Sophia Caroline Eva Antoinette
von Offeln (1669-1726)
daughter of Jobst Moritz von Offeln, Herr auf Entrup and
Anna Sabina von Schilder
Born 2 November 1669
Died 23 January 1726
Affaire with George I, King of Great Britain and Ireland
1714-1727
Born 28 May 1660 / 7 June 1660 Hannover
Died 11 June 1727 / 22 June 1727 Osnabrueck
Buried Hannover
The daughter of Jobst Moritz von Offeln, in 1697 she married Ernst August,
Count von Platen-Hallermund, who, according to serious historians, was
the son of Ernst August, Elector of Hanover which made him the possible
half-brother of the future George I, King of Great Britain. Her husband's
sister, Sophie Charlotte, Countess von Kielmansegg, as mistress of King
George I became Countess of Darlington.
Count Philipp Christoph von Koenigsmarck was a friend of Karl Philipp,
a younger son of the Elector of Hanover. As well he was an officer in the
Hanoverian army, handsome, dashing and a ladies-man. Hoping to gain speedy
promotion in the Hanoverian army, he started sleeping with Countess Platen
as she was also an acknowledged mistress of the future George I, son and
heir of the Elector of Hanover.
However, Koenigsmarck stopped seeing her when he began his disastrous
affaire with the wife of the same George, as this ended in divorce and
imprisonment for George's wife and his own murder.
George I, when he became King of Great Britain, wanted to take his
collection of mistresses with him, but Countess Platen refused. She was
the only one with some pretention to beauty but, as she was a Roman Catholic,
she was determined to stay in Hanover. She also had heard about the horrible
things the English did to their kings. As a result, George I took the Countess
von Kielmansegg with him as well as Ehrengard Melusine von der Schulenberg
who, for obvious reasons, became known as 'the Elephant' and 'the Maypole'.
Source: Leo van de Pas
|