March 24, 1628 birth of Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Luneburg. Sophie was the consort of Frederick III of Denmark.
She was the daughter of George, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg. Her paternal grandmother was Dorothea of Denmark. Sophie and her husband's fathers were first cousins, her husband's paternal grandfather being Frederick II. Frederick and Dorothea were the children of Christian III. Her mother was Anne Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt. She was the fifth of their 8 children.
Her siblings:
-Magdalene died the same year she was born
-Christian married Dorothea of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg but he died childless and was succeeded by a brother
-George William succeeded Christian. He married Eleonore d'Esmier d'Olbreuse. They only had a daughter Sophie Dorothea who married her first cousin George Louis who became George I of Great Britain. She was later divorced, and exiled to Celle, but her son was George II.
-John Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-Calenberg. He married Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate. They had 2 daughters reach adulthood. One married Rinaldo III, Duke of Modena. And the other married Joseph I, Holy Roman emperor.
-Dorothea Magdalene of Brunswick-Luneburg (her first younger sibling) died at the age of one
-Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover married of Sophia of the Palatinate, a maternal granddaughter of James VI through his daughter Elizabeth. Through Sophia, his eldest son would become George I.
-Anna Marie Eleonore of Brunswick-Luneburg lived to be 36 but doesn't seem to have been married.
She was born at Herzberg castle. She was married to Frederick in 1643. Frederick was the Prince-archbishop of Bremen and not expected to be king. He was the son of Christian IV and his first wife Anne Catherine of Brandenberg. He was the 5th of 6 children of his parents (not including the stillbirth). Elizabeth, Frederik and Sophie had all died young, but his older brother Christian was alive. His younger brother Ulrik died in 1633. He had a number of half-siblings as well. Christian married Magdalene Sibylle of Saxony but they were childless. Christian was a heavy drinker and gambler, heavily in debt when he died. He died in 1647, 4 years after his brother married Sophie. Their father Christian IV would die a year later.
Frederick's election was not a simple one. There were many opposed to him due to his numerous conflicts during his previous posts. He was only named king after he signed an agreement.
Sophie and her husband had lived humbly after he had been driven out of Bremen during the war with Sweden. When he was elected crown prince she moved with him to Denmark.Sophie was the life of the court and introduced balls and masquerades. The Danish opera and ballet were both introduced during her husband's reign because of her. She held great influence politically over her husband, serving as his advisor.
In 1670 she was widowed. She fought with her daughter in law for years, not wanting to give up her power. The new queen wasn't about to back down either from her. They fought over many things including the imprisonment of Leonora Christina Ulfeldt who was Frederick's half sister. She was imprisoned as her husband's power. She had been arrested when she went to England to reclaim money from Charles II (her cousin) her husband loaned him in exile. He repaid her by arresting her and sending her back to Frederick.She spent 22 years in prison, her husband never trying to free her. The new queen took pity, and made her husband swear that if she bore him a son, he would release her. When Frederick was born, Christian would have freed her, but his mother found out. She refused to attend her grandson's baptism if Leonora was freed, so she was not. Leonora was released from her prison cell after Sophie died.
She died in Copenhagen in 1685 and was buried at Roskilde cathedral
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roskilde_Cathedral
Her and her husband had eight children.
-Christian: became Christian V. He married Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel. They had six children.
-Anna Sophia: married John George III, elector of Saxony. 2 sons
-Frederika Amalia: married Christian Albert, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp. Her grandson became Adolph Frederick, King of Sweden.
-Princess Wilhelmine Ernestine: married Charles II, Elector of the Palatinate. The marriage was unhappy and produced no children. She was slightly crippled and was too shy for his taste. After she was widowed, she went to live with her widowed sister Anna Sophia in Saxony where she died 21 years later. Her sister was raising her grandson Augustus III of Poland.
-Frederick- died in infancy
-George-husband of Queen Anne of Great Britain. Unlike Anne's brother in law William, George was never made King. He was Duke of Cumberland. Sadly he and Anne had 12 miscarriages/stillbirths. Two daughters died within days of each other at 1 and 2, and another 2 kids died the day they were born. Their son William died at the age of 11.
-Ulrika Eleonora: married Charles XI of Sweden. Her daughter was Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden. Her daughter gave up her throne in favor of her husband Frederik. Her daughter only suffered miscarriages. When her son in law died, he was succeeded by Ulrika's great-nephew (grandson of her sister Frederika)
-Dorothea died in infancy
The future Christian VIII was never styled Hereditary Prince.
