Wilhelmina of Prussia (1751-1820)Frederika Sophia Wilhelmina was a Prussian princess who married Stadholder William V in 1767. She was a talented and energetic woman with great political ambition. In 1785, she intervened after William V, under pressure from the Patriot opposition, had taken refuge in the east of the country. In 1787 she was detained by the Patriots while on a mission to The Hague. It was the signal for the Prussian army to enter and restore William to power. The situation did not last: in 1795 the royal family fled to England. After 1802 Wilhelmina and William lived alternately in Nassau and Brunswick. When both Wilhelmina and her daughter were widowed in 1806, they lived together at various places in Germany. Only in 1814 did mother and daughter return to the Netherlands. |
