Elizabeth Stuart "The Winter Queen"

LOCAL HISTORY TIME (kinda)

Elizabeth Stuart (1596 –1662) was Electress of the Palatinate and briefly Queen of Bohemia as the wife of Frederick V of the Palatinate. Because her husband's reign in Bohemia and Palatinate lasted for just one winter, Elizabeth is often referred to as the "Winter Queen". Elizabeth also provided the link between the Stuart and Hanoverian royal families of Britian: her father was James VI and I, King of Scotland, England, and Ireland. With the fall of the last Stuart monarch in 1714, Elizabeth's grandson succeeded to the British throne as George I, initiating the Hanoverian dynasty.

Elizabeth was born at Dunfermline Palace  in the early hours of 19 August 1596. King James VI rode to the bedside from Callendar, where he was attending a wedding. Then, her father was King of Scots only and his wife Anne, The Queen of Denmark.  His new daughter was named in honour of Elizabeth I of England, her godmother, (a bit awkward, given that Elizabeth I had executed James’ mother, Mary Queen of Scots but never mind). The young Elizabeth was christened on 28 November 1596 in the Chapel Royal at Holyroodhouse, and was then proclaimed by the heralds as "Lady Elizabeth". During her early life in Scotland, Elizabeth was brought up at Linlithgow Palace, where she seemed to have had a happy life under the care of Lord Livingstone and his wife. A couple of years later, the king's second daughter, Margaret, was placed in their care as well. Elizabeth "did not pay particular attention to this younger sister", as even at this young age her affections were with her brother, Henry (poor Margaret).  

When Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, Elizabeth Stuart's father, James, succeeded as King of England and Ireland. Along with her elder brother, Henry, Elizabeth made the journey south towards England with their mother "in a triumphal progress of perpetual entertainment".

Elizabeth remained at court for a few weeks, but "there is no evidence that she was present at her parents' coronation" on 25 July 1603. It seems likely that by this time the royal children already had been removed to Oatlands, an old Tudor hunting lodge near Weybridge. When plague broke out in London, Prince Henry and Princess Elizabeth were moved to Winchester. 

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In 1605, the infamous Gunpowder Plot was hatched with the aim of assassinating Elizabeth's father and the Protestant aristocracy, kidnap the nine-year-old Elizabeth, and place her on the throne of England – and presumably the thrones of Ireland and Scotland – as a Catholic monarch. The conspirators chose Elizabeth deciding that Prince Henry would die alongside his father, Charles was too feeble, and Margaret too young. Elizabeth thus seemed a prime choice as she had already attended formal functions, and the conspirators knew that "she could fulfil a ceremonial role despite her comparative youth".

The conspirators aimed to cause an uprising in the Midlands to coincide with the explosion in London and at this point secure Elizabeth's accession as a puppet queen. She would then be brought up as a Catholic and later married to a Catholic. The plot famously failed when the conspirators were betrayed, and Guy Fawkes was apprehended.  

Elizabeth was given a comprehensive education for a princess at that time. Her subjects included natural history, geography, theology, languages, writing, history, music, and dancing. She was denied instruction in the classics as her father believed that "Latin had the unfortunate effect of making women more cunning" (James IV was not a fan of women, by the way, see my previous post on Agnes Sampson). By the age of 12, Elizabeth was fluent in several languages, including French, "which she spoke with ease and grace”. She also was an excellent rider, had a thorough understanding of Protestantism religion (showing that she may not have been such a great “Catholic Puppet” as Guy Fawkes and his buddies had hoped). She had an aptitude for writing letters that "sounded sincere and never stilted" and was extremely literary - "several mementoes of her early love of books exist" (ugh, a gal after my own heart). 

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As the daughter of a reigning monarch, the hand of the young Elizabeth was seen as a very desirable prize. Various suitors from across Europe proposed a marriage which brought great power and prestige for the young princess.

However, marriage would cost Elizabeth her father and his kingdom. When James had succeeded to the English throne in 1603, England had acquired a new role in European affairs. Unlike the childfree Elizabeth I, James, by simply "having children, could play an important role in dynastic politics”. The selection of Elizabeth's spouse, therefore, had little to do with her feelings and everything to do with international politics.

Most of her suitors were rejected quickly for a variety of reasons. Some simply were not of high enough birth, had no real prospects to offer, or in the case of Gustavus Adolphus, who on all other grounds seemed like a perfect match, because "his country was at war with Queen Anne's native Denmark". Furthermore, England could not face another religious revolution, and therefore the religious pre-requisite was paramount.

