Sophia Dorothea

Sophia Dorothea (sōfī'u doruthē'u) [key], 1666–1726, electress of Hanover, wife of Elector George Louis (later King George I of England); sometimes called Sophia Dorothea of Celle. Married to George in 1682, she bore him two children: George, later George II of England, and Sophia Dorothea, who became the wife of Frederick William I of Prussia. In 1694 she was accused of having an affair with Count Philipp Königsmark. Her presumed lover disappeared (probably murdered), and she herself was divorced and imprisoned for life. George I's harsh treatment of her was one major cause of the king's unpopularity in England.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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