CODES OF LOVE
Sensational Letters
from the ‘Uncrowned Queen’
Sophia Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg
13.11.2026–12.09.2027
In British history she is known as the ‘Uncrowned Queen’; in the history of the State of Hanover, she is romantically referred to as the ‘Princess of Ahlden’: Sophia Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1666–1726) almost went down in history as the first English queen from the House of Welf. Instead, she lived in exile under strict guard for 32 years.
Public exhibition opening on 13th November 2026, 11.30 a.m. at Stadtkirche St. Marien, Celle
The special exhibition is included in the general museum admission.
As the daughter of the Duke of Celle, Sophia Dorothea’s life was shaped by the tensions of princely politics. She was trapped in an unhappy marriage to the Elector’s son, Prince George Louis, who was to become King George I of Great Britain in 1714. Her secret love affair with Philip Christoph, Count of Königsmarck (1661–1694) ended tragically – with his assassination and her banishment to Ahlden.
Around 300 letters from this relationship have survived. They offer a unique insight into the emotional lives of two people in the Baroque era and, at the same time, reflect the circumstances at the Hanoverian court during a politically ambitious period: the rise to the status of an Electorate and, ultimately, the claim to the British crown.
Six original letters from the famous correspondence are on display as part of the special exhibition. As well as exploring Sophia Dorothea’s life and the correspondence itself, the exhibition also vividly illustrates the cultural practice of letter-writing through a series of digital and analogue interactive displays that encourage visitors to get involved.
The exhibition is sponsored by the Klosterkammer Hannover, the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture (MWK), the VGH Stiftung, the Landschaft des vormaligen Fürstentums Lüneburg (the regional representation of the former principality of Luneburg), the Arno Schmidt Stiftung and the City of Celle.
To mark the 300th anniversary of Sophie Dorothea’s death, the Arno Schmidt Stiftung, in collaboration with the Residenzmuseum, is publishing a annotated complete edition of the surviving letters in a German reading version, together with a transcription of the French originals:
Sophie Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Philipp Christoph, Count of Königsmarck
»Viel glücklicher als die Götter« | Briefwechsel (1690–1693)
Edited by Rashid-Sascha Pegah and Juliane Schmieglitz-Otten
approx. 600 pp., approx. 10 ill., hardback, dust jacket, 17 x 24 cm
ISBN 978-3-8353-6236-9
Wallstein Verlag
approx. €44.00
Also available from the museum shop from the exhibition opening.