The man finally chosen was Frederick (Friedrich) V, Count Palatine of the Rhine. Frederick was of undeniably high lineage and he and Elizabeth also shared a common ancestor in Henry II of England. He was "a senior Prince of the Empire" and a staunch defender of the Protestant faith.

Frederick arrived in England on 16 October 1612, and the match seemed to please them both from the beginning. Their contemporaries noted how Frederick seemed to "delight in nothing but her company and conversation". Frederick also became close friends with Elizabeth's beloved elder brother, Prince Henry, which delighted his prospective bride immensely. Their mutual affection was a happy coincidence -  King James did not take into consideration the couple's happiness, but saw the match as "one step in a larger process of achieving domestic and European concord".The only person seemingly disapproving of the marriage was Elizabeth’s mother, Queen Anne. As the daughter, sister, wife, and mother of a king, she also desired to be the mother of a queen. She is said to have been somewhat fond of Frederick's mild manner and generous nature but simply felt that he was of low stock.

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On 6 November 1612 Henry, Prince of Wales, tragically died. This devastated Elizabeth. However, his death made her second in line to the throne, and Queen Anne and those like-minded who had "always considered the Palsgrave to be an unworthy match for her, were emboldened in their opposition". Elizabeth stood by Frederick. Most importantly, he was "regarded as the future head of the Protestant interest in Germany" which for James was all that mattered.

The wedding took place on 14 February (Valentine’s Day, how cute!) 1613 at the royal chapel at the Palace of Whitehall and was a grand occasion that brought more royalty to the English court than ever before. Despite her mother’s opposition, the marriage was an enormously popular match and was the occasion for an outpouring of public affection with the ceremony described as "a wonder of ceremonial and magnificence even for that extravagant age".

It was celebrated with lavish and sophisticated festivities both in London and Heidelberg, including mass feasts and lavish furnishings that cost nearly £50,000, and almost bankrupted King James.

After almost a two-month stay in London for continued celebrations, the couple began their journey to join the Electoral court in Heidelberg. The journey was filled with meeting people, sampling foods and wines, and being entertained by a wide variety of performers and companies. At each stop, Elizabeth was expected to distribute presents. The cash to allow her to do so was not readily available, so she had to pawn one of her own jewels.  

Her arrival in Heidelberg was seen as "the crowning achievement of a policy which tried to give the Palatinate a central place in international politics" and was long anticipated and welcomed. Elizabeth's new husband transformed his seat at Heidelberg Castle, creating between 1610 and 1613 the Englischer Bau (i.e., English Building) for her, a monkey-house, a menagerie, and the beginnings of a new garden in the Italian Renaissance garden style popular in England at the time.It was dubbed the "Eighth Wonder of the World" by contemporaries. 

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In Heidelberg, Elizabeth gave birth to three children: Frederick Henry (b1614), Charles (b.1617), and Elisabeth (b.1619). In 1619 Elizabeth's husband Frederick was one of those offered the throne of Bohemia.

Although Elizabeth and Frederick appeared genuinely infatuated and remained an affectionate couple throughout their marriage, problems quickly arose. Before the couple had left England, King James had made Frederick promise that Elizabeth "would take precedence over his mother ... and always be treated as if she were a Queen". This at times made life in the Palatinate uncomfortable for Elizabeth, as Frederick's mother Louise Juliana had "not expected to be demoted in favour of her young daughter-in-law" and, as such, their relationship was always strained.

The Kingdom of Bohemia had enjoyed a long period of religious freedom, but in March 1619, on the death of King Matthias, this seemed about to change. The Habsburg heir apparent, Archduke Ferdinand, was a fervent Catholic who brutally persecuted Protestants in his realm decided on deposition, the Bohemians "pandered to the elector's royalist pretensions" and extended the invitation to Elizabeth's husband.

Frederick, although reluctant, was persuaded to accept. Elizabeth "appealed to his honour as a prince and a cavalier, and to his humanity as a Christian", aligning herself with him completely. The family moved to Prague, where "the new King was received with genuine joy". Frederick was crowned officially at Prague Castle on 4 November 1619. The coronation of Elizabeth as Queen of Bohemia followed three days later.

The royal couple's third son, Prince Rupert, was born in Prague one month after the coronation. There was great popular rejoicing.

Thus, Frederick's reign in Bohemia had begun well, but only lasted one year. The Bohemian crown "had always been a corner-stone of Habsburg policy" and the heir, Ferdinand, now Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II, would not yield. Frederick's reign ended with the defeat of Bohemian Protestant armies at the Battle of White Mountain (which ended the first phase of the Thirty Years' War) on 8 November 1620.

