Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Crown Princess of Prussia
Crown Princess of Prussia / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Elisabeth Christine Ulrike of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (8 November 1746 – 18 February 1840), was Crown Princess of Prussia as the first wife of Crown Prince Frederick William, her cousin and the future king, Frederick William II of Prussia.
Elisabeth Christine | |||||
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Crown Princess of Prussia | |||||
Born | (1746-11-08)8 November 1746 Wolfenbüttel, Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Holy Roman Empire | ||||
Died | 18 February 1840(1840-02-18) (aged 93) Stettin, Kingdom of Prussia, German Confederation | ||||
Burial | 19 July 1849 Ducal Castle Crypt, Stettin | ||||
Spouse | |||||
Issue | Princess Frederica Charlotte, Duchess of York and Albany | ||||
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House | Brunswick-Bevern | ||||
Father | Charles I, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel | ||||
Mother | Philippine Charlotte of Prussia |
Born in Wolfenbüttel to Charles I, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Philippine Charlotte of Prussia, she married her maternal first cousin, Fredrick William, at the insistance of Fredrick the Great, who wanted heirs. The marriage started off with promise with the birth of a child, Frederica Charlotte but the couple soon became unhappy, due to adultery on both sides as well as her hot temper. The king initially tolerated these affairs, hoping for more children from the couple but when Elisabeth became pregnant by one of her lovers, Fredrick decided dissolving the marriage was the best idea and after only three years of marriage they divorced in 1769.
Elisabeth was banished from court and then first put under house arrest in Küstrin Castle but was then put in the care of her cousin, Duke Augustus William of Brunswick-Bevern at the Ducal Castle of Stettin. In 1774, after an attempted escape to Venice which only failed when her accomplice disappeared, Elisabeth was granted a summer residence at Jasenitz. After the death of Fredrick the Great in 1786 her living conditions much improved and occasionally her former spouse visited her. During her last years, she only received one caller, the Crown prince, and on the 18 February 1840 she died at the age of ninety-three, outliving her former husband, all of her siblings as well as her only child who Elisabeth hadn't seen since her divorce almost seventy years previously.