Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Queen of Prussia
| Elisabeth Christine | |
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Queen Elisabeth Christine in c. 1739 by Antoine Pesne
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Queen consort of Prussia Electress consort of Brandenburg |
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| Tenure | 31 May 1740 – 17 August 1786 |
| Born |
8 November 1715 Schloss Bevern, Germany |
| Died | 13 January 1797 (aged 81) Stadtschloss, Berlin, Prussia |
| Burial | Berlin Cathedral |
| Spouse | Frederick II of Prussia |
| House | Brunswick-Bevern |
| Father | Ferdinand Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel |
| Mother | Antoinette of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel |
| Religion | Lutheranism |
Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern (8 November 1715 – 13 January 1797) was Queen of Prussia from 1740 to 1786 as the spouse of Frederick the Great. By birth, she was a Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. She was also the longest-serving queen of Prussia.
Elisabeth Christine was born the daughter of Duke Ferdinand Albert II and Duchess Antoinette of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.
In 1733, Crown Prince Frederick of Prussia, having failed in his attempt to flee from his father's tyrannical regime, was ordered to marry a daughter of the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Elisabeth Christine was the niece of Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI's wife Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel; the match had thus been arranged by the Austrian court in the hopes of securing influence over Prussia for another generation.
On 12 June 1733, Elisabeth-Christine married Frederick at her father's summer palace, Schloss Salzdahlum in Wolfenbüttel, Germany. On their wedding night, Frederick spent a reluctant hour with his new wife and then walked about outside for the rest of the night. Due to the circumstances behind their betrothal, Frederick was well known to have resented the marriage from the very beginning. He had only agreed to marry Elisabeth after his failed attempt to escape from his father's tyrannical regime. The King had thereafter ordered Frederick to marry the daughter of Duke Ferdinand Albrecht of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel, and Frederick had submitted to his father's will in order to regain his freedom.
Thus, the position of Elisabeth-Christine, who was only seventeen on her marriage, at the Berlin Court, was difficult from the beginning, as the only support that she could count on was the King's. Her father-in-law, Frederick William I, had indeed remained attached to his daughter-in-law until his death and was particularly fond of her piety, which did nothing to endear her husband. However, Frederick was shrewd enough to recognise the opportunity his wife provided to improve his own relationship with his father, and systematically used her to gain favours from him. During the first year of their marriage, Frederick was garrisoned in Ruppin, while Elisabeth lived in Berlin at the King's Court, and he showered her with letters asking for travel permits, money, etc. from the King or even demanding that she run up debts in Brunswick to pay for his expenses. This pattern continued even after the couple moved to the palace in Rheinsberg in 1736.
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