Princess Sophie Dorothea von
Hannover (1685-1757)
Born 16 March 1685 Hannover
Died 28 June 1757 Castle Montbijou nr Berlin
Buried Potsdam
Married 28 November 1706 Berlin
Friedrich Wilhelm I, King in Prussia 1713-1740, son of
Friedrich III-I, King in Prussia 1701-1713 and Princess
Sophie Charlotte von Hannover
Born 14 August 1688 Berlin
Died 31 May 1740 Potsdam
She married her first cousin who loved her all his life. However, when
he was affected by porphyria she pretended that she feared him, even though
he would never hit her nor any officer, though anyone else was fair game.
She also disliked the simple life he had forced upon her, for as a Queen
she expected a court, and moreover, a Court which held many balls.
She liked to gossip, was a bore and a snob and, as the daughter of
an English king, looked down on the Hohenzollerns. She turned her children
against their father and created in her own apartments a far more civilized
environment which her children loved. She indulged in politics and her
main aim was for the "English marriages",
specifically that her children, Wilhelmine and Friedrich, would be
married to the Prince of Wales and Princess Amelia. However, neither took
place as her husband opposed them for the simple reason that the two fathers
loathed each other. Lord Hervey described the feelings of George II for
his sister as "he had the contempt for her she deserved and a hatred she
did not deserve".
One positive thing about her was her attempts to have her mother, the
Prisoner of Ahlden, released; and in this she almost succeeded. However,
she was no support to either her husband or children. After her husband's
death, she retired to the small palace of Montbijou in Berlin. Even though
her son, the new king, visited her almost daily, she had no political influence.
Source: Leo van de Pas
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