Friderike Sophie von Schardt

Sophie von Schardt (born Sophie von Bernstorff: 23 November 1755 - 30 July 1819) was a well connected member of the Weimar court circle during the "classic" period. Mme de Staël thought her among the most sympathetic women in Weimar while Goethe himself, who enjoyed her company, referred to her as the "little Schardt" (als die "kleine Schardt"). She also wrote poems herself, which were mostly short lyric pieces, and produced translations from English and Italian (most of which remain unpublished).

Biography Friederike Sophie Eleonore von Bernstorff was born in Hanover. Sophie was taken in to grow up with her cousins in the home of the international statesman Count Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff (1712–1772). Count von Bernstoff was a lover of literature, who is credited with having introduced the poet Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock to the German literary scene.

Sophie von Schardt was a prodigious letter writer. One confidant and friend with whom she conducted an extensive correspondence, especially around 1812, was the lawyer-poet Friedrich Leopold zu Stolberg-Stolberg. The correspondence details her careful preparation for her conversion to Catholicism. Stolberg-Stolberg understood the social and family-related complexities involved, having made precisely the same transition himself in 1800.

Sophie von Schardt died in Weimar.