Elizabeth of Bohemia
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Born Elizabeth Stuart. Official Titles: Electress of Palatine, Queen of Bohemia, Princess Elizabeth Stuart of Scotland Lived from August 19 1596 to February 13 1662 Oldest daughter of James VI of Scotland and his wife, Anne of Denmark. Her brother was Charles I of England. She was Queen of Bohemia only for a few months so she is sometimes called ‘The Winter Queen’.
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[change] Childhood
She was born at Falkland Palace in Fife, Scotland. Her father gave her the name Elizabeth to make Elizabeth I of England happy. The Queen had no children and James wanted her to say that he could be King of England when she died. She finally agreed and James became King James I of England (as well as Wales and Ireland) in 1603. Elizabeth Stuart now had a higher status, which meant that more important men would want to marry her.
[change] The gunpowder plot
At this time, there was strong conflict (fights) between Catholics and Protestants in England. Although King James was Catholic, many Catholics didn’t like him because he gave the Protestants too much freedom to do what they wanted. In 1605 a group decided to try to blow up (explode) the English Parliament with gunpowder, when King James was there. This is called The Gunpowder Plot. The group planned to kidnap Princess Elizabeth from Coombe Abbey, in Warwickshire, and make her Queen. Because she was only nine years old, important Catholics would have the real power over her kingdoms. In the end, the group were found before they could kill King James.
[change] Marriage
On February 14 1613 she married Frederick V, who was Elector of the Palatinate, and she moved to his court at Heidelberg. Frederick was the leader of an important group of Protestant princes, called the Evangelical Union. James wanted Elizabeth to marry someone from this group so he could have a stronger friendship with them.
[change] Queen of Bohemia
In 1619, Frederick was asked to become King of Bohemia so he and Elizabeth moved to Prague. There was also strong conflict between different religious groups here. After only a few months of being King, Frederick had to leave the country. This is why Elizabeth is sometimes called ‘The Winter Queen’. She was also called ‘Queen of Hearts’ because many people liked her.
[change] Exile and death
Elizabeth and Frederick lived in exile (they couldn’t return to Bohemia) in The Hague. Frederick died in 1632 and Elizabeth lived in Holland for most of the rest of her life. After her brother’s son, Charles, became King of England and Scotland, she went to London to see him. She died there in 1662, when she was 65 years old.
[change] Children
She had seven children in total. Charles I Louis, became Elector of the Palatine in 1648. One of her daughters was Sophia of Hanover. After the 1701 Act of Settlement, Electress Sophia and her children were made heirs to the English and Scottish thrones. This means that all kings and queens of Great Britain after George I are Elizabeth’s descendants (her grandchildren and so on). Her other children were: Frederick Henry von der Pfalz, Elisabeth of Bohemia, Princess Palatine, Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Prince Maurice von Simmern, and Edward, Count Palatine of Simmern.
