Today when we think of being a princess we imagine a romantic adventure reminiscent of Cinderella who lives happily ever after in a fantastical castle. The life of a woman was precarious at best; with intrigue, war and disease rife throughout the centuries. The prospects of a princess were no different, but sometimes these royal women proved to be more resourceful than the average Disney heroine in their strength of will to survive the harshest obstacles. One of these princesses was Elizabeth Stuart.
Born into Scottish royalty, Elizabeth Stuart was the daughter of King James VI of Scotland and I of England. As such she was given greater advantages than most girls. She was taught to read and write, to play music, to perfect horse riding and etiquette. But she was also a pawn in her father's political prospects, betrothed to the Elector Palatinate of the Rhine without ever having met him. Marriage was a business, love had nothing to do with it.
Yet Elizabeth was lucky for when she finally met her betrothed, Count Frederick, they fell deeply in love. So the couple were happily wed on 14th February 1613. The wedding itself was a beautiful affair, designed to emphasize the wealth of King James VI & I. So the bride was perfectly dressed in white gown embroidered with cloth of silver. It inspired many poems and such, poet John Donne wrote:
Come forth, come forth, and as one glorious flame
Meeting another grows the same,
So meet thy Frederick, and so
To an inseparable union go
The couple left for Germany two months later, where they settled into a happy family life. If not for the changing political climate they may have remained there happily. But fate intervened.
In March 1619 Ferdinand of Styria was deposed by the Bohemian government, who then elected Frederick to take the crown. After much deliberation he eventually accepted. Upon hearing of his decision King James forbade his subjects from recognizing Frederick or Elizabeth as King or Queen. King James was shrewd enough to recognize the foreseeable troubles that lay ahead. Frederick was crowned on 4th November, followed by Elizabeth's coronation on 7th.
Despite the triumphant beginning, things soon went downhill. One of the major issues being cultural differences; raised in the Protestant faith, Elizabeth may not have been well informed on Catholic saints. Mere days after her coronation she was presented with flower shaped loves, a commemoration of her name sake, saint Elizabeth of Hungary. Elizabeth didn't get the reference, causing offence. Over time she would become lonely and depressed, as her husband's hectic duties kept them apart for long periods and the Bohemian people coming to slowly resent the outsiders. But Frederick was also naive, resulting in his enemies sacking his Rhine lands and eventually routing his armies forcing the couple to flee from Bohemia, which was doubly dangerous for Elizabeth who was six months pregnant at the time. Despite the situation she remained a source of strength and support for her husband.
In exile she garnered many supporters for this strength, a majority of which would have fought on her behalf. Though whether they would have fought for the cause in Frederick's name alone is questionable. He had become an object of pity, referred to as the 'King of Hearts', meaning no real king. While Frederick was prone to depressive episodes Elizabeth remained optimistic, writing to powerful leaders trying to gain support for his cause. But as the years went on it became more obvious that they would never regain their throne.
Despite their troubles they remained faithful to one another, writing when apart. King James VI died in 1925; Frederick died in 1632. And when her brother Charles I met his untimely death by beheading in 1649 she had no strong support in her corner. But she became something of a protector to Charles' daughter Mary, wife of the Prince of Orange. She remained a strong character in her final years, living to see fortune's wheel turn in her family's favour once again; her eldest son regained the Lower Palatinate that once belonged to his father; and her nephew returned to England in 1660, crowned as King Charles II.
Elizabeth Stuart died on 13th February 1662, with her son Rupert at her side. Prior to her death she had returned to England and upon her death she was interred in the Henry VII Chapel at Westminster Abbey beside her brother Henry, whom she was closest to in life.
She died with very little in the world but it was through her that her grandson inherited the British crown in 1714, and crowned King George I.
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