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53-461: Sophia (born Princess Sophia of the Palatinate ; 14 October [ O.S. 3 October] 1630 – 8 June [ O.S. 28 May] 1714) was Electress of Hanover from 19 December 1692 until 23 January 1698 as the consort of Prince-Elector Ernest Augustus . She was later the heiress presumptive to the thrones of England and Scotland (later Great Britain ) and Ireland under

106-694: A Roman Catholic. In 1711, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland recommended that its congregations pray regularly "for the Princess Sophia, Electoress and Duchess Dowager of Hanover, and the Protestant line in that family, upon whom the succession to the crown of these dominions is by law established". Some British politicians attempted several times to bring Sophia to England in order to enable her to assume government immediately in

159-516: A letter dated "12/22 Dec. 1635". In his biography of John Dee , The Queen's Conjurer , Benjamin Woolley surmises that because Dee fought unsuccessfully for England to embrace the 1583/84 date set for the change, "England remained outside the Gregorian system for a further 170 years, communications during that period customarily carrying two dates". In contrast, Thomas Jefferson , who lived while

212-484: A more up-to-date residence, Osnabruck Palace, and in 1673 they moved there. Their youngest son was born there in 1674. Christian Louis died childless in 1665, leaving Lüneburg to the second brother, George William, who had ceded his right to Ernest Augustus, who thus succeeded to that title. George William kept the district of Celle for himself. In 1679, Ernest Augustus inherited the Principality of Calenberg from

265-450: A result, Princess Sophia became Electress of Hanover, the title by which she is best remembered. A patron of the arts, Sophia commissioned Herrenhausen Palace and its gardens and sponsored philosophers, such as Gottfried Leibniz and John Toland . The twelfth child and fifth daughter of Frederick V of the Palatinate and Elizabeth Stuart , also known as the "Winter King and Queen of Bohemia" for their short rule in that country, Sophia

318-747: A separate state in international law at the time, this did not mean she would also succeed Anne as Queen of Scotland, which led to a succession crisis and eventually to the Treaty of Union between Scotland and England in 1706/07. The key excerpt from the Act, naming Sophia as heir presumptive, reads: Therefore for a further Provision of the Succession of the Crown in the Protestant Line We Your Majesties most dutifull and Loyall Subjects

371-911: A start-of-year adjustment works well with little confusion for events before the introduction of the Gregorian calendar. For example, the Battle of Agincourt is well known to have been fought on 25 October 1415, which is Saint Crispin's Day . However, for the period between the first introduction of the Gregorian calendar on 15 October 1582 and its introduction in Britain on 14 September 1752, there can be considerable confusion between events in Continental Western Europe and in British domains. Events in Continental Western Europe are usually reported in English-language histories by using

424-589: Is particularly relevant for dates which fall between the start of the "historical year" (1 January) and the legal start date, where different. This was 25 March in England, Wales, Ireland and the colonies until 1752, and until 1600 in Scotland. In Britain, 1 January was celebrated as the New Year festival from as early as the 13th century, despite the recorded (civil) year not incrementing until 25 March, but

477-479: The Act of Settlement 1701 , as a granddaughter of King James VI and I . Sophia died less than two months before she would have become Queen of Great Britain and Ireland. Consequently, her son George I succeeded her first cousin once removed, Queen Anne , to the British throne. The succession to the throne has since been composed entirely of, and legally defined as Sophia's legitimate and Protestant descendants. Sophia

530-541: The Julian dates of 1–13 February 1918 , pursuant to a Sovnarkom decree signed 24 January 1918 (Julian) by Vladimir Lenin . The decree required that the Julian date was to be written in parentheses after the Gregorian date, until 1 July 1918. It is common in English-language publications to use the familiar Old Style or New Style terms to discuss events and personalities in other countries, especially with reference to

583-583: The Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar as enacted in various European countries between 1582 and 1923. In England , Wales , Ireland and Britain's American colonies , there were two calendar changes, both in 1752. The first adjusted the start of a new year from 25 March ( Lady Day , the Feast of the Annunciation ) to 1 January, a change which Scotland had made in 1600. The second discarded

