Princess Sophia Dorothea Of Prussia

Princess Sophia Dorothea of Prussia (German: Sophia Dorothea Marie von Preußen), was born on 25 January 1719 and died on 13 November 1765. She was the ninth child and fifth daughter of King Frederick William I of Prussia and Queen Sophia Dorothea of Hanover.

On 10 November 1734, in Potsdam, she married Frederick William, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt. He was a member of the Hohenzollern family, the son of Philip William, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt, and Princess Johanna Charlotte of Anhalt-Dessau. The couple had five children:

- Princess Friederike of Brandenburg-Schwedt (18 December 1736 – 9 March 1798); she married Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg.

- Princess Anna Elisabeth Louise of Brandenburg-Schwedt (22 April 1738 – 10 February 1820); she married her uncle, Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia.

- Prince Georg Philipp of Brandenburg-Schwedt (10 September 1741 – 28 April 1742); he died in infancy.

- Princess Philippine of Brandenburg-Schwedt (10 October 1745 – 1 May 1800); she married Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel.

- Prince Georg Philipp Wilhelm of Brandenburg-Schwedt (3 May 1749 – 13 August 1751); he also died in infancy.

Frederick William, her husband, was 19 years older than Sophia Dorothea and was known colloquially as the "mad Margrave" due to his behavior, including pranks and rude manners. Their marriage was reportedly unhappy, leading them to live separately: Sophia Dorothea resided in Montplaisir Castle near their main residence, while Frederick William lived in the castle of Schwedt. They are said to have only reconciled during her terminal illness, when she died in his arms.

Unlike her siblings Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, and Louisa Ulrika, Queen of Sweden, Sophia Dorothea reportedly did not share similar spiritual interests. The Margraviate of Schwedt, which she held as part of her marriage, was a small territory but benefited from a prosperous economy driven by the influx of Huguenot immigrants.

Her ancestry traces back through the Hohenzollern dynasty on her father's side and the Hanoverian royal family on her mother's side.

This biography is based on available historical records up to October 2023 and does not include subjective or evaluative language.