Wilhelmine and Friedrich (Margrave of Bayreuth)
Wilhelmine’s husband was also named Friedrich and he also played flute and took lessons from Joseph Joachim Quantz. They were married in 1731, had a daughter in 1732 and officially became the Margrave and Margarine of Bayreuth in 1735. Wilhelmine’s father-in-law was similar to her father in that he was very frugal, pious and thought music and literature were a waste of time. Friedrich, however, was more like Wilhelmine and they set about making Bayreuth a cultural hub.
Wilhelmine’s husband was also named Friedrich and he also played flute and took lessons from Joseph Joachim Quantz. They were married in 1731, had a daughter in 1732 and officially became the Margrave and Margarine of Bayreuth in 1735. Wilhelmine’s father-in-law was similar to her father in that he was very frugal, pious and thought music and literature were a waste of time. Friedrich, however, was more like Wilhelmine and they set about making Bayreuth a cultural hub.
One of the first things Friedrich did as Margrave was give the palace to Wilhelmine. She immediately set about renovating and improving what is now know as the Old Palace. Her architectural style became know as Bayreuth Rococo: neither grandiose or overwhelming but finely and delicately designed.
In 1745 Wilhelmine began work on an Opera House. The bell shaped interior could fit up to 500 people. Wood carvings were covered with gold accents and the ceiling elaborately painted. It was completed in 1759 in celebration of her daughter’s wedding. Recently the Opera House was renovated and on June 30, 2012 the Opera House was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Across the street from the Opera House, Wilhelmine built the Schlosskirche or Castle Church from 1753 to 1758. It includes a very distinctive octagonal tower. It has a beautiful interior with pastel blues and pinks with pink marble pillars. Large windows on either side provide lots of natural light. The first service held in the church was on March 26, 1758, Easter Sunday. Wilhelmine died later that year, October 14, 1758. She is buried in a crypt at the back of the church.
In January of 1753 the palace was damaged by a fire. This was when it was decided that a New Palace should be built. Although she planned all the details, Wilhelmine never saw the palace completed. Every room was filled with ornate walls and elaborate ceilings with paintings depicting Roman and Greek myths and legends.
Wilhelmine and Friedrich also founded the Academy of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Their intention was to discover and nurture local talent and then send the brightest students on to Rome and Paris. The Academy is still in existence today, know as the Friedrich-Alexander University.
Wilhelmine remained close to her brother, Frederick the Great, throughout her time in Bayreuth. In exchange for an allowance from him, she sent troops from the area to fight in her brother’s army. Bayreuth was caught in the middle of the ongoing fight between Prussia and Austria over land. Austrian diplomates tried to influence the Margrave to take their side, against Prussia. At one point Wilhelmine met with Maria Theresa, the Austrian ruler, who was Fredrick the Great’s enemy. This caused several years of tension between the siblings but in 1754 they swore loyalty to each other. Wilhelmine continued to act as eyes and ears for her brother until her death.
Wilhelmine and Frederick (Frederick the Great)
Princess Friederike Sophie Wilhelmine and Frederick II (later Frederick the Great) were the two oldest surviving children of Frederick Wilhelm I, King of Prussia and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover. While they were children, their grandfather, on their mother’s side, became King George I of England. It was their mother’s dream to have a them marry their cousins in a double wedding - Wilhelmine to the Prince of Wales and Frederick to the Princess Amelia of Great Britain. (Wilhelmine’s parents were also cousins.)
Princess Friederike Sophie Wilhelmine and Frederick II (later Frederick the Great) were the two oldest surviving children of Frederick Wilhelm I, King of Prussia and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover. While they were children, their grandfather, on their mother’s side, became King George I of England. It was their mother’s dream to have a them marry their cousins in a double wedding - Wilhelmine to the Prince of Wales and Frederick to the Princess Amelia of Great Britain. (Wilhelmine’s parents were also cousins.) Wilhelmine was raised and educated along side her brother in the hopes she would someday be the Queen of England. Unfortunately, the double wedding never happened and, ironically, the Prince of Wales died before his father. He never became king and, had they married, Wilhelmine would never have been queen.
Their father, the King of Prussia, was probably bipolar, an alcoholic, and a tyrant to his wife and children. He was very frugal and military-minded with an abhorrence for music, literature and anything cultural. He made Wilhelmine and Frederick’s childhood very unhappy. In defiance of their father, they found time to play music together when he wasn’t around. Wilhelmine played the lute and harpsichord while Frederick played the flute. Music became a life-long bond between them.
As a child Frederick preferred music and reading to his father’s insistence on military training. When he was older, he became obsessed with all things French, as did most of Europe. This infuriated his father. The king ridiculed and publicly shamed his son. By August of 1730, Frederick had had enough. He and another soldier and friend planned to run away to England. Their plot was discovered and both boys were thrown in jail. The king threatened to kill them both for desertion. In the end Frederick was forced to watch as his friend was executed. Then he was imprisoned for a year.
The king suspected that Wilhelmine also knew about the escape plan so he locked her in her room for a year as well. In a rage, he threatened to marry her off to his friend, Augustus II, the King of Poland - who was 39 years OLDER than Wilhelmine. Fortunately, Wilhemline’s mother suggested the Margrave of Bayreuth instead. They were closer in age and the marrage would secure Prussian rule in the Franconian margraviate, which had a tendency to side with Austria.
Wilhelmine’s Flute Sonata was discovered in 2003 in the library at Jagdschloss Herdringen in Arnsberg, Germany. The collection had the work labeled as ‘anonymous’ even though Wilhelmina’s name was clearly written on the upper right corner. Handwriting comparisons with her Opera, Keyboard Concerto, and her letters verify that she wrote this work as well. It is believed to have been written during the tumultuous year before her marriage to the Margrave of Bayreuth in 1731.