Sophie Christiane of Wolfstein

Sophie Christiane of Wolfstein (24 October 1667 – 23 August 1737) was a Countess of Wolfstein by birth and Margravine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth-Kulmbach by marriage.

Early life and ancestry[]

Sophie Christiane was a daughter of Count Albrecht Frederick of Wolfstein-Sulzbürg (1644–1693) from his marriage to Countess Sophia Louise of Castell-Remlingen (1645–1717), daughter of Count Georg Wolfgang of Castell-Remlingen (1610-1668) and Countess Sophie Juliane of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Pfedelbach (1620-1682). Sophie Christiane's maternal uncle Count Wolfgang Dietrich of Castell-Remlingen (1641-1709) was married to Countess Dorothea Renata von Zinzendorf and Pottendorf (1669-1743), an aunt of Count Nicholas Ludwig von Zinzendorf und Pottendorf (1700-1760) and Sophie Christiane was consequently raised strictly religiously in the Pietist manner.

Marriage[]

On 14 August 1687 she married Margrave Christian Heinrich, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth-Kulmbach (1661–1708), at Obersulzbürg castle. The margrave's court at Bayreuth felt that his spouse was "not befitting" (i.e. not of high enough birth to marry a member of a ruling family), as her family acquired status of reigning Imperial Count only recently (in 1673) for immediate Lordship of Sulzbürg-Pyrbaum. In the end, after many obstacles, the marriage was recognized and treated as equal.

Later life[]

After the birth of their first child, the family moved into the castle at Schönberg, where Sophie Christiane, who was described as "admirable"^[1] took care of raising her children. She composed a prayer book, the so-called Schönberger Gesangbuch, containing the prayers used in the daily "prayer meeting".^[2] In 1703, Christian Heinrich and King Frederick I of Prussia concluded the Treaty of Schönberg, in which Christian Heinrich ceded Brandenburg-Ansbach to Prussia in exchange for the Weferlingen district near Magdeburg. The family then moved to Weferlingen Castle.

Life in Denmark[]

After her husband's death, her son-in-law, King Christian VI of Denmark, invited her to Denmark, which became a Pietist refuge.^[3]

Death[]

Sophie Christiane died on 23 August in 1737 and was buried in Roskilde Cathedral.

Issue[]

Sophie Christiane from her marriage had 14 children:

1. Georg Frederick Karl (b. Schloss Oberzulzbürg, 30 June 1688 – d. Bayreuth, 17 May 1735), who finally inherited Bayreuth in 1726.
2. Albert Wolfgang (b. Schloss Obersulzbürg, 8 December 1689 – killed in action, near Parma, 29 June 1734).
3. Dorothea Charlotte (b. Schloss Obersulzbürg, 15 March 1691 – d. Weikersheim, 18 March 1712); married on 7 August 1711 to Karl Ludwig, Count of Hohenlohe-Weikersheim.
4. Frederick Emanuel (b. Schloss Obersulzbürg, 13 February 1692 – d. Schloss Obersulzbürg, 13 January 1693).
5. Christiane Henriette (b. Schloss Obersulzbürg, 29 August 1693 – d. Schönberg, 19 May 1695).
6. Frederick Wilhelm (b. Schönberg, 12 January 1695 – d. Schönberg, 13 May 1695).
7. Christiane (b. and d. Schönberg, 31 October 1698).
8. Christian August (b. Schönberg, 14 July 1699 – d. Schönberg, 29 July 1700).
9. Sophie Magdalene (b. Schönberg, 28 November 1700 – d. Christiansborg Castle, 27 May 1770); married on 7 August 1721 to King Christian VI of Denmark.
10. Christine Wilhelmine (b. Schönberg, 17 June 1702 – d. Schönberg, 19 March 1704).
11. Frederick Ernest (b. Schönberg, 15 December 1703 – d. Schloss Friedrichsruhe in Drage, 23 June 1762); married on 26 December 1731 to Duchess Christine Sophie of Brunswick-Bevern. The union was childless.
12. Marie Eleonore (b. Schönberg, 28 December 1704 – d. Schönberg, 4 June 1705).
13. Sophie Caroline (b. Weferlingen, 31 March 1705 – d. Sorgenfri Castle, 7 June 1764); married on 8 December 1723 to George Albert, Prince of East Frisia.
14. Frederick Christian (b. posthumously, Weferlingen, 17 July 1708 – d. Bayreuth, 20 January 1769), inherited Bayreuth in 1763.

References[]

• Horst Weigelt: Geschichte des Pietismus in Bayern, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2001, p. 226

Footnotes[]