After the recent coronation of King Charles III, some people have been using it as an opportunity to brush up on their knowledge of former monarchs.

Do you know who Elizabeth Stuart, AKA The Winter Queen, was? Although her reign was short, she is remembered for her determination and dedication to her husband.

Born in 1596 at Dunfermline Palace in Scotland, Elizabeth was the daughter of King James VI of Scotland and Queen Anne of Denmark. She was one of three children out of the seven King James and Queen Anne had that survived infancy.

As a child, Elizabeth lived in Linlithgow Palace under the care of Lord Livingston. But when Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, her family moved to England as her father inherited the throne.

Then, she was sent to live at Coombe Abbey in Warwickshire, England, where her love of nature began. Elizabeth spent much time outdoors and had her own little “fairy farm” with meadows that kept miniature cattle. She was well-educated in humanities, language, and religion.

In 1612, when Elizabeth was 16 years old, her father introduced her to a suitor he had chosen, Frederick V, Elector Palatine of the Rhine. He was the same age as Elizabeth and was handsome and athletic. Although their relationship and marriage were arranged, they shared a genuine love.

Elizabeth’s beloved brother, Henry, Prince of Wales, died during her courtship to Frederick in November 1612. Devastated, something cheerful most certainly needed to happen. What a perfect time for a celebratory royal wedding!

Elizabeth and Frederick were married on Valentine’s Day, February 14th, 1613, in the Royal Chapel at Whitehall Palace in London. The marriage was celebrated with several festivities, including feasts, performances, etc.

After their wedding, Elizabeth and Frederick moved to Heidelberg, Germany, where she held the title of Electress. They had three children over the course of six years in Heidelberg before Frederick was offered to take the throne in Bohemia by Protestant nobles.

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Elizabeth encouraged her husband to accept the role, and he did, making them the King and Queen consort of Bohemia. They moved to Prague to assume the throne in 1619.

However, their reign as King and Queen did not last long. They only ruled for one winter in Prague, which is how Elizabeth was dubbed ‘The Winter Queen.’ Then, in November of 1620, Frederick’s army was defeated at the Battle of White Mountain, and the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II exiled them.

Elizabeth, Frederick, and their family fled to The Hague in The Netherlands. Over this time, Elizabeth vocally supported Frederick as he went on military campaigns and supported Protestantism.

She became very popular in a court they had established while in exile and gave birth to eight more children, although tragically, not many of them survived.

In addition, Elizabeth penned letters to a selection of influential Europeans to try and regain her family’s fortune. She wrote to those who supported her family’s cause and received another nickname – the Queen of Hearts.

Elizabeth’s world was turned further upside down when Frederick became ill while on a military campaign with the King of Sweden. He died in November of 1632 before he could reach home. Reports say Elizabeth didn’t eat or drink for days as she grieved her beloved husband.

For 30 years following her husband’s death, Elizabeth stayed in the Dutch Republic in voluntary exile, despite invitations from her brother, Charles I, to return to England. She didn’t return to England until her nephew, King Charles II, was crowned after the Restoration in 1661.

She moved to different homes around England before finally settling at Leicester House in Westminster, where she fell ill with pneumonia and died at 65 in 1662.

Despite her tragic exile and personal struggles, Elizabeth Stuart is remembered for her dedication to her family and beliefs. After her death, The Act of Settlement of 1701 led her youngest daughter, Sophia, Electress of Hanover, to take the English throne.

Elizabeth was buried in a vault alongside her brother Henry and son Rupert at Westminster Abbey in London.

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