Princess of Anhalt-Zerbst
The marriage of Joanna and Christian August turned out to be a mismatch because of their large age gap and different personalities. The soldier husband was a sober and simple man, used to giving orders and not talking much, while his young wife loved socializing. In addition, Christian August could only afford a small townhouse on his military pay while Joanna was used to the luxury of the ducal court of Brünswick. Compared to the life Joanna had known, which was full of balls, hunts, and theatre plays, there was little entertainment in Stettin. Joanna was unhappy but remained an obedient and dutiful wife.
On 22 January 1729, after Christian August was appointed commander of Stettin, the couple moved into the castle in the middle of the city. Joanna, who remained dissatisfied with her position and her social isolation, started travelling to escape Stettin. She often visited Brünswick, her childhood home, and every February during the carnival season she paid her respects to the King of Prussia. Much to her dismay, she was treated as a poor relative and pitied for her marriage to someone below her in rank.
On 21 April 1729, Joanna gave birth to her first child, Sophie Auguste Friederike. Everyone had hoped for a son and heir to his father. As compensation for having to marry a minor prince, Joanna wanted to raise a great ruler. To her great disappointment, the baby was a girl.
The labour was intense and life-threatening for Joanna, who had to lie in bed for 19 weeks after the birth to recover. She handed her child over to nurses and servants (as was customary in the era for noble mothers), and did not show the child affection.
In the following years, Joanna gave birth to three more children: on 17 November 1730, to her favourite, William Christian Frederick, who suffered from rickets; on 8 August 1734, to Frederick Augustus, who would succeed his father as Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst; and on 10 November 1736, to Auguste Charlotte Christine, who died two weeks later.
Joanna's relationship with her eldest child remained strained. According to Sophie's memoirs, Joanna was often violent and angry towards her for no reason. However, Joanna wanted Sophie to contract an advantageous marriage, so Sophie began from the age of 8 to accompany her mother on her travels. In 1739, they visited Joanna's brother, Adolf Frederick, Prince-Bishop of Lübeck (1710–1771), who had become the guardian of Charles Peter Ulrich, the eleven-year-old orphaned duke of Holstein-Gottorp and only living grandchild of Emperor Peter the Great of Russia (1672–1725). He was therefore a prospective heir in both the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Sweden lines of succession.
In 1741, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Petrovna of Russia ascended to the throne as empress. She had once been engaged to Joanna's brother Charles Augustus (1706–1727), who died shortly before the wedding, and she cherished his memory for her whole life. Joanna was quick to write a congratulatory letter, and later sent a portrait of Elizabeth's deceased sister, Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna, and received a valuable portrait of the Empress in return. To further the relationship, Joanna sent a portrait of Sophie to the Empress, who was pleased with her beauty.
Meanwhile, the illness of William Christian, Joanna's favourite child, was becoming more severe despite regular cures in Baden-Baden and Karlsbad. After his death on 27 August 1742, Joanna was inconsolable. A few months later, on 17 December, she gave birth to her fifth and last child, a daughter. Joanna asked to be allowed to name her after the Empress of Russia, who became Elisabeth Ulrike's godmother.
In January 1742, Empress Elizabeth brought Peter Ulrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp and only child of her late beloved sister Anna Petrovna, to Saint Petersburg. When she adopted Peter and appointed him as her heir, Peter renounced his claim to the Swedish throne. This enabled Elizabeth to appoint as the new heir to the Swedish throne, Peter Ulrich's guardian, Adolf Frederick, Joanna's older brother, which elevated her in rank.
In November 1742, Christian August inherited the Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst with his brother, John Louis, and the family moved to Zerbst.
