Sophia of Hanover

Sophia (1630–1714), born as Princess Sophia of the Palatinate, was the consort of Prince-Elector Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover and the Electress of Hanover from 1692 until 1698. A granddaughter of King James VI and I, she became the heiress presumptive to the British throne under the Act of Settlement 1701. Sophia passed away just two months before she could have ascended to the throne, and her son, George I of Great Britain, succeeded Queen Anne as the King of Great Britain. Sophia was known for her intellectual curiosity and patronage of the arts, commissioning the Herrenhausen Palace and Herrenhausen Gardens and fostering relationships with philosophers like Gottfried Leibniz.

Born in The Hague to Frederick V, Elector Palatine, and Elizabeth Stuart, she grew up in exile after her family lost their territory in the Thirty Years' War. She married Ernest Augustus, Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg in 1658, and they had seven children who survived to adulthood. Sophia’s life was marked by her active involvement in her children's upbringing and the management of Hanover’s cultural and political affairs. After the passing of William III of England, she became the focus of succession to the British throne due to her Protestant faith, leading to her recognition as heir presumptive in 1701. Sophia died in 1714 at the age of 83, shortly before Anne's death, and was buried in Hanover's Leine Palace chapel, later moved to the Herrenhausen Gardens. Her legacy continues through her numerous descendants, many of whom are part of the current British royal family.

Category:1630 births
Category:1714 deaths
Category:British people
Category:House of Windsor