Friederike of Brandenburg-Schwedt (Friederike Sophia Dorothea; 18 December 1736 – 9 March 1798) was

Duchess of Württemberg Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are r ...

by marriage to

Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg Friedrich Eugen, Duke of Württemberg (21 January 1732 – 23 December 1797) was the fourth son of Karl Alexander, Duke of Württemberg, and Princess Maria Augusta of Thurn and Taxis (11 August 1706 – 1 February 1756). He was born in Stut ...

. She is an ancestor to many European royals of the 19th and 20th century.

Biography

Friederike was a daughter of Margrave Frederick William of Brandenburg-Schwedt and Princess Sophia Dorothea of Prussia. Her mother was a sister of

Frederick the Great Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Sil ...

. Her siblings included Elisabeth Louise, Princess Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia and Philippine, Landgravine of Hesse-Cassel. On 2 November 1753, she married Frederick Eugen of Württemberg. He would succeed his brother in 1795, making her Duchess consort of Württemberg. Friederike was described as witty and charming. She belonged to the reformed faith, while her husband was

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

; however, she brought up her children as

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

upon agreement with the Lutheran council, from whom she received an allowance. From 1769, she lived at

Montbéliard Montbéliard (; traditional ) is a town in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France, about from the border with Switzerland. It is one of the two subprefectures of the department. History Montbéliard is ...

, which was being managed by her husband. In 1792, she abandoned Montbéliard because of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

. Her husband inherited the Dukedom of Württemberg in 1795–1797.

Issue

She had twelve children: * Duke ''Frederick'' Wilhelm Karl of Württemberg (6 November 1754 – 30 October 1816); succeeded his father as Duke of Württemberg; would later become the first King of Württemberg. * Duke ''Louis'' Frederick Alexander of Württemberg (30 August 1756 – 20 September 1817), of whom King

Charles III of the United Kingdom Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

is a descendant. * Duke ''Eugene Frederick Henry'' of Württemberg (21 November 1758 – 20 June 1822). * Duchess Sophie Marie Dorothea of Württemberg (25 October 1759 – 5 November 1828), married to Paul I, Emperor of Russia), of whom

and

Queen Sofia of Spain Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

are direct descendants. * Duke ''William Frederick Philip'' of Württemberg (27 December 1761 – 10 August 1830); father of Wilhelm, 1st Duke of Urach. *

Duke Ferdinand Frederick Augustus of Württemberg Duke Ferdinand Frederick Augustus of Württemberg (22 October 1763 – 20 January 1834) was a Austrian monarchy, Habsburg Austrian general during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars. Early life He was born into the House of Wü ...

(22 October 1763 – 20 January 1834). * Duchess ''Friederike'' Elisabeth Amalie of Württemberg (27 July 1765 – 24 November 1785), married to Peter, Duke of Oldenburg. * Duchess ''Elisabeth'' Wilhelmine Luise of Württemberg (21 April 1767 – 18 February 1790), married to

Francis I, Emperor of Austria Francis II (german: Franz II.; 12 February 1768 – 2 March 1835) was the last Holy Roman Emperor (from 1792 to 1806) and the founder and Emperor of the Austrian Empire, from 1804 to 1835. He assumed the title of Emperor of Austria in response ...

. * Duchess Friederike Wilhelmine Katharina of Württemberg (3 June 1768 – 22 October 1768). * Duke Charles Frederick Henry of Württemberg (3 May 1770 – 22 August 1791). * Duke ''Alexander'' Frederick Charles of Württemberg (24 April 1771 – 4 July 1833), the founder of the fifth branch of Württemberg, from which today's head of the House, Duke Carl Maria of Württemberg. * Duke Charles Henry of Württemberg (3 July 1772 – 28 July 1833).

Ancestry

Notes

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Friederike Dorothea Of Brandenburg-Schwedt 1736 births 1798 deaths People from Schwedt People from the Margraviate of Brandenburg House of Hohenzollern Duchesses of Württemberg Margravines of Brandenburg-Schwedt House of Württemberg Brandenburgian nobility German Lutherans Daughters of monarchs