ELIZABETH STUART, queen of Bohemia, remarkable not only as a heroine. but as forming the connecting link between the ancient royal families of England and Scot land and the present reigning dynasty, was h. in the palace of Falkland (q v.) on the 19th of Aug., 1596. On the accession of her father, James VI. of Scotland, to the crown which fell to him by the demise of queen Elizabeth, in 1603, she accompanied the family to England, where she was educated. On the 14th of Feb., 1613, E. was married to Frederick, elector-palatine, whom she soon after accompanied to his residence, the castle of Heidelberg (q.v.); see also PALATINATE. When the Protestant princes of Germany sought for a fitting person to fill the throne of Bohemia, they made choice of Frederick, who accepted the perilous honor, partly, perhaps, from the ambition of his wife, who is alleged to have longed for the title of queen. The palatine removed with E. and three children to Prague, which they entered Oct. 21, 1619. Frederick qind E. occupied the throne of Bohemia only about a year. By the forces of the Catholic league, the army of Frederick was routed at the battle of Prague, Nov. 8, 1620, and the royal family fled into exile, for already the palatinate was laid waste. With her hus band and children, and a few faithful attendants, E. took up her residence at the Hague, and ever afterwards the family lived in a state of dependence. E. was the mother of 13 children, the eldest of whom was accidentally drowned in Holland, and 3 others died young. The next were Charles-Louis and Rupert, and, following in order, were Elizabeth, Maurice, Edward, Philip, Louisa, Henrietta Maria, and Sophia. From this numerous offspring, E. derived little comfort in her misfortunes. Charles Louis was a selfish, calculating person, with low, disreputable habits. Rupert (q.v.) the." mad cavalier," and his brother, Maurice, fought in England during the civil war, and, after the loss of the royalist cause at the battle of Nasehy, they betook themselves to the sea, and for some time were little better than pirates. Edward, in 1645, abjured Protestantism, and was admitted into the Roman Catholic church. Philip committed an assassination at the Hague, fled from justice, became a soldier of fortune in France, and was slain in the civil wars. Elizabeth accepted the office of superior of the Luthe ran abbey of Hervorden, Henrietta-Maria was espoused by Ragotzi, prince of Transyl vania, but died shortly after her marriage. Louisa fled to France, and died as abbess of Maubisson. Previous to these events, E. became a widow by the death of Frederick, Feb. 17, 1629, when his right to the palatinate devolved on Charles-Louis, who, by the
treaty of Westphalia, was restored to the family inheritance, Oct. 24, 1648. This favor able turn of affairs did not mend the fortunes of E., who was scandalously neglected by her son, the young eector-palatine; and all he would do for the family was to give a shelter to his youngest sister Sophia, until she was married to Ernest-Augustus, a scion of the house of Brunswick, who ultimately succeeded to the electorate of Hanover.
Deprived, in one way or other, of all her children, the queen of Bohemia—by which title she continued to be known—resolved to quit Holland. Relieved of her debts by the sale of jewels, and by aid of a pecuniary subsidy from the British parliament, she embraced an invitation from her nephew, Charles II., to come to England. She arrived May 17, 1661. From this time she was in a great measure indebted to the hospitality of lord Craven, in a mansion which he had purchased from sir Robert Drury, in Drury lane, London. Charles II. paid her little attention; but at her death, which occurred Feb. 13, 1662, he caused her remains to be interred in Westminster abbey. Charles Louis, her son, died in 1680, leaving a son, who died without issue, and the palatinate then went to a distant branch of the family; he left also a daughter, Charlotte-Elizabeth, who, in 1671, had married Philip, duke of Orleans, only brother of Louis XIV. In 1674, she gave birth to a prince, who became the noted regent of France during the minority of Louis XV. She died at St. Cloud in 1722. The late Louis-Philippe, king of the French, was her lineal descendant. When, in 1708, the question of succession to the crown of Great Britain was debated, it was found that all the descendants of James I. were either dead or were Roman Catholics, except Sophia, electress of Han over, and her family. By act of parliament, that year, the crown was accordingly secured to her and her descendants, "being Protestants;" and in virtue of this act of settlement, on the death of queen Anne, Sophia would have ascended the throne, but she predeceased the queen three months, and her son became sovereign of these realms as George I., Aug. 12. 1714. In this extraordinary and unforeseen manner did a grand son of the unfortunate queen of Bohemia become king of England, and originate the dynasty of the reigning monarch. The Memoirs of Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia, by Miss Benger, 2 vols., may be perused as an accurate and pleasing piece of biography.