Princess Sophia Dorothea of Prussia

Princess Sophia Dorothea of Prussia was the ninth child and fifth daughter of Frederick William I of Prussia and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover. By marriage, she was a Margravine of Brandenburg-Schwedt.

Biography

Marriage and children

On 10 November 1734 in Potsdam, Sophia Dorothea married her Hohenzollern kinsman Frederick William, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt, son of Philip William, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt, and Princess Johanna Charlotte of Anhalt-Dessau, daughter of John George II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau. They had five children:

Princess Friederike of Brandenburg-Schwedt ; married Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg.
Princess Anna Elisabeth Louise of Brandenburg-Schwedt ; married her uncle Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia.
Prince Georg Philipp of Brandenburg-Schwedt
Princess Philippine of Brandenburg-Schwedt ; married Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel.
Prince Georg Philipp Wilhelm of Brandenburg-Schwedt

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, King of Prussia and Louisa Ulrika, Queen of Sweden. The Margraviate of Schwedt was only a small holding, but enjoyed a prosperous economy due to immigrant Huguenots.