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	House of Wittelsbach
Father	Frederick IV, Elector Palatine
Mother	Louise Juliana of Orange-Nassau
Born	19 November 1597 Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz
Died	26 April 1660 (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:

• Louise Charlotte (1617–1676), married Jacob Kettler, Duke of Courland
• Frederick William (1620–1688), the "Great Elector"
• Hedwig Sophia (1623–1683), married William VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel)

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

Ancestors of Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate (1597–1660)

16. John II, Count Palatine of Simmern               8. Frederick III, Elector Palatine                       17. Beatrix of Baden               4. Louis VI, Elector Palatine                             18. Casimir, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth               9. Marie of Brandenburg-Kulmbach                       19. Susanna of Bavaria               2. Frederick IV, Elector Palatine                                   20. William II, Landgrave of Hesse               10. Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse                       21. Anna of Mecklenburg-Schwerin               5. Elisabeth of Hesse                             22. George, Duke of Saxony               11. Christine of Saxony                       23. Barbara Jagiellon               1. Elisabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate                                         24. John V, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg               12. William VIII, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg                       25. Elisabeth of Hesse-Marburg               6. Prince William I of Orange                             26. Bodo VIII, Count of Stolberg-Wernigerode               13. Juliana of Stolberg-Wernigerode                       27. Anna of Eppstein-Königstein               3. Louise Juliana of Nassau                                   28. Louis of Bourbon, Prince of La Roche-sur-Yon               14. Louis III de Bourbon, Duke of Montpensier                       29. Louise de Bourbon, Duchess of Montpensier               7. Charlotte de Bourbon-Montpensier                             30. Jean IV de Longwy, Seigneur de Givry-Bar               15. Jacqueline de Longwy                       31. Jeanne of Angouleme

References

• Ernst Daniel Martin Kirchner: Die Kurfürstinnen und Königinnen auf dem Throne der Hohenzollern, 2. Teil: Die letzten acht Kurfürstinnen, Berlin 1867, S. 182-220 (mit Portrait Elisabeth Charlottes von der Pfalz).
• Erdmannsdörfer: Elisabeth Charlotte von der Pfalz. In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Band 6, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1877, S. 15 f.