Sofia of Nassau
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| Sofia of Nassau | |
|---|---|
| Queen consort of Sweden and Norway | |
 |
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| Queen Sofia of Sweden, portrait by painter Anders Zorn (1909) | |
| Tenure | May 12, 1873 - December 8, 1907 |
| Spouse | Oscar II |
| Issue | |
| Gustav V Prince Oscar, Duke of Gotlandia Prince Carl, Duke of Westrogothia Prince Eugén, Duke of Nericia |
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| Father | Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau |
| Mother | Pauline of Württemberg |
| Born | July 9, 1836 Biebrich Palace |
| Died | December 30, 1913 (aged 77) Stockholm Palace |
| Burial | Riddarholmen Church |
Sofia Wilhelmina Mariana Henrietta of Nassau German: Sophie Wilhelmine Marianne Henriette (Wiesbaden-Biebrich, 9 July 1836 – Stockholm, 30 December 1912/1913) was Queen consort of Sweden and Norway.
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[edit] Family
Sophia was the youngest daughter of Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau, by his second wife Princess Pauline Friederica Marie of Württemberg.
Her maternal grandfather was Prince Paul of Württemberg, a son of King Frederick I of Württemberg and his ill-fated consort Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1764 - 1788). Augusta was a daughter of Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg and Princess Augusta of Great Britain, an older sister of George III of the United Kingdom.
[edit] Early life
The marriage was the first in the Royal House that was not completely arranged. Though the match was considered very suitable, the couple was allowed to make their own decision on the basis of their feelings, and generally, their marriage was considered happy. She married King Oscar II of Sweden on 6 June 1857 at the Castle in Wiesbaden-Biebrich. Sophia was received with enormous enthusiasm when she arrived in Sweden in 1857 because the then- Crown Prince and his consort were not expected to produce a male heir. Sophia was therefore de facto Crown Princess, though she did not receive the title officially until 1859.
The couple lived a quiet life in Arvfurstens palats. Sophia disliked the frivolity of her brother-in-law's court and the French-influenced culture and catholic and liberal tendencies she saw there. She was a respected and dignified woman, described as learned, calm and sensible but boring, a center of the Royal Family life and someone from whom to seek advice. She exercised stern discipline over both her sons and her husband and shocked people by letting her sons attend a public boys' school. Her family life represented the Victorian ideal but involved the usual double-standards; her husband was sometimes unfaithful, but much more discreet than his brother. During his affairs, Sophia herself protested discreetly by leaving town and staying at the country estate. She became Queen consort of Sweden on May 12, 1873.
[edit] Queen
As queen, Sophia was liberal and almost democratic in her views, in contrast to her daughter-in-law Victoria of Baden, whose militant aggression she disliked. She had a moderating effect on her husband's more conservative and pro-German ideas. It was noticed that she had a stabilising effect on him. After 1866, when her home (Nassau) was annexed by Prussia, she became an Anglophile.
Acting as her husband's advisor, she is known to have used her political influence on several occasions. She was popular in Norway, where she spent all her summers between 1892 and 1904. In 1895, a dispute broke out with Norway, which wished to have its own embassies abroad. The royal family gathered by the queen's sickbed to discuss what to do, accompanied by the German Emperor William II. William recomended military intervention, but Sophia forbade anything of the sort and told the Emperor that he did not understand the situation. In 1898, the Prime Minister (Boström) threathened to resign, and the King to abdicate, after the Norwegians began using their own flag. Sophia calmed the situation, called the minister and convinced him to stay. She is often credited with using her influence to prevent war between Sweden and Norway when their union dissolved in 1905.
She supported her son Eugen, who wanted to study art in Paris (1886), and her son Oscar when he wanted to marry the noblewoman Ebba Munck (1888).
Queen Sophia was deeply religious and very active in charity work, especially health care and medicine. During her first years as queen, her husband had several affairs. Although he was discreet, she was humiliated by them, which made her turn to religion. She listened to various religious groups, often in the company of her sister-in-law Eugenie. In 1878, she became a follower of the English preacher Lord Radstock, who, she had listened to when he visited Stockholm. Despite her religious interests, however, she did not mix her religion with her social work, and she was respected for this.
In 1884, Sophia established the first school for the education of nurses after a visit to London, where she was inspired by Florence Nightingale. In 1887, she founded the hospital Sophiahemmet. She was always very interested in increasing respect for the nursing profession among doctors and had many conflicts with authorities over this. She wanted the profession of nursing to be seen as a holy task, not a profession, that the nurses be well educated in medicine, and encouraged women from the upper-classes to be nurses, all because she wanted nurses to be respected. In her nursing school, even students from the aristocracy were espected to scrub the floors.
Queen Sophia suffered from poor health and in 1887, she had an ovariotomy operation. The surgery was considered a success, but afterwards she had difficulty walking and often used a wheelchair. Despite this she continued riding. Although she was very much active as a Queen in regards to her social projects and in politics, she was hardly ever seen in mere social occasions, such as balls and similar events. She often visited the country, as well as spas in Norway, Germany and Bournemouth in Great Britain.
Queen Sophia was a respected symbolic figure who represented the traditional Victorian virtues. She enjoyed a status similar to that of British Queen Victoria. When she died in 1913, her grandson remarked : "The old time died with Grandma."
[edit] Children
Their children were:
- King Gustav V (1858-1950)
- Prince Oscar, Duke of Gotland, later Count Oscar Bernadotte af Wisborg (1859-1953)
- Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland (1861-1951)
- Prince Eugén, Duke of Närke (1865-1947)
Sofia was the half-sister of Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (and formerly the last Duke of Nassau), who created the title Count of Wisborg in the Luxembourg nobility for Sofia's son Oscar, who lost his succession rights and titles by marrying without the King's consent.
Her great-grandson is King Harald V of Norway, her great-great-grandson is King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, her great-great-granddaughter is Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, her great-grandson is King Albert II of Belgium and her great-great-grandson is Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg.
[edit] References
- Herman Lindqvist (2006). Historien om alla Sveriges drottningar (in Swedish). Norstedts Förlag. ISBN 9113015249.
- Lars Elgklou (1995) (in Swedish). Familjen Bernadotte, en kunglig släktkrönika. Skogs boktryckeri Trelleborg. ISBN 91 7054 755 6.
- Lars O. Lagerqvist (1979) (in Swedish). Bernadotternas drottningar. Albert Bonniers Förlag AB. ISBN 91-0-042916-3.
[edit] External links
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Sofia of Nassau
Cadet branch of the House of Nassau
Born: July 9 1836 Died: December 30 1913 |
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| Swedish royalty | ||
|---|---|---|
| Vacant
Title last held by
Louise of the Netherlands |
Queen consort of Sweden 1872–1907 |
Succeeded by Victoria of Baden |
| Norwegian royalty | ||
| Vacant
Title last held by
Louise of the Netherlands |
Queen consort of Norway 1872–1905 |
Succeeded by Maud of Wales |
