Sophia Dorothea of Celle was the repudiated wife of George I, King of Great Britain and mother of George II. She is best remembered for her alleged affair with Philip Christoph von Königsmarck that led to her being imprisoned in the Castle of Ahlden for the last thirty years of her life.
Background
Sophia Dorothea was born on September 15, 1666, the only child of George William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg by his long-term mistress, Eleonore d'Esmier d'Olbreuse (1639-1722), Countess of Williamsburg, a Huguenot lady, the daughter of Alexander II d'Esmiers, Marquess of Olbreuse. George William eventually married his daughter's mother officially in 1676. However, in 1682, this difficulty was bridged over by the marriage of Sophia Dorothea with her cousin George Louis, son of Duke Ernest Augustus, who became elector of Hanover in 1692.
Career
For dynastic reasons, Sophia Dorothea was married to her cousin George Louis in 1682. This union was a very unhappy one. Her mother-in-law, the electress Sophia, hated her, and this feeling was soon shared by the prince himself. Under these circumstances Sophia Dorothea made the acquaintance of Count Philipp Christoph von Königsmark, who assisted her in one or two futile attempts to escape from Hanover and who was regarded as her lover.
In 1694 the Count was assassinated, and the Princess was divorced and imprisoned in the castle of Ahlden, remaining in captivity until her death. Sophia Dorothea is sometimes referred to as the “princess of Ahlden. ”