Elizabeth is remembered as the "Winter Queen", and Frederick as the "Winter King", in reference to the brevity of their reign, and to the season of the battle. 

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Fearing the worst, by the time of the defeat at the Battle of White Mountain, Elizabeth already had left Prague and was awaiting the birth of her fifth near Berlin. It was there on 6 January 1621 that she "in an easy labour lasting little more than an hour" was delivered of a healthy son, Maurice.

The military defeat, however, meant that it was now impossible to return to Prague and they were forced instead to flee. They could no longer return to the Palatinate as, despite the assistance of Elizabeth's father, it was occupied by the Catholic league and a Spanish contingent. So, after a courteous invitation from the Prince of Orange was extended their way, they made their move towards The Hague. The Stuart princess, turned Electress, was now a queen in exile.

Elizabeth arrived in The Hague in the spring of 1621 with only a small nucleus court, expecting to stay there for the rest of her life. Although relatively safe and comfortable, the Hague was not a particularly friendly or pleasant place to be and consequently, Elizabeth never really settled. Nonetheless, her sense of duty to assist her husband meant that "she became much more an equal, if not the stronger, partner in the marriage". Her lady-in-waiting, Amalia van Solms, soon became involved with Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange and married him in 1625. The two women became rivals at the court of The Hague.

While in exile Elizabeth produced eight more children (there mustn’t have been much else to do!), four boys and four girls. The last, Gustavus, was born on 2 January 1632 and baptised in the Cloister Church where two of his siblings who had died young, Louis and Charlotte, were buried. Later that same month, Frederick said farewell to Elizabeth and set out on a journey to join the King of Sweden on the battlefield. Things for Frederick did not go as planned and Frederick headed home. Tragically, he never was reunited with Elizabeth. Since the beginning of October 1632 he had been suffering from an infection, and he died on the morning of 29 November 1632. He was 36 years old. 

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When Elizabeth received the news of Frederick's death, she became senseless with grief and would not eat, sleep, or drink for three days. When Charles I heard of Elizabeth's state, he invited her to return to England; she refused. The rights of her son and Frederick's heir Charles Louis "remained to be fought for".Elizabeth then threw herself into defending her son’s rights, but she remained in The Hague even after he regained the Electorate of the Palatinate in 1648. She became a patron of the arts and commissioned a larger family portrait to honour herself and her husband, to complement the impressive large seascape of her 1613 joyous entry to the Netherlands.

Elizabeth filled her time with copious letter writing and making marriage matches for her children. Even after losing her husband, however, her life brought more heartache. Between his death in 1632 and her own death 30 years later, she witnessed the death of four more of her ten surviving children. She suffered another blow with the execution of her brother Charles I, King of England in early 1649, and the removal into exile of the surviving Stuart family during the years of the Commonwealth. The relationships with her remaining living children also became somewhat estranged, although she did spend time with her growing number of grandchildren. She began to pay the price for having been "a distant mother to most of her own children", and she turned her hopes to returning to England. 

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In 1660, the Stuarts were restored to the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland in the person of Elizabeth's nephew Charles II. Elizabeth, now determined to return home, arrived in England on 26 May 1661. She established a small, but impressive and welcoming, household.

Elizabeth was suffering from pneumonia, and on 10 February 1662 she haemorrhaged from the lungs and died soon after midnight on 13 February 1662.

Her death caused little public stir as by then her "chief, if not only, claim to fame was as the mother of Rupert of the Rhine, the legendary Cavalier general".  Rupert was the only one of her sons to follow the funeral procession to Westminster Abbey. There in the chapel of Henry VII, "a survivor of an earlier age, isolated and without a country she could really call her own" was laid to rest among her ancestors and close to her beloved elder brother, Henry, Prince of Wales.

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, Sophia's son (Elizabeth's grandson) George I ascended to the throne, with the future Royal family all his descendants and hence, also descendants of Elizabeth.

Shamefully, I had never heard of Elizabeth Stuart (perhaps unsurprising given that she seems to have been forgotten even in her own time). I stumbled upon her by accident, and was shocked to discover that an international Queen, Stuart heiress and the grandmother of the Hanoverian dynasty was born near and christened in little old Edinburgh. I was delighted by the tales of her intellectual abilities and her love of reading and learning (can relate). Despite growing up on tales of King James, Guy Fawkes and bonfire night, we never learned that this young girl was so crucial to the plot and that the woman she became would so defy the underestimations of the rebels. It’s also nice to hear a tale of a happy Stuart marriage! She is my new favourite Scottish heroine!