Sophia of Hanover

Timeline

1. 1651–1658Heidelberg · PalatinateShe was born in 1630 in the exile court at The Hague and in 1650 moved to Heidelberg under her brother Karl Ludwig's rule. After the Peace of Westphalia partially restored the Palatinate, marriage negotiations were held there. In June 1658 she instead contracted with Ernest Augustus, and married at Heidelberg on 30 September.
2. 1658–1698Hanover · HanoverAfter marriage she bore Ernest Augustus children including George Ludwig. In 1679 her husband became Duke of Hanover and in 1692 was raised to Elector, making her Electress. She oversaw the construction of the Herrenhausen gardens and from 1676 maintained a long correspondence with Leibniz, renowned in European courts for her learning.
3. 1700–1701Hanover · HanoverAfter Queen Anne's son, the Duke of Gloucester, died in 1700, she became the viable heir as granddaughter of James I and a staunch Protestant. In September of that year she met William III at Loo Palace. The English Act of Settlement of 1701 designated Sophia and her Protestant descendants as heirs to the throne, excluding the Catholic Stuart male line.