Dorothea Sophie of Neuburg
Encyclopedia
Dorothea Sophie of Neuburg (5 July 1670 – 15 September 1748) Duchess of Parma from 1695 to 1727. She was the sixth daughter of the Elector of the Palatinate, Philip William of Neuburg, and Landgravine Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt
. Three of her sisters were Queen of Spain
, Queen of Portugal
and Empress of the Holy Roman Empire
.
), a Queen of Portugal (wife of Peter II of Portugal), a Queen of Spain (wife of Charles II of Spain
) and a Crown Princess of Poland
(daughter in law of John III Sobieski
). Her brothers included Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine
and Charles III Philip, Elector Palatine, both her father's successors and Francis Louis of Neuburg, Grand Master of the Teutonic Order.
Dorothea Sophie was blonde, with blue eyes and tall. She was also known for being arrogant, ambitious, authoritarian and without sense of humour.
On 17 September 1690, she married Odoardo Farnese, Hereditary Prince of Parma, heir to the throne of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza. The festivities for their wedding were the most splendid that had ever taken place in Parma
. In their three years of marriage, they had two children, a son who died in infancy and a daughter Elisabeth, future Queen of Spain.
Odoardo died on 6 September 1693, only a month after the death of their son. On 7 December 1696, Dorothea Sophie married Odoardo's half-brother, Francesco Farnese
, who had become Duke of Parma
when his father died in 1694.
This marriage was decided by Francesco
himself, because he didn't want to give up Dorothea Sophie's dowry should she marry someone else. Nevertheless, this marriage remained childless.
Francesco
died in 1727 and, when his only remaining brother Antonio also died childless in 1731, the Duchy of Parma
went to Dorothea Sophie's eldest grandchild, the 16-year-old son of Elisabeth of Parma
, Charles III of Spain
. Dorothea Sophie became regent until 1735, when the Duchy was ceded to Austria
after the War of the Polish Succession
.
She died in Parma
in 1748 and was buried at the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Steccata
.
Landgravine Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt
Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt was a princess of Hesse-Darmstadt and wife of the Prince-elector of the Palatinate.-Biography:...
. Three of her sisters were Queen of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Queen of Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
and Empress of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
.
Biography
Born at the Neuburg Palace, she was the fourteenth of her parents seventeen children and their sixth daughter. Her older sisters included a Holy Roman Empress (wife of Leopold I, Holy Roman EmperorLeopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
| style="float:right;" | Leopold I was a Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and King of Bohemia. A member of the Habsburg family, he was the second son of Emperor Ferdinand III and his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain. His maternal grandparents were Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria...
), a Queen of Portugal (wife of Peter II of Portugal), a Queen of Spain (wife of Charles II of Spain
Charles II of Spain
Charles II was the last Habsburg King of Spain and the ruler of large parts of Italy, the Spanish territories in the Southern Low Countries, and Spain's overseas Empire, stretching from the Americas to the Spanish East Indies...
) and a Crown Princess of Poland
Countess Palatine Hedwig Elisabeth Amelia of Neuburg
Hedwig Elisabeth of Neuburg was the daughter of Philip William, Duke of Neuburg, Berg and Jülich, Elector Palatine of Neuburg, and his wife Landgravine Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt....
(daughter in law of John III Sobieski
John III Sobieski
John III Sobieski was one of the most notable monarchs of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, from 1674 until his death King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. Sobieski's 22-year-reign was marked by a period of the Commonwealth's stabilization, much needed after the turmoil of the Deluge and...
). Her brothers included Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine
Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine
Johann Wilhelm II, Elector Palatine was Elector Palatine , Duke Palatine of Neuburg/Danube , Duke of Jülich and Berg , and Duke of Upper Palatinate and Cham...
and Charles III Philip, Elector Palatine, both her father's successors and Francis Louis of Neuburg, Grand Master of the Teutonic Order.
Dorothea Sophie was blonde, with blue eyes and tall. She was also known for being arrogant, ambitious, authoritarian and without sense of humour.
On 17 September 1690, she married Odoardo Farnese, Hereditary Prince of Parma, heir to the throne of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza. The festivities for their wedding were the most splendid that had ever taken place in Parma
Parma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
. In their three years of marriage, they had two children, a son who died in infancy and a daughter Elisabeth, future Queen of Spain.
Odoardo died on 6 September 1693, only a month after the death of their son. On 7 December 1696, Dorothea Sophie married Odoardo's half-brother, Francesco Farnese
Francesco Farnese, Duke of Parma
Francesco Farnese reigned as the seventh and penultimate Farnese Duke of Parma and Piacenza from 1694 until his death...
, who had become Duke of Parma
Parma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
when his father died in 1694.
This marriage was decided by Francesco
Francesco Farnese, Duke of Parma
Francesco Farnese reigned as the seventh and penultimate Farnese Duke of Parma and Piacenza from 1694 until his death...
himself, because he didn't want to give up Dorothea Sophie's dowry should she marry someone else. Nevertheless, this marriage remained childless.
Francesco
Francesco Farnese, Duke of Parma
Francesco Farnese reigned as the seventh and penultimate Farnese Duke of Parma and Piacenza from 1694 until his death...
died in 1727 and, when his only remaining brother Antonio also died childless in 1731, the Duchy of Parma
Parma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
went to Dorothea Sophie's eldest grandchild, the 16-year-old son of Elisabeth of Parma
Elisabeth of Parma
Elisabeth Farnese , the daughter of Odoardo Farnese and Dorothea Sophie of Neuburg, was Queen consort of Spain who exerted great influence over Spain's foreign policy.-Parma:Elisabeth was born at the Palazzo della Pilotta in Parma, the capital of a duchy which had been ruled by...
, Charles III of Spain
Charles III of Spain
Charles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese...
. Dorothea Sophie became regent until 1735, when the Duchy was ceded to Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
after the War of the Polish Succession
War of the Polish Succession
The War of the Polish Succession was a major European war for princes' possessions sparked by a Polish civil war over the succession to Augustus II, King of Poland that other European powers widened in pursuit of their own national interests...
.
She died in Parma
Parma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
in 1748 and was buried at the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Steccata
Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Steccata
The Shrine of Santa Maria della Steccata is a Greek-cross design Renaissance church in central Parma, Italy.-History:By 1392, the site held a small oratory to shelter a miraculous image of St. John the Baptist and was neighboring a religious confraternity that had an equally miraculous image of the...
.
Issue
- Alessandro Ignazio Farnese (6 December 1691 - 5 August 1693) died in infancy.
- Elisabeth Farnese (25 October 1692 - 11 July 1766) married Philip V of SpainPhilip V of SpainPhilip V was King of Spain from 15 November 1700 to 15 January 1724, when he abdicated in favor of his son Louis, and from 6 September 1724, when he assumed the throne again upon his son's death, to his death.Before his reign, Philip occupied an exalted place in the royal family of France as a...
and had issue.