Sophie Christiane of Wolfstein

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). Due to the connection, Sophie Christiane was consequently raised strictly religiously in the Pietist manner, in which she remained for the rest of her life.

Marriage

On 14 August 1687, she married Christian Heinrich, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth-Kulmbach (1661–1708), at Obersulzbürg Castle, an ancestral seat of her family. 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 an old ruling family), as her family only recently acquired the status of reigning Imperial Count (in 1673) for immediate Lordship of Sulzbürg-Pyrbaum. In the end, after many obstacles, the marriage was recognized and treated as an equal one.

After the birth of their first child, the couple moved into the castle at Schönberg, where Sophie Christiane, who was described as "admirable," took care of raising her many children, half of whom went on to die in early childhood. Despite constant pregnancies, she composed a prayer book, the so-called Schönberger Gesangbuch, containing the prayers used in the daily "prayer meeting". 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.

Later 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.

Death

Margravine Sophie Christiane died in Copenhagen on 23 August in 1737, at the age of 69. Her body was buried in the Roskilde Cathedral, Copenhagen, Kingdom of Denmark.

Issue

Sophie Christiane had 24 pregnancies in 27 years but gave birth to only 14 children of which seven survived into adulthood:

Georg Frederick Karl (b. Schloss Obersulzbürg, 30 June 1688 – d. Bayreuth, 17 May 1735), who finally inherited Bayreuth in 1726.

Albert Wolfgang (b. Schloss Obersulzbürg, 8 December 1689 – killed in action, near Parma, 29 June 1734).

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.

Frederick Emanuel (b. Schloss Obersulzbürg, 13 February 1692 – d. Schloss Obersulzbürg, 13 January 1693); died in infancy.

Christiane Henriette (b. Schloss Obersulzbürg, 29 August 1693 – d. Schönberg, 19 May 1695); died in early childhood.

Frederick Wilhelm (b. Schönberg, 12 January 1695 – d. Schönberg, 13 May 1695); died in infancy.

A miscarriage of a daughter in the 4th month of pregnancy (19 December 1695).

A miscarriage of a daughter in the 6th month of pregnancy (16 August 1697).

Christiane (b. and d. Schönberg, 31 October 1698).

Christian August (b. Schönberg, 14 July 1699 – d. Schönberg, 29 July 1700); died in early childhood.

Sophie Magdalene (b. Schönberg, 28 November 1700 – d. Christiansborg Castle, 27 May 1770); married on 7 August 1721 to King Christian VI of Denmark.