Elisabeth of the Palatinate facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Princess Elisabeth |
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| Princess-Abbess of Herford Abbey | |
| Reign | 29 March 1667 – 11 February 1680 |
| Predecessor | Elisabeth Louise Juliane of the Palatinate-Zweibrücken |
| Successor | Princess Elisabeth Albertine of Anhalt-Dessau |
| Born | 26 December 1618 Heidelberg, Electorate of the Palatinate |
| Died | 11 February 1680 (aged 61) Herford Abbey |
| House | Palatinate-Simmern |
| Father | Frederick V, Elector Palatine |
| Mother | Elizabeth Stuart |
| Religion | Calvinist |
Elisabeth of the Palatinate (born December 26, 1618 – died February 11, 1680) was a very smart princess from a long time ago. She was also known as Elisabeth of Bohemia. She was the oldest daughter of Frederick V, Elector Palatine, who was briefly the King of Bohemia, and Elizabeth Stuart, who was the daughter of the King of England.
Elisabeth was a philosopher, which means she was a deep thinker who asked big questions about life and the world. She is most famous for writing letters to René Descartes, a very important philosopher of her time. She questioned some of his ideas, especially how the mind and body work together. Her ideas were ahead of her time and influenced later thinkers.
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Life Story of Princess Elisabeth
Elisabeth Simmern van Pallandt was born on December 26, 1618, in Heidelberg, a city in Germany. She was the third of thirteen children and the oldest daughter. Her father was Frederick V of the Palatinate, and her mother was Elizabeth Stuart, who was the daughter of King James VI of Scotland and I of England. This also made her the niece of Charles I of England.
Elisabeth's early life was a bit challenging. Her parents had to leave their home and live in the Netherlands in 1620. This happened after her father had a very short and unsuccessful time as King of Bohemia. Elisabeth first stayed with her grandmother in Heidelberg. Then, when she was nine, she moved to the Netherlands to join her family.
Elisabeth received an amazing education. She studied many subjects, including philosophy, astronomy, math, law, history, and several modern and ancient languages. Her brothers and sisters even gave her the nickname "La Grecque," which means "The Greek," because she was so good at ancient Greek. She also learned fine arts like painting, music, and dancing.
In 1633, when Elisabeth was about 15, the King of Poland, Władysław IV Vasa, wanted to marry her. This marriage would have helped her family a lot. However, the king was Catholic, and Elisabeth was Protestant. She refused to change her faith, so the marriage did not happen.
Elisabeth became very interested in the ideas of René Descartes. In 1642, she read his famous book, Meditations on First Philosophy.
In 1660, Elisabeth joined a convent (a religious community for women) in Herford, Germany. In 1667, she became the abbess, which means she was the leader of the convent. Even though the convent was Lutheran, Elisabeth remained a Calvinist. This was a different branch of Protestantism. At first, some people in the convent were a little unsure about her because of this.
As abbess, Elisabeth was in charge of the convent and the nearby town of about 7,000 people. She made the convent a safe place for people who were being treated unfairly because of their religion. She welcomed different religious groups, including the Labadists. When Robert Barclay's father was put in prison, Elisabeth helped him get released.
Elisabeth passed away on February 12, 1680. She was buried in the Abbey Church of Herford.
Elisabeth's Important Letters
Throughout her life, Princess Elisabeth wrote letters to many smart people of her time. These letters show how intelligent and curious she was.
One of her most important friendships was with the famous philosopher René Descartes. Their letters started in 1643 and continued until Descartes died in 1650. Elisabeth asked Descartes to be her teacher in philosophy and how to live a good life. Descartes really respected Elisabeth's mind. He even dedicated one of his important books, Principia, to her.
Many of Descartes's letters to Elisabeth were published. However, Elisabeth did not want her own letters to be published. Her side of their conversations was finally found and published much later, in 1879.
Elisabeth also wrote to other important thinkers, including Anna Maria van Schurman, who was known as the "Dutch Minerva" because she was so learned. Van Schurman gave Elisabeth advice on what to study, like history. Elisabeth also corresponded with leaders of the Quakers, like Robert Barclay and William Penn. They often wanted her to join their faith, but Elisabeth was more interested in their ideas and beliefs.
