Overview
Dorothea of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck, known also as Dorothea von Holstein-Beck and Dorothea von Ziedewitz, (24 November 1685 – 25 December 1761), was a German princess of the House of Oldenburg and by marriage Margravine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth-Kulmbach.
Family
She was the eldest of the thirteen children of Frederick Louis, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck, by his wife, Princess Luise Charlotte of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg (1658-1740). Of all her siblings, only seven survived to adulthood: Frederick William II, who inherited Beck after succeeding his father; Charles Louis, later husband of the Countess Orzelska and ruler of Beck after the death of his nephew; Philipp Wilhelm, who died unmarried in 1729; Luise Albertine, by marriage von Seeguth-Stanislawsky; Peter August, who years later inherited Beck from his older brother; Sophie Henriette, Burgravine and Countess of Dohna-Schlobitten; and Charlotte, Abbess of Quedlinburg.
Life
Dorothea married Georg Frederick Karl of Brandenburg-Bayreuth-Kulmbach, later Margrave of Bayreuth, on 17 April 1709 in Reinfeld and settled at Weferlingen. They had five children, two sons and three daughters.
The union was completely unhappy. On 3 December 1716 Dorothea was convicted of "crimes against marital fidelity" (adultery) and imprisoned, firstly in the Ansbach fortress of Wülzburg, then exiled to Altendorf near Bamberg, and finally interned at the Lauenstein fortress in Altenberg. Her children were raised by their grandmother.
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