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636-765: The Lords Spirituall and Lords Temporall and Commons in this present Parliament assembled do beseech Your Majesty that it may be enacted and declared and be it enacted and declared by the Kings most Excellent Majesty by and with the Advice and Consent of the Lords Spirituall and Temporall and Commons in this present Parliament assembled and by the Authority of the same That the most Excellent Princess Sophia Electress and Dutchess Dowager of Hannover Daughter of

689-609: The Russian Empire and the very beginning of Soviet Russia . For example, in the article "The October (November) Revolution", the Encyclopædia Britannica uses the format of "25 October (7 November, New Style)" to describe the date of the start of the revolution. The Latin equivalents, which are used in many languages, are, on the one hand, stili veteris (genitive) or stilo vetere (ablative), abbreviated st.v. , and meaning "(of/in) old style" ; and, on

742-477: The "year starting 25th March was called the Civil or Legal Year, although the phrase Old Style was more commonly used". To reduce misunderstandings about the date, it was normal even in semi-official documents such as parish registers to place a statutory new-year heading after 24 March (for example "1661") and another heading from the end of the following December, 1661/62 , a form of dual dating to indicate that in

795-754: The 19th century (Klopp 1973), that reveals Sophia to have been a woman of exceptional intellectual ability and curiosity. She was well-read in the works of René Descartes and Baruch Spinoza . Together with Ernest Augustus she greatly improved the Herrenhausen Palace , and she was the guiding spirit in the creation of the Herrenhausen Gardens surrounding the palace, where she died. In 1680 during her husband's another long visit to Italy, Sophia wrote her memories of her first fifty-years of life. Sophia had seven children who reached adulthood: Three of her sons were killed in battle. Sophia

848-627: The 19th century, a practice that the author Karen Bellenir considered to reveal a deep emotional resistance to calendar reform. Ernest Augustus, Elector of Brunswick-L%C3%BCneburg He was also ruler of the Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück from 1662 until his death. Ernest Augustus was born on 20 November 1629 at Herzberg Castle near Göttingen , Principality of Calenberg , the youngest son of George, Duke of Brunswick-Calenberg and Prince of Calenberg, and Anne Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt . On 30 September 1658, he married Sophia of

901-583: The Boyne was commemorated with smaller parades on 1 July. However, both events were combined in the late 18th century, and continue to be celebrated as " The Twelfth ". Because of the differences, British writers and their correspondents often employed two dates, a practice called dual dating , more or less automatically. Letters concerning diplomacy and international trade thus sometimes bore both Julian and Gregorian dates to prevent confusion. For example, Sir William Boswell wrote to Sir John Coke from The Hague

954-577: The British Empire did so in 1752, the gap had grown to eleven days; when Russia did so (as its civil calendar ) in 1918, thirteen days needed to be skipped. In the Kingdom of Great Britain and its possessions, the Calendar (New Style) Act 1750 introduced two concurrent changes to the calendar. The first, which applied to England, Wales, Ireland and the British colonies, changed the start of

1007-462: The British Isles and colonies converted to the Gregorian calendar, instructed that his tombstone bear his date of birth by using the Julian calendar (notated O.S. for Old Style) and his date of death by using the Gregorian calendar. At Jefferson's birth, the difference was eleven days between the Julian and Gregorian calendars and so his birthday of 2 April in the Julian calendar is 13 April in

1060-531: The British throne . Upon Sophia's death, her eldest son Elector George Louis of Hanover (1660–1727) became heir presumptive in her place and within two months succeeded Anne as George I of Great Britain. Sophia's daughter Sophia Charlotte of Hanover (1668–1705) married Frederick I of Prussia , from whom the later Prussian and German monarchs descend. Sophia was buried in the chapel of Leine Palace in Hanover, as were her husband and their son George I. After

1113-511: The Calendar Act that the notations "Old Style" and "New Style" came into common usage. When recording British history, it is usual to quote the date as originally recorded at the time of the event, but with the year number adjusted to start on 1 January. The latter adjustment may be needed because the start of the civil calendar year had not always been 1 January and was altered at different times in different countries. From 1155 to 1752,