Elisabeth's Family
Her Brothers and Sisters
Elisabeth was one of thirteen children. Here are her siblings:
- Henry Frederick, Hereditary Prince of the Palatinate (1614–1629); he drowned.
- Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine (1617–1680).
- Elisabeth of the Palatinate (1618–1680), the subject of this article.
- Rupert, Count Palatine of the Rhine (1619–1682).
- Maurice of the Palatinate (1620–1652).
- Louise Hollandine of the Palatinate (1622–1709).
- Louis (1624–1624).
- Edward, Count Palatine of Simmern (1625–1663).
- Henriette Marie of the Palatinate (1626–1651).
- John Philip Frederick of the Palatinate (1627–1650).
- Charlotte of the Palatinate (1628–1631).
- Sophia, Electress of Hanover (1630–1714); she married Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover. Their son became King George I of Great Britain. Many royal families today are descendants of Sophia. She almost became Queen of Great Britain herself, but she died just two months before Queen Anne.
- Gustavus Adolphus of the Palatinate (1632–1641).
Elisabeth's Ideas and Philosophy
Elisabeth met Descartes when he visited The Hague in the Netherlands. Descartes was looking for smart people who might support his new ideas. Elisabeth listened carefully to his thoughts about the mind and body. She became very interested in his work.
Elisabeth wrote to Descartes on May 16, 1643, asking a very important question: "How can the soul of a human being (which is only a thinking thing) make the body move and cause us to do things?" Descartes believed the mind and body were two completely different things. Elisabeth wondered how something non-physical (the mind) could possibly control something physical (the body).
Descartes tried to answer her, but Elisabeth wasn't satisfied. She wrote back on June 20, 1643, saying it would be easier for her to believe that the mind had physical qualities than to understand how something non-physical could move a body. She pointed out that even though we feel our mind and body interact, we don't understand how it happens. This shows that Elisabeth was a very sharp thinker who wasn't afraid to challenge big ideas. Descartes didn't really have a clear answer for her, he just assumed the mind could do it.
Their letters stopped for a while but started again two years later. They discussed an illness Elisabeth had. Descartes thought her sadness might be causing her symptoms. This was probably true, as she was very worried about her brother Philip, who had gotten into trouble.
Elisabeth's letters were meant to be private, and she didn't write any books on philosophy. This makes her place in history a bit tricky. Some historians don't pay much attention to her letters, but others see them as very important. They show that Elisabeth was thinking about deep philosophical questions, especially about the "passions of the soul" (our emotions and feelings), which Descartes also wrote about. Some people believe Elisabeth could have been a famous philosopher in her own right if she had written down her ideas in a more organized way.
Besides Descartes, Elisabeth also corresponded with other important thinkers like Nicolas Malebranche, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Robert Barclay, and William Penn. Even though some of them hoped to change her religion, Elisabeth was mostly interested in their ideas and beliefs. She also wrote to Anna Maria van Schurman, who was a mentor to her. Van Schurman encouraged Elisabeth to study history, physics, and astronomy. While Elisabeth respected Van Schurman, she was more interested in Descartes's new ideas, even though Van Schurman preferred older ways of thinking.
Elisabeth's Impact on Women in Philosophy
Elisabeth of Bohemia is a very important figure in the history of women in philosophy. She is seen as a leading female thinker who helped other women scholars in the 1600s. Scholars who study women's history look at her letters and life to understand the challenges women faced when trying to be philosophers back then.
Some scholars say that Elisabeth's story shows how women were often left out of the history of philosophy. Her letters with Descartes prove that women were just as capable of deep philosophical thought. Her influence also helped other women scholars of her time. She used her home in the Netherlands to create a network where women could discuss philosophy through letters. This group included Elisabeth herself, Anna Maria van Schurman, Marie de Gournay, and Lady Ranelagh.
See also
In Spanish: Isabel de Bohemia y del Palatinado para niños
