Memoiren der Kurfürstin Sophie von Hannover

Sophie of Hanover (1630-1714) became Duchess of Brunswick and Lüneburg and Electress of Brunswick-Lüneburg through her marriage. The Act of Settlement designated her as the heir to the British throne in 1701. As early as 1680, Sophie wrote her memoirs: Judicious and with a fine sense of humor, this remarkable personality recounts the life of a young aristocrat amid the tensions of European dynasties. She chooses courtly French to narrate with a keen eye the people and events in a blend of sophistication and naturalness under the influence of the early Enlightenment. Her descriptions are inspired by the liberating spirit of the autonomy movement of the early Enlightenment. Following the first translation in 1913, a new translation of the memoirs is being published to mark the 300th anniversary of her death on June 8, 2014, accompanied by a detailed commentary and an introduction.