Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Bevern

Elizabeth Christine of Brunswick-Bevern, Queen of Prussia (November 8 1715, Wolfenbüttel – January 13 1797) was the daughter of Ferdinand Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Lunenburg.

On June 12 1733 she married Frederick II of Prussia and lived with him in Neu-Ruppin and later in the castle at Rheinsberg.

This was an involuntary marriage, and did not result in children, as Frederick almost completely ignored Elizabeth. Directly following his father's death, Frederick initiated the break up between the two. Some sources (Voltaire) lead one to believe that Frederick the Great was homosexual. This however has never been proved and neither has the story ever been confirmed that the king was impotent due to a venereal disease, as was rumoured by his enemies. Nowadays it is considered more likely that Frederick was asexual and just had no concern for dynastic obligations, as his succession was already secured by the offspring of his younger brother August Wilhelm and his wife Luise Amalie, Elisabeth Christine's younger sister.

After Frederick became King in 1740, Elisabeth lived apart from him in Niederschöenhausen Castle, north of Berlin.