page_title: Sophia Dorothea of Celle
section_title: Elevation of birth status and marriage
hierarchical_section_title: Sophia Dorothea of Celle / Life / Elevation of birth status and marriage
caption_attribution_description: Sophie Dorothea, Princess of Hannover, with her children Georg (the later King George II of Great Britain) und Sophie Dorothea (the later queen Sophie Dorothea of Prussia), 17th century, Sophia Dorothea of Celle, the daughter of George William, Duke of Brunswick-Luneberg and the Huguenot Eleanor d' Olbreuze. The marriage produced two children, a son, named George Augustus and a daughter, Sophia Dorothea. Sophia Dorothea was a pretty and vivacious young woman, but her boorish husband ignored her, prefering to spend his time with his mistresses. She consequently embarked on an affair with the handsome and dashing Swedish Count Phillip von Konigsmark. Despite warnings to keep the liaison discreet, she foolishly flaunted her relationship with her lover, which quickly developed into a much discussed court scandal.
context_page_description: Sophia Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Celle, was the repudiated wife of future King George I of Great Britain, and mother of George II. The union with her first cousin was an arranged marriage of state, instigated by the machinations of his mother, Electress Sophia of Hanover. She is best remembered for her alleged affair with Philip Christoph von Königsmarck that led to her being imprisoned in the Castle of Ahlden for the last thirty years of her life.
context_section_description: After the death of his daughter's fiancé, George William wanted to made an agreement with his brothers about the inheritance of the Duchy of Lüneburg and approached his younger brother Ernest Augustus with talks about a marriage between Sophia Dorothea and Ernest Augustus's eldest son George Louis; however, both his brother and sister-in-law Sophia of the Palatinate had misgivings about the proposed match due to the circumstances of Sophia Dorothea's birth.
  After the rebuffal of his daughter, George William decided to improve once for all the status of Sophia Dorothea and her mother: by contract signed on 22 August 1675 and in open violation of his previous promise to never marry, George William declared that Éléonore was his lawful wife in both church and state, with a second wedding ceremony being held at Celle on 2 April 1676. Ernest Augustus and specially his wife demonstratively stayed away from this second wedding. Twenty-two days later, on 24 April, Éléonore was officially addressed as Duchess of Brunswick and Sophia Dorothea became legitimate. 
  This development of events greatly alarmed George William's relatives: now legitimated by the official marriage of her parents, Sophia Dorothea could threaten the contemplated union of the Lüneburg territories. Finally, by family agreement signed on 13 July 1680, Éléonore was finally recognized as Duchess of Brunswick and, most importantly, Sophia Dorothea was declared Princess of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Celle with all apertaining rights of birth. Also, George Louis' parents finally agreed to the previously proposed marriage. To the horror of both Sophia Dorothea and her mother, George William consented to the union.
  The wedding took place on 21 November 1682 but since the beginning the union was a complete failure: the feelings of hatred and contempt that Sophia of the Palatinate had over her daughter-in-law were soon shared by her son George Louis, who was oddly formal to his wife. Sophia Dorothea was frequently scolded for her lack of etiquette, and the two had loud and bitter arguments. Nevertless, they managed to had two children in quick succession: George Augustus (born 30 October 1683 and future King George II of Great Britain) and Sophia Dorothea (born 16 March 1687 and by marriage Queen consort in Prussia and Electress consort of Brandenburg).
  The desire for the marriage was almost purely financial, as Duchess Sophia wrote to her niece Elizabeth Charlotte, Duchess of Orléans:
  "One hundred thousand thalers a year is a goodly sum to pocket, without speaking of a pretty wife, who will find a match in my son George Louis, the most pigheaded, stubborn boy who ever lived, who has round his brains such a thick crust that I defy any man or woman ever to discover what is in them. He does not care much for the match itself, but one hundred thousand thalers a year have tempted him as they would have tempted anybody else".
  George Louis also acquired a mistress, Melusine von der Schulenburg, and started pointedly neglecting his wife. His parents asked him to be more circumspect with his mistress, fearful that a disruption in the marriage would threaten the payment of the 100,000 thalers he received as a part of Sophia Dorothea's dowry and inheritance from her father.
caption: Sophia Dorothea with her two children, by Jacques Vaillant, ca. 1690–1691. Currently displayed at Bomann-Museum, Celle.
exif: {}