This woman was ahead of her time.
Born in 1630 to Frederick V of the Palatinate and
Elizabeth Stuart, daughter of King James VI of Scotland.
Her family sought refuge in the Dutch Republic
after the sequestration of their Electorate
during the Thirty Years’ War, and it was there
that this lady spent her formative years.
Her family was part of the Calvinist senior
branch of the House of Wittelsbach,
whose Catholic branch ruled the Electorate of Bavaria.
She was an exceptional woman of her time, known
for her intellect, curiosity, and patronage of the arts.
In 1658, she married Ernest Augustus,
Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, and together they raised
seven children who all lived to reach adulthood.
She then became the Electress of Hanover
when her husband was raised to electoral dignity
in 1692, a title she is best remembered for.
But her place
in the line of succession to the British
throne would secure her place in history.
Following Queen Anne’s
death, her son George I, ascended to the throne
of Great Britain.
Since then, the line of succession
has been exclusively composed of her legitimate
and Protestant descendants.
So join me now as we look back on the life
of Sophia of Hanover.
As the daughter of a deposed king,
Sophia’s fate was uncertain from the moment of her birth.
But she was a fighter,
determined to claim her rightful place.
Raised in exile in the Dutch Republic,
Sophia dreamed
of reclaiming her family’s lands
and restoring her father’s throne.
And though she was married off to a distant relative
in a political union, Sophia found love and purpose
in her new life as the Electress of Hanover.
Sophia remained fiercely loyal to her husband
and bore him seven children despite her husband’s faults.
But her most incredible legacy was yet to come.
In 1701, the passing of the Act of Settlement named Sophia
as the heir presumptive
to the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
Her Protestant faith and legitimate descent
from James VI made her the ideal candidate
to succeed Queen Anne.
And Sophia was poised to become the first monarch
of a new era.
Sophia’s childhood was one of exile and uncertainty
as her family fled from one country
to another in search of safety and stability.
Born into a royal family,
Sophia was expected to marry well and strengthen
her family’s position in the world.
But when her first cousin, Charles II of England, came
courting, Sophia sensed something was not quite right.
At first, she was flattered by his attention,
thrilled by the idea of becoming queen of England.
But as she got to know Charles better,
Sophia began to see through his charming façade.
He was a gambler and a womanizer,
always in debt and looking for a way out.
And Sophia knew he was using her
to get to her mother’s supporter,
Lord William Craven.
Sophia was no fool.
She knew that if she married
Charles, she would be signing away
her future to a man who cared nothing for her
or anyone else.
And so, with great courage and determination,
Sophia rebuffed Charles’s advances,
sending him packing with a firm but polite refusal.
For Sophia, the decision was not without doubt.
She knew that she was closing the door
on one of Europe’s most powerful
and influential men by rejecting Charles.
But she also knew her happiness and well-being
were more important than any alliance or political deal.
Sophia’s marriage to
Ernest Augustus was a union of two people and two worlds.
Sophia was the daughter of a Calvinist Elector,
while Ernest Augustus was a Lutheran Duke.
But despite their differences,
the couple found love and happiness together,
creating a new dynasty
that would shape European history.
And Sophia
was not content to be a consort;
she was determined to leave her mark on the world.
With her husband,
she set about
transforming the Herrenhausen Palace and Gardens,
creating a masterpiece of architecture
and landscaping
that would become one
of the most celebrated landmarks in Europe.
But Sophia’s passions extended far
beyond the physical realm; she was also a great thinker
and philosopher,
a woman of exceptional intellect and curiosity.
This intellectual side of Sophia drew her to Gottfried
Leibniz, the great philosopher and mathematician
who served as a librarian at the Court of Hanover.
The two struck up a friendship that would last
for decades, their correspondence,
published and studied by scholars ever since,
reveals a woman of exceptional depth and insight.
Sophia was well-versed
and engaged in lengthy discussions
with Leibniz on a wide range of philosophical topics.
Yet Sophia was a visionary, a woman who saw the world
not just as it was but as it could be.
Sophia’s meeting with her cousin King William
III of England, marked a turning point in her life.
With the death of William’s nephew, Prince William,
Duke of Gloucester, the question of succession
had become more urgent than ever before.
And as a Protestant with close ties to William, Sophia
was seen as the most likely candidate to succeed him.
In 1701, the Parliament of England
passed the Act of Settlement,
which declared Sophia and her Protestant descendants
to be the heirs to the throne if there was no legitimate
issue from Queen Anne or King William III.
This move was seen as a way to prevent the throne
from falling into the hands of Catholics,
who were seen as a threat to the security
and stability of the nation.
For Sophia, this was both an honour and a burden.
At age 70, she was hardly a young woman.
However, she was still fit and healthy.
She invested all her time and energy
in securing the succession for herself and her son.
And though she was eager to move to London
and take up her duties as queen,
she knew that such a move would be highly controversial
and might even lead to a civil war.
But Sophia was not deterred.
She worked tirelessly to secure her place in history,
to ensure that her legacy would endure long
after she was gone.
Eventually her efforts were successful,
as evidenced by the fact that today there are over
5,000 legitimate descendants of Sophia,
many of whom have achieved notable accomplishments
and left their own mark on the world.
Despite being considerably older than Queen Anne,
Sophia enjoyed better health than her cousin.
But in 1714, Sophia’s health took a turn for the worse.
Sophia became ill
after receiving a letter from Queen Anne
that had angered her.
Just three days
later, on 8 June,
she collapsed and died in the gardens of Herrenhausen.
She was 83 years old, a remarkable age for the era.
Had Sophia survived Anne,
she would have become the oldest person
to ascend the British throne.
But it was not to be.
Upon her
death, her son Elector George Louis of Brunswick-Lüneburg,
became heir presumptive.
Within two months,
he succeeded Anne as George I of Great Britain.
Sophia was buried
alongside her husband and son in the chapel of Leine Palace
in Hanover.
But during World War
II, the palace and chapel were destroyed
in Allied bombings.
The couples remains were moved to the mausoleum
of King Ernest Augustus I in the Berggarten
of Herrenhausen Gardens in 1957.
Sophia’s legacy, however, lives on.
Her vision, intellect, and passion for learning
and the arts continue to inspire people today.
And though she never got the chance to rule as queen,
she paved the way for future generations of strong,
visionary women to make their mark on the world.
I’ll now leave the final words to Sophia herself.
My dear friends and family,
as I lie here in my final moments,
I am filled with both gratitude and reflection.
I have lived a long and eventful life,
serving my family and my country
to the best of my abilities.
My greatest source of joy
was my children and grandchildren
who have brought me endless happiness and pride.
As I prepare to leave this world behind,
I am comforted
by the knowledge
that I will be reunited with those who have gone before.
I am content with the understanding
that I will be remembered for generations.
Thank you for being a part of my life,
and may God bless you all.