Duchess Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

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For other people with similar names, see Sophie of Mecklenburg (disambiguation).
Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Hereditary Princess of Denmark and Norway
Portrait by Georg David Matthieu, c. 1774.
Born(1758-08-24)24 August 1758
Schwerin
Died29 November 1794(1794-11-29) (aged 36)
Sorgenfri Palace, near Copenhagen
Burial
Roskilde Cathedral
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1774)​
Issue
HouseMecklenburg
FatherDuke Louis of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
MotherPrincess Charlotte Sophie of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld

Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (24 August 1758 – 29 November 1794) was born a Princess and Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and by marriage Hereditary Princess of Denmark and Norway.

Life[edit]

Duchess Sophia Frederica and her brother Duke Frederick, by Georg David Matthieu, 1764.
Duchess Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg, by Georg David Matthieu, 1765.

Born in Schwerin, she was the only daughter of Duke Louis of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, second son of Christian Louis II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and Princess Charlotte Sophie of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Her only sibling was Frederick, who was about two years older.

Life in Denmark[edit]

On 21 October 1774 in Copenhagen, she married Hereditary Prince Frederick of Denmark and Norway, the son of King Frederick V of Denmark and his second wife Juliane Marie of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, who was the regent in Denmark between 1772 and 1784. She was sixteen years old when she was married.

Sophia Frederica, known as Sofie Frederikke af Mecklenburg-Schwerin in Denmark, was described as jolly, charming and intelligent.[1] She had a hard time in the beginning adapting to her new, stiffer environment, but became quite popular.[2] During the first ten years of her marriage (1774-1784), she gave birth to three daughters, the eldest two were stillborn and the third lived only five months;[3][4] it was only in 1786 when she had the first of her living children, the future King Christian VIII.

It is said she was disappointed when she met her husband for the first time,[5] but they came to be fond of each other, although they both supposedly took lovers; her husband had a mistress, her companion Caja Hviid, while the father of Sophia Frederica's children was rumored to be her husband's adjutant, Frederik von Blücher.[6] It was said that the harmony of their marriage was based on mutual understanding. The harmonious friendship between the spouses created a fear that Sophia Frederica's influence over her husband would lead to her interfering in politics.[7]

She died in Sorgenfri Palace.

Issue[edit]

Sophia Frederica, Hereditary Princess of Denmark and Norway, with her daughter Louise Charlotte, by Jens Juel, 1790.

Sophia Frederica and Prince Frederick had the following children:

Ancestry[edit]

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ Article in the Dansk biografisk Lexikon
  2. ^ Article in the Dansk biografisk Lexikon
  3. ^ Sophie Friederike Herzogin von Mecklenburg-Schwerin: in Cyberancestors.com [retrieved 10 June 2014].
  4. ^ Sophia Friderica Herzogin v.Mecklenburg-Schwerin in: genealogy Database by Herbert Stoyan Archived October 15, 2014, at the Wayback Machine [retrieved 10 October 2014].
  5. ^ Article in the Dansk biografisk Lexikon
  6. ^ Rie Krarup: Female List and royal cargo. Gentle doves and conflict ladies in the history of Denmark.
  7. ^ Article in the Dansk biografisk Lexikon
  8. ^ Genealogie ascendante jusqu'au quatrieme degre inclusivement de tous les Rois et Princes de maisons souveraines de l'Europe actuellement vivans [Genealogy up to the fourth degree inclusive of all the Kings and Princes of sovereign houses of Europe currently living] (in French). Bourdeaux: Frederic Guillaume Birnstiel. 1768. p. 83.

Bibliography[edit]

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sophie Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.
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