Having failed in his attempt to flee from the tyrannical regime of his father, King Fredrick William I, Crown Prince Frederick of Prussia was ordered to marry a daughter of Duke Ferdinand Albert II and Duchess Antoinette of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel in 1733 in order to regain his freedom. Elisabeth was the niece of Empress Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, wife of Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI. The match had thus been arranged by the Austrian court in the hopes of securing influence over Prussia for another generation. On 12 June, 17-years-old Elisabeth was married to Frederick at her father's summer palace, Schloss Salzdahlum in Wolfenbüttel, Germany. On their wedding night, Frederick spent a reluctant hour with his wife and then walked about outside for the rest of the night. Due to the circumstances behind their betrothal, he was well known to have resented the marriage from the very beginning. Thus, Elizabeth's position at the Berlin Court was difficult from the beginning, as the only support that she could count on was the King's.