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1166-536: The English Stuarts also went into exile and Sophia was courted by her cousin, Charles II of England . Sophia instead married Prince Ernest Augustus, her third cousin, in 1658. Despite his temper and frequent absences, Sophia loved him and bore him seven children who survived to adulthood. Born a landless cadet , Ernest Augustus succeeded in having the House of Hanover raised to electoral dignity in 1692. As

1219-623: The Gregorian calendar. For example, the Battle of Blenheim is always given as 13 August 1704. However, confusion occurs when an event involves both. For example, William III of England arrived at Brixham in England on 5 November (Julian calendar), after he had set sail from the Netherlands on 11 November (Gregorian calendar) 1688. The Battle of the Boyne in Ireland took place a few months later on 1 July 1690 (Julian calendar). That maps to 11 July (Gregorian calendar), conveniently close to

1272-466: The Gregorian calendar. Similarly, George Washington is now officially reported as having been born on 22 February 1732, rather than on 11 February 1731/32 (Julian calendar). The philosopher Jeremy Bentham , born on 4 February 1747/8 (Julian calendar), in later life celebrated his birthday on 15 February. There is some evidence that the calendar change was not easily accepted. Many British people continued to celebrate their holidays "Old Style" well into

1325-445: The Julian calendar in favour of the Gregorian calendar, skipping 11 days in the month of September to do so. To accommodate the two calendar changes, writers used dual dating to identify a given day by giving its date according to both styles of dating. For countries such as Russia where no start-of-year adjustment took place, O.S. and N.S. simply indicate the Julian and Gregorian dating systems respectively. The need to correct

1378-517: The Julian date of the subsequent (and more decisive) Battle of Aughrim on 12 July 1691 (Julian). The latter battle was commemorated annually throughout the 18th century on 12 July, following the usual historical convention of commemorating events of that period within Great Britain and Ireland by mapping the Julian date directly onto the modern Gregorian calendar date (as happens, for example, with Guy Fawkes Night on 5 November). The Battle of

1431-434: The Netherlands. This happened two months after the death of his nephew Prince William, Duke of Gloucester , son of the future Queen Anne . By this time, given the ailing William III's reluctance to remarry, the inclusion of Sophia in the line of succession was becoming more likely because she was a Protestant, as was her son. Her candidature was aided by the fact that she had grown up in the Netherlands close to William III and

1484-491: The Palatinate in Heidelberg . She was the daughter of Frederick V, Elector Palatine and Elizabeth Stuart of England , and granddaughter of King James I of England . Sophia had been betrothed to Ernest Augustus's older brother, George William , who did not want her. When she married Ernest Augustus instead, releasing George William from this obligation, George William ceded to Ernest Augustus his claim to Lüneburg . As

1537-494: The accumulated difference between these figures, between the years 325 and 1582, by skipping 10 days to set the ecclesiastical date of the equinox to be 21 March, the median date of its occurrence at the time of the First Council of Nicea in 325. Countries that adopted the Gregorian calendar after 1699 needed to skip an additional day for each subsequent new century that the Julian calendar had added since then. When

1590-446: The calendar arose from the realisation that the correct figure for the number of days in a year is not 365.25 (365 days 6 hours) as assumed by the Julian calendar but slightly less (c. 365.242 days). The Julian calendar therefore has too many leap years . The consequence was that the basis for the calculation of the date of Easter , as decided in the 4th century , had drifted from reality . The Gregorian calendar reform also dealt with

1643-561: The civil or legal year in England began on 25 March ( Lady Day ); so for example, the execution of Charles I was recorded at the time in Parliament as happening on 30 January 164 8 (Old Style). In newer English-language texts, this date is usually shown as "30 January 164 9 " (New Style). The corresponding date in the Gregorian calendar is 9 February 1649, the date by which his contemporaries in some parts of continental Europe would have recorded his execution. The O.S./N.S. designation

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1696-473: The destruction of the palace and its chapel during World War II by Allied aerial raids , their remains were moved into the mausoleum of King Ernest Augustus I in the Berggarten of Herrenhausen Gardens in 1957. Old Style and New Style dates Old Style ( O.S. ) and New Style ( N.S. ) indicate dating systems before and after a calendar change, respectively. Usually, they refer to the change from

