von Preußen in the German Digital Library
- Correspondence with Frederick the Great
- Maren Gottschalk : July 24th, 1720 - Birthday of Luise Ulrike von Prussia, Queen of Sweden WDR ZeitZeichen from July 24th, 2020 (Podcast)
| predecessor | Office | Successor |
|---|---|---|
| Ulrika Eleonore (Sweden) |
Queen of Sweden 1751–1771 |
Sophie of Denmark |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Luise Ulrike of Prussia |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Luise Ulrike of Sweden |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Swedish queen |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 24, 1720 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Berlin |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 16, 1782 |
| Place of death | Svartsjö Castle (Sweden) |