Elizabeth Stuart (daughter of Charles I) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Elizabeth Stuart |
|
|---|---|
Princess Elizabeth in 1649
|
|
| Born | 28 December 1635 St. James's Palace, London |
| Died | 8 September 1650 (aged 14) Carisbrooke Castle, Isle of Wight |
| Burial | 24 September 1650 St. Thomas's Church, Newport, Isle of Wight |
| House | Stuart |
| Father | Charles I, King of England |
| Mother | Henrietta Maria of France |
Elizabeth Stuart (born December 28, 1635 – died September 8, 1650) was a princess of England, Scotland, and Ireland. She was the second daughter of King Charles I and his wife, Henrietta Maria of France.
From the age of six until she died at 14, Elizabeth was held captive by the English Parliament. This happened during the English Civil War. She wrote down her feelings about her last meeting with her father. This meeting took place just before he was executed. Her sad account of his final words to his children has been shared in many history books.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Princess Elizabeth was born on December 28, 1635, at St James's Palace in London. She was baptized there a few days later.
When she was very young, her grandmother, Maria de' Medici, tried to arrange for Elizabeth to marry the son of the Prince of Orange. This young man later became William II of Orange. At first, her father, King Charles I, thought this marriage was not important enough for a princess. However, because of money problems and political issues, he eventually sent Elizabeth's older sister, Mary, to marry him instead.
Life During the Civil War
When the English Civil War began in 1642, Elizabeth and her younger brother, Henry, were taken care of by Parliament. Over the next few years, Parliament moved them to live with different noble families. One of their guardians was the Earl of Northumberland.
In 1642, Elizabeth's brother, James, Duke of York, visited them. Elizabeth was worried about their safety and supposedly told him to leave.
When she was seven, Elizabeth broke her leg. Around this time, she and Henry moved to Chelsea. She had a tutor named Bathsua Makin. By 1644, Elizabeth was very smart. She could read and write in Hebrew, Greek, Italian, Latin, and French. Many smart people were impressed by her love for religious books.
In 1647, Parliament allowed Elizabeth and her brothers Henry and James to visit their father, King Charles I. They spent two days together. Later, the King visited them again at Syon House. These visits stopped when he escaped to Carisbrooke Castle. Elizabeth, who was ten, is said to have helped James escape by dressing him as a woman.
Elizabeth's family called her "Temperance" because she was kind. When she was eleven, the French ambassador described her as a "budding young beauty." He said she had "grace, dignity, intelligence, and sensibility." This meant she was good at understanding people and different ideas.
Elizabeth was often sick. Later studies of her bones showed she had rickets. This caused problems with her shoulders, back, and legs, making it hard for her to walk. As a teenager, she had a long face, a slightly sticking-out jaw, and reddish-brown hair.
In 1648, Parliament decided to remove Elizabeth's personal staff. The 12-year-old princess wrote a strong letter to Parliament. She asked them not to take away her trusted servants and replace them with strangers. The Lords felt sorry for Elizabeth and agreed with her. However, the Commons insisted that the royal children be raised as strict Protestants. They were also not allowed to join the King's court and were kept almost like prisoners at St James's Palace. At one point, Parliament even thought about making Henry king, but only with limited power.
Last Meeting with Her Father
In 1649, King Charles I was captured for the last time. Oliver Cromwell and others decided he should be put to death. Elizabeth wrote a long letter to Parliament. She asked to join her sister Mary in Holland. But Parliament said no until after her father's execution.
On January 29, 1649, thirteen-year-old Elizabeth and Henry met their father for the very last time. Elizabeth wrote about this sad meeting. She said her father was glad she came. He told her he had important things to say to her that he couldn't write down. He feared his enemies would not let him send a letter.
Elizabeth was crying so much that her father asked if she would remember everything. She promised to never forget and wrote it all down. She wrote two different accounts of their meeting. Her father told her not to be sad for him. He also asked her to stay strong in her Protestant faith. King Charles I told her to read certain books to help her understand her religion better. He also gave her a Bible during their meeting.
After King Charles I died, Elizabeth and Henry became unwanted. Parliament did not let them go to Holland. Instead, they were placed in the care of Sir Edward Harrington. However, his son managed to get them moved somewhere else.
Life After the King's Death
Elizabeth and Henry then moved to Penshurst Place. They were looked after by Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester, and his wife, Dorothy. Parliament had told the Sidneys not to spoil the children. But Dorothy Sidney was very kind to Elizabeth. As a thank you, Elizabeth gave Dorothy a jewel from her own collection. This valuable jewel later caused a disagreement between Dorothy and the people in charge of the late king's belongings.
In 1650, Elizabeth's brother, Charles II, went to Scotland to be crowned king there. Because of this, Parliament moved Elizabeth to the Isle of Wight. She was placed in the care of Anthony Mildmay and given money for her care. Elizabeth said she was too sick to travel, but her worries were ignored.
Death and Burial
During the trip to the Isle of Wight, Elizabeth caught a cold. It quickly turned into pneumonia. She died on September 8, 1650, at Carisbrooke Castle.
Some stories say that Elizabeth was found dead with her head resting on the Bible her father had given her. In her last days, people around her described her as a sad child. Three days after she died, the government allowed Elizabeth to join her sister Mary in the Netherlands. But it was too late. She was buried at St. Thomas's Church in Newport, on the Isle of Wight. Her gravestone only had the letters "ES" for Elizabeth Stuart.
Two hundred years later, Queen Victoria lived nearby at Osborne House. She asked a sculptor named Carlo Marochetti to create a white marble statue of Elizabeth. The sculpture shows Elizabeth as a beautiful young woman, lying with her head on a Bible. The Bible is open to words from the Gospel of Matthew: "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Above the statue are bars, showing that Elizabeth was a prisoner. But the bars are broken, meaning she has now found "a greater rest." The plaque on the statue says it was put there by Queen Victoria in 1856 to honor Elizabeth's good qualities and to show sympathy for her troubles.
Images