Princess Dorothea Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg

Princess Dorothea of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (28 September 1636 – 6 August 1689), was Duchess consort of Brunswick-Lüneburg by marriage to Christian Louis, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, and Electress of Brandenburg by marriage to Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg, the "Great Elector".

Princess Dorothea of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
Duchess consort of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Electress consort of Brandenburg
Portrait by Jacques Vaillant, 1682
Born(1636-09-28)28 September 1636
Glücksburg
Died6 August 1689(1689-08-06) (aged 52)
Karlsbad
SpouseChristian Louis, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg
Issue
Detail
Philip William, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt
Marie Amelie, Hereditary Princess of Mecklenburg-Güstrow
Prince Margrave Albert Frederick
Prince Charles
Elisabeth Sophie, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen
Prince Christian Ludwig
HouseSchleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
FatherPhilip, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
MotherSophie Hedwig of Saxe-Lauenburg
Signature
Her tomb

Biography

Dorothea was born in Glücksburg. She could claim royal blood through her descent from her great-grandfather King Christian III of Denmark, but her parents were of much lower rank: Philip, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, and Sophia Hedwig of Saxe-Lauenburg. She was the sister of Auguste of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.

Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg

In 1653, Dorothea married Christian Louis, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, brother-in-law of King Frederick III of Denmark. The marriage was childless. In 1665 her first spouse died, and she moved into Herzberg Castle.

Electress of Brandenburg

On 14 June 1668, she married again, this time to Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg. In 1670, she purchased Brandenburg-Schwedt and other fiefs for her sons. In 1676, she became the commander of her own regiment, and in 1678 and 1692 equipped two fleets for the Brandenburg state.

She died in Karlsbad and is buried in Berlin Cathedral. The Dorotheenstadt neighbourhood of Berlin was a present to her from her husband and is named after her.[1]

Issue

From her second marriage, Dorothea had the following children:

  1. Philip William (1669–1711),
  2. Marie Amalie (1670–1739) married:
    1. Charles of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, son of Gustav Adolph, Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow
    2. Maurice William, Duke of Saxe-Zeitz, son of Maurice, Duke of Saxe-Zeitz
  3. Albert Frederick (1672–1731),
  4. Charles Philip (1673–1695),
  5. Elisabeth Sofie (1674–1748), who married Christian Ernst of Brandenburg-Bayreuth (6 August 1644 – 20 May 1712) on 30 March 1703.
  6. Dorothea (1675–1676),
  7. Christian Ludwig (1677–1734), recipient of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos.

Ancestry

Princess Dorothea Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
Cadet branch of the House of Oldenburg
Born: 28 September 1636 Died: 6 August 1689
German nobility
Vacant
Title last held by
Luise Henriette of Nassau
Duchess consort of Prussia
14 June 1668 – 29 April 1688
Succeeded by
Sophia Charlotte of Hanover
Electress consorts of Brandenburg
14 June 1668 – 29 April 1688
Vacant
Title last held by
Dorothea of Denmark
Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Princess of Lüneburg
9 October 1653 – 15 March 1665
Vacant
Title next held by
Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate and Éléonore Desmier d'Olbreuse
Vacant
Title last held by
Anne Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt
Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Princess of Calenberg and Göttingen
9 October 1653 – 15 March 1665

References

  1. Biographie, Deutsche. "Dorothea - Deutsche Biographie". www.deutsche-biographie.de (in German). Retrieved 2 August 2018.
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