1749-414: The event of Anne's death. It was argued that such a course was necessary to ensure Sophia's succession, for Anne's Roman Catholic half-brother was significantly closer to London than was Sophia. The Electress was eager to move to London , but the proposal was denied, as such action would mortally offend Anne, who was strongly opposed to a rival court in her kingdom. Anne might have been aware that Sophia, who

1802-491: The first Elector of Hanover . Ernest Augustus was a second cousin of Sophia's mother Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia , as they were both great-grandchildren of Christian III of Denmark . Sophia became a friend and admirer of Gottfried Leibniz while he was librarian at the Court of Hanover. Their friendship lasted from 1676 until her death in 1714. This friendship resulted in a substantial correspondence, first published in

1855-566: The following twelve weeks or so, the year was 1661 Old Style but 1662 New Style. Some more modern sources, often more academic ones (e.g. the History of Parliament ) also use the 1661/62 style for the period between 1 January and 24 March for years before the introduction of the New Style calendar in England. The Gregorian calendar was implemented in Russia on 14 February 1918 by dropping

1908-574: The fourth son, Ernest Augustus had little chance of succeeding his father as ruler. Therefore, the couple had to live in the Leineschloss at the Hanover court of Ernest Augustus' eldest brother Christian Louis . However, in the Peace of Westphalia of 1648, it had been agreed between the Catholic and Protestant powers that the rulership of the Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück should alternate between

1961-598: The marriage of her son George and Sophia Dorothea of Celle , looking down on Sophia Dorothea's mother Éléonore Desmier d'Olbreuse (who was not of royal birth and to whom Sophia referred as "mouse dirt mixed among the pepper") and concerned by Sophia Dorothea's legitimated status, but was eventually won over by the financial advantages inherent in the marriage. In September 1700, Sophia met her cousin King William III of England at Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn ,

2014-787: The most Excellent Princess Elizabeth late Queen of Bohemia Daughter of our late Sovereign Lord King James the First of happy Memory be and is hereby declared to be the next in Succession in the Protestant Line to the Imperiall Crown and Dignity of the forsaid Realms of England France and Ireland with the Dominions and Territories thereunto belonging after His Majesty and the Princess Anne of Denmark and in Default of Issue of

2067-456: The other, stili novi or stilo novo , abbreviated st.n. and meaning "(of/in) new style". The Latin abbreviations may be capitalised differently by different users, e.g., St.n. or St.N. for stili novi . There are equivalents for these terms in other languages as well, such as the German a.St. (" alter Stil " for O.S.). Usually, the mapping of New Style dates onto Old Style dates with

2120-637: The right to British citizenship via this Act at any time before its repeal by the British Nationality Act 1948 retain this lawful right today. Although considerably older than Queen Anne , Sophia enjoyed much better health. According to the Countess of Bückeburg in a letter to Sophia's niece, the Raugravine Luise, on 5 June 1714 Sophia felt ill after receiving an angry letter from Queen Anne. Three days later, on 8 June, she

2173-534: The said Princess Anne and of His Majesty respectively. Sophia was made next in line to cut off a claim by the Roman Catholic James Francis Edward Stuart , who would have become James III and VIII and to deny the throne to the many other Roman Catholics and spouses of Roman Catholics who held a claim. The act restricts the British throne to the "Protestant heirs" of Sophia of Hanover who had never been Roman Catholic or married

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2226-492: The third brother John Frederick . In 1680 the family moved back to Hanover. In 1683, against the protestations of his five younger sons, Ernest Augustus instituted primogeniture , so that his territory would not be further subdivided after his death, and also as a pre-condition for obtaining the coveted electorship. He participated in the Great Turkish War on the side of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor . In 1692, he

2279-493: The two churches, and that the respective Protestant bishops should be members of the House of Welf . When the Osnabruck throne became vacant in 1662, the family appointed Ernest Augustus Prince-Bishop. Ernest Augustus and Sophia moved to Iburg Castle , together with their two living sons and Sophia's niece Princess Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate (future sister-in-law of Louis XIV of France ). In 1667 they began to build

2332-423: The year from 25 March to 1 January, with effect from "the day after 31 December 1751". (Scotland had already made this aspect of the changes, on 1 January 1600.) The second (in effect ) adopted the Gregorian calendar in place of the Julian calendar. Thus "New Style" can refer to the start-of-year adjustment , to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar , or to the combination of the two. It was through their use in

2385-549: Was able to converse fluently with him in Dutch, his native tongue. A year after their meeting, the Parliament of England passed the Act of Settlement 1701 , which declared that in the event of no legitimate issue from Anne or William III, the crowns of England and Ireland were to settle upon "the most excellent princess Sophia, electress and duchess-dowager of Hanover" and "the heirs of her body, being Protestant". Scotland being

2438-528: Was absent for almost a year, 1664–65, during a long holiday with Ernest Augustus in Italy. She corresponded regularly with her sons' governess and took a great interest in her sons' upbringing, even more so on her return. After Sophia's tour, she bore Ernest Augustus another four sons and a daughter. In her letters, Sophia describes her eldest son as a responsible, conscientious child who set an example to his younger brothers and sisters. Sophia was, at first, against

2491-430: Was active and lively despite her old age, could cut a better figure than herself. Sophia was completely uncertain of what would happen after Anne's death, saying: "What Parliament does one day, it undoes the next." When the law was passed in mid-1701, Sophia at age 70, five of her children from ages 35 to 41, and three legitimate grandchildren from ages 14 to 18, were alive. Although Sophia was 35 years older than Anne, she

2544-561: Was appointed Prince-elector by the Emperor, thus raising the House of Hanover to electoral dignity, the elevation becoming effective in 1708 when confirmed by the Imperial Diet. He was nonetheless recognized as Elector of Hanover, the very first. Ernest Augustus died in 1698 at Herrenhausen Palace, Hanover. He was succeeded as ruler by his eldest son, George Louis , later King George I of Great Britain. His main residences were

2597-602: Was born in The Hague to Frederick V , formerly Elector Palatine and King of Bohemia , and Elizabeth , daughter of King James VI and I. She grew up in the Dutch Republic , where her family had sought refuge after the sequestration of their Electorate during the Thirty Years' War . Sophia's brother Charles Louis was restored as elector in the Palatinate as part of the Peace of Westphalia . During this time,

2650-583: Was born in The Wassenaer Hof, The Hague , Dutch Republic , where her parents had fled into exile after the Battle of White Mountain . Through her mother, she was the granddaughter of James VI and I , king of Scotland and England in a personal union . At birth, Sophia was granted an annuity of 40 thalers by the Estates of Friesland . Sophia was courted by her first cousin, Charles II of England , but she rebuffed his advances as she thought he

2703-769: Was using her in order to get money from her mother's supporter, Lord William Craven . Before her marriage, Sophia, as the daughter of Frederick V, Elector Palatine of the Rhine, was referred to as Sophie, Princess Palatine of the Rhine, or as Sophia of the Palatinate. The Electors of the Palatinate were the Calvinist senior branch of House of Wittelsbach , whose Catholic branch ruled the Electorate of Bavaria . On 30 September 1658, she married Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg , at Heidelberg , who in 1692 became

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2756-473: Was very fit and healthy, and invested time and energy in securing the succession either for herself or her son. There are more than 5,000 legitimate descendants of Sophia, although not all are in the line of succession . The Sophia Naturalization Act 1705 ( 4 & 5 Ann. c. 16) granted the right of British (or more correctly English, as Great Britain only came into existence in 1707) nationality to Sophia's non-Roman Catholic descendants; those who had obtained

2809-417: Was walking in the gardens of Herrenhausen when she ran to shelter from a sudden downpour of rain and collapsed and died in the arms of her granddaughter-in-law Caroline of Ansbach , Electoral Princess of Hanover. Sophia was 83, a very advanced age for the era. Queen Anne died less than two months later on 1 August 1714 at the age of 49. Had Sophia survived Anne, she would have been the oldest person to ascend

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