Sophie Dorothea Marie of Prussia

Princess Sophie Dorothea Marie with her husband Friedrich Wilhelm, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt

Princess Sophie Dorothea Marie of Prussia (born January 25, 1719 in Berlin , † November 15, 1765 in Schwedt ) was a sister of Frederick the Great .

Life

Princess Sophie Dorothea Marie of Prussia, later Margravine of Brandenburg-Schwedt

Sophie Dorothea Marie was the ninth child of King Friedrich Wilhelm I and his wife Sophie Dorothea . The soldier king did not assess the renewed daughter's blessing as positive ("Girls have to be drunk."), Because he wanted another son after Crown Prince Friedrich in order to secure the succession to the throne. Sophie's childhood and adolescence were unremarkable.

At a young age, Sophie was married to Margrave Friedrich Wilhelm von Brandenburg-Schwedt in Potsdam on November 10, 1734 ; the dowry was 100,000 Reichstaler. The husband was 19 years older than the princess and did not have a good reputation. The "great margrave" was known for his pranks and rough airs. The later General Seydlitz is said to have learned from him how to ride through the rotating blades of a windmill. The margraviate of Schwedt was only a small property, but enjoyed a flourishing economy thanks to immigrant Huguenots .

Sophia Dorothea Maria of Brandenburg-Schwedt

The marriage with the margrave lasted over 30 years, but was not a happy one for Sophie as she could not assert herself against her husband. She also suffered from the fact that she did not have the spiritual interests that characterized her sisters. The couple ended up living in separate places: the margrave resided in Schwedt Castle, Sophie lived in the little Montplaisir castle near the residence. The marriage resulted in five children, but the two sons died in childhood.

Sophie also suffered from dropsy , which was very common among the Hohenzollerns.

progeny

From their marriage, Sophie Dorothea Marie had the following children:

• Friederike Dorothea Sophia (1736–1798)

⚭ 1753 Duke Friedrich Eugen of Württemberg (1732–1797)

• Luise (1738-1820)

⚭ 1755 Prince August Ferdinand of Prussia (1730–1813)

• Georg Philipp (1741–1742), Hereditary Prince of Brandenburg-Schwedt
• Philippine (1745-1800)

⚭ 1. 1773 Landgrave Friedrich II of Hessen-Kassel (1720–1785)

⚭ 2. 1794 Count Georg Ernst Levin von Wintzingerode (1752–1834)

• Georg Friedrich Wilhelm (1749–1751), Hereditary Prince of Brandenburg-Schwedt

literature

• Anna Eunike Röhrig : Family Prussia. The siblings of Frederick the Great , Taucha b. Leipzig 2008, pp. 60-69.
• Helmut Schnitter: The dissimilar sisters . In the S. (Ed.): Gestalten around Frederick the Great. Biographical Sketches , Vol. 1, Reutlingen 1991, pp. 67-82.
• Walther Rohdich: Friedrich fascination. 200 days from his life , Friedberg 1986, pp. 45-48.

Web links

• Correspondence with Frederick the Great