Princess Sophia Dorothea of Prussia (; 25 January 1719 – 13 November 1765) was the ninth child and fifth daughter of

Frederick William I of Prussia Frederick William I (; 14 August 1688 – 31 May 1740), known as the Soldier King (), was King in Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg from 1713 until his death in 1740, as well as Prince of Neuchâtel. Born in Berlin, he was raised by the Hugu ...

and

Sophia Dorothea of Hanover Sophia Dorothea of Hanover ( – 28 June 1757; ) was Queen in Prussia and Electress of Brandenburg during the reign of her husband, King Frederick William I, from 1713 to 1740. She was the mother of Frederick the Great (King Frederick II of ...

. By marriage, she was a Margravine of

Brandenburg-Schwedt Brandenburg-Schwedt was a secundogeniture of the Hohenzollern margraves of Brandenburg, established by Prince Philip William who took his residence at Schwedt Castle in 1689. By appanage, they administered the manors of Schwedt and Vierraden on t ...

Biography

Marriage and children

On 10 November 1734 in

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and largest city of the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the Havel, River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...

, Sophia Dorothea married her

Hohenzollern The House of Hohenzollern (, ; , ; ) is a formerly royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) German dynasty whose members were variously princes, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern, Brandenburg, Prussia, the German Empire, and Romania. ...

kinsman

Frederick William, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt Frederick William of Brandenburg-Schwedt (17 November 1700 – 4 March 1771) was a German nobleman. In his lifetime, from 1711 to 1771, he held the titles Prince in Prussia and Margrave of Brandenburg, with the style Royal Highness. He was made ...

, son of

Philip William, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt Philip William, Prince in Prussia (; May 19, 1669, castle of Königsberg – December 19, 1711, castle of Schwedt) was a Prussian Prince, was the first owner of the Prussian secundogeniture of Brandenburg-Schwedt and was governor of Magdebur ...

, and

Princess Johanna Charlotte of Anhalt-Dessau Johanna Charlotte of Anhalt-Dessau (6 April 1682 – 31 March 1750) was a princess of Anhalt-Dessau from the House of Ascania by birth and Margravine of Brandenburg-Schwedt by marriage. From 1729 until her death she was abbess of Herford Abb ...

, daughter of

John George II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau John George II (17 November 1627 – 7 August 1693) was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Dessau from 1660 to 1693. A member of the Fruitbearing Society, he also served as a field marshal of Branden ...

. They had five children: *

Princess Friederike of Brandenburg-Schwedt Friederike of Brandenburg-Schwedt (Friederike Sophia Dorothea; 18 December 1736 – 9 March 1798) was Duchess of Württemberg by marriage to Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg. She is an ancestor to many European royals of the 19th and 20 ...

(18 December 1736 – 9 March 1798); married

Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg Friedrich Eugen, Duke of Württemberg (21 January 1732 – 23 December 1797) was the fourth son of Karl Alexander, Duke of Württemberg, and Princess Maria Augusta of Thurn and Taxis. He was born in Stuttgart. From 1795 until 1797, he was Duke ...

. *

Princess Anna Elisabeth Louise of Brandenburg-Schwedt Princess and Margravine Anna Elisabeth Louise of Brandenburg-Schwedt (; 22 April 1738 – 10 February 1820) was a Prussian princess by marriage to her uncle Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia. She was a daughter of Margrave Frederick Willia ...

(22 April 1738 – 10 February 1820); married her uncle

Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia (; 23 May 1730 – 2 May 1813) was a Prussian prince and general, as well as ''Herrenmeister'' ("Master of the Knights") of the Bailiwick of Brandenburg of the Order of Saint John. He belonged to the House o ...

. * Prince Georg Philipp of Brandenburg-Schwedt (10 September 1741 – 28 April 1742) * Princess Philippine of Brandenburg-Schwedt (10 October 1745 – 1 May 1800); married

Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel Frederick II () (14 August 1720 – 31 October 1785) was Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) from 1760 to 1785. He ruled as an enlightened despot, and raised money by renting soldiers ( called "Hessians") to Great Britain to help fight ...

. * Prince Georg Philipp Wilhelm of Brandenburg-Schwedt (3 May 1749 – 13 August 1751) Frederick William was 19 years older than the princess and he was called the "mad Margrave" because of his pranks and rude manners. Their relationship was not happy, and eventually they lived in separate places: Sophie lived in the castle Montplaisir near the residence, and the Margrave lived in the castle of Schwedt. They only reconciled during Sophie's terminal illness, when she died in the Margrave's arms. She did not, reportedly, have the same spiritual interests of her siblings,

Frederick the Great Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself ''King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prussia ...

, King of Prussia and

Louisa Ulrika Louisa Ulrika of Prussia (; ; 24 July 1720 - 16 July 1782) was Queen of Sweden from 1751 to 1771. She was married to king Adolf Frederick and she was queen mother during the reign of king Gustav III. Background Louisa Ulrika was born in Berli ...

, Queen of Sweden. The Margraviate of Schwedt was only a small holding, but enjoyed a prosperous economy due to immigrant

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

Ancestry

References

1719 births 1765 deaths 18th-century German people 18th-century German women House of Hohenzollern Prussian princesses Royalty from Berlin Margravines of Brandenburg-Schwedt Burials at Berlin Cathedral Daughters of kings Children of Frederick William I of Prussia Daughters of princes regnant Daughters of prince-electors {{Germany-noble-stub