Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern
| Elisabeth Christine | |
|---|---|
Elisabeth Christine painted by Antoine Pesne, around 1738 | |
| Queen consort of Prussia Electress consort of Brandenburg | |
| Tenure | 31 May 1740 – 17 August 1786 |
| Born | 8 November 1715 |
| Died | 13 January 1797 |
| Burial | Berlin Cathedral |
| Spouse | Frederick II of Prussia |
| House | Brunswick-Bevern |
| Father | Ferdinand Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel |
| Mother | Princess Antoinette of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel |
Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern (8 November 1715-13 January 1797[1]) was Queen consort of Prussia and Electress of Brandenburg from her marriage to King Frederick the Great. From a period of more than 46 years, she was the longest serving Queen of Prussia.
She was the daughter of Ferdinand Albert II, the sometime Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, and Antoinette Amalie,[1] the sister of Elisabeth Christine, the Holy Roman Empress, and Charlotte Christine, the short lived Tsarevna of Russia.
Life
Early life and family
Elisabeth Christine was born in late 1715, to Ferdinand Albert of Brunswick-Bevern and Princess Antoinette of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. That afternoon, she was baptized according to Protestant rites with the name of Elisabeth Christine, in honor of her aunt who was the Holy Roman Empress, and also named Elisabeth Christine.[2] They were not only related to the imperial family, but her father was also a high ranking officer in imperial service.[2] Her godparents were Elisabeth, the Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, and she carried the infant to the baptismal font.[2]
As hiring a tutor was expensive, this meant her education was limited.[2] Elisabeth was very close to her brothers Charles and Anthony Ulrich, but they lost contact for the most part when he was sent to Russia to marry Grand Duchess Anna Leopoldovna.[2]
Marriage and Queen
In the summer of 1733, Elisabeth was married to Frederick,[1] the heir to the Kingdom of Prussia. Her husband became the king of Prussia in 1740.[3] Part of the reason that she married Frederick was thanks to the Austrian court, so that her uncle by marriage, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI, could be allied with Prussia.[4] Around this time, it was noted of Elisabeth that "The Princess is neither ugly nor beautiful. She is a God-fearing person. God bless her".[4]
She was said to have loved her husband, but he didn't love her, and was busy with the military for most of the time.[5] Her husband was known to have neglected her.[3] This was no accident.[3] So Elisabeth made herself busy as the head of an influential court in Berlin.[5] She liked literature and wrote books about religion.[5]
Aside from her husband, Elisabeth was said to have loved her brother Duke Ferdinand as well, and they had a lot of letters exchanged.[4]
Widowhood
Elisabeth was always respected, and that didn't change after her husband died in 1786.[4] In early 1797, 17 years after the death of her sister Louise Amalie, Elisabeth died at the age of 81.[4] She was buried in the cathedral in Berlin, while her husband, who had died in 1786,[3] was laid somewhere else.[4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern | Wilford Woodruff Papers". wilfordwoodruffpapers.org. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Trunz, Helmut (2011). Königin Elisabeth: die Welfin an der Seite Friedrichs II (in German). Sutton Verlag GmbH. pp. 14–15. ISBN 978-3-86680-768-6.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Frederick II | Biography, Accomplishments, Wars, Enlightenment, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2025-08-13. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Biographie, Deutsche. "Elisabeth Christine - Deutsche Biographie". www.deutsche-biographie.de (in German). Retrieved 2025-09-17.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "German School, 18th century - Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Queen Consort of Frederick II of Prussia (1715-1797)". www.rct.uk. Retrieved 2025-09-17.