History of the Stewarts | Famous Stewarts
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Elizabeth Stuart - Queen of Bohemia
Elizabeth Stuart (1596 - 1662), known as the ´Winter Queen´, was the eldest daughter and third child of James I and VI.
Elizabeth was born in Falkland Palace on the 19th August, 1592. Elizabeth was given a comprehensive education for a princess at that time. This education included instruction in natural history, geography, theology, languages, writing, history, music and dancing.
She married Frederick, the Elector of the Palatinate, in 1613. The marriage was celebrated with lavish festivities both in London and Heidelberg. Among many writings celebrating her marriage was John Donne’s masterpiece "Epithalamion, Or Marriage Song on the Lady Elizabeth, and Count Palatine being married on St Valentines Day".
Her husband accepted the Bohemian crown in 1619, Frederick had initially seemed uncertain as to what he should do but Elizabeth moved to persuade Frederick to accept. The family moved to Prague and Frederick was officially crowned on the 4 November 1619, with Elizabeth being crowned queen of Bohemia three days later. Frederick and Elizabeth as king and queen of Bohemia. Frederick´s reign in Bohemia had begun well but the Bohemian crown had always been important to the Hapsburgs and Archduke Ferdinand, now Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II was not about to give it up. Owing to this Frederick´s rule was brief, as Ferdinand´s forces routed him at the Battle of White Mountain on 8 November 1620, so starting the Thirty Years’ War across much of Northern and Central Europe.
They lived in exile in Holland from 1621 onwards since the Palantine was occupied . She returned to England in 1661, and stayed in the London house of the 1st Earl Craven. In the following year she moved into Leicester House in Leicester Square where she died a few weeks later on 13 February 1662.
Under the English Act of Settlement 1701 the succession to the English and Scottish crowns (later British crown) was settled on Elizabeth’s youngest daughter Sophia of Hanover and her issue. In August 1714 George I ascended to the throne, so all subsequent monarchs are descendants of Elizabeth.
Elizabeth was born in Falkland Palace on the 19th August, 1592. Elizabeth was given a comprehensive education for a princess at that time. This education included instruction in natural history, geography, theology, languages, writing, history, music and dancing.
She married Frederick, the Elector of the Palatinate, in 1613. The marriage was celebrated with lavish festivities both in London and Heidelberg. Among many writings celebrating her marriage was John Donne’s masterpiece "Epithalamion, Or Marriage Song on the Lady Elizabeth, and Count Palatine being married on St Valentines Day".
Her husband accepted the Bohemian crown in 1619, Frederick had initially seemed uncertain as to what he should do but Elizabeth moved to persuade Frederick to accept. The family moved to Prague and Frederick was officially crowned on the 4 November 1619, with Elizabeth being crowned queen of Bohemia three days later. Frederick and Elizabeth as king and queen of Bohemia. Frederick´s reign in Bohemia had begun well but the Bohemian crown had always been important to the Hapsburgs and Archduke Ferdinand, now Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II was not about to give it up. Owing to this Frederick´s rule was brief, as Ferdinand´s forces routed him at the Battle of White Mountain on 8 November 1620, so starting the Thirty Years’ War across much of Northern and Central Europe.
They lived in exile in Holland from 1621 onwards since the Palantine was occupied . She returned to England in 1661, and stayed in the London house of the 1st Earl Craven. In the following year she moved into Leicester House in Leicester Square where she died a few weeks later on 13 February 1662.
Under the English Act of Settlement 1701 the succession to the English and Scottish crowns (later British crown) was settled on Elizabeth’s youngest daughter Sophia of Hanover and her issue. In August 1714 George I ascended to the throne, so all subsequent monarchs are descendants of Elizabeth.