Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate (1597–1660)

Elisabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate

Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate (1597–1660) as Queen of Sheba with her husband at her feet and her son and his wife in attendance, by their court painter Mathias Czwiczek
Spouse(s) George William, Elector of Brandenburg
Noble family Wittelsbach
Father Frederick IV, Elector Palatine
Mother Louise Juliana of Orange-Nassau
Born (1597-11-19)19 November 1597
Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz
Died 26 April 1660(1660-04-26) (aged 62)
Crossen an der Oder

Elisabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate (19 November 1597 – 26 April 1660) was the wife of George William, Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia, and the mother of Frederick William of Brandenburg, the "Great Elector".

Biography

Elisabeth Charlotte was the daughter of Frederick IV, Elector Palatine, and Louise Juliana of Orange-Nassau. Her brother Frederick became famous as the Elector-Palatine and "Winter King" of Bohemia.

In 1616 Elisabeth Charlotte married George William, with whom she had the following children:

The marriage was arranged to unite two Protestant dynasties. In 1618, her brother's deposition from the throne of Bohemia caused the Thirty Years' War. Her spouse was described as ambivalent and passive, but Charlotte ensured protection for her sibling when Brandenburg sided against Austria in the affairs of Bohemia and the Holy Roman Empire. At court, she favoured the Protestant party against the pro-Austrian party. She influenced her son to sympathize with the Protestant cause, and he came to have a great affection for his mother, closer than what was usually common during that age. She spent her last years at Crossen, where she died.

Ancestry

References

Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate (1597–1660)
Born: 19 November 1597 Died: 26 April 1660
German nobility
Preceded by
Anna of Prussia
Electress consort of Brandenburg
23 December 1619 – 1 December 1640
Vacant
Title next held by
Louise Henriette of Orange
Duchess consort of Prussia
23 December 1619 – 1 December 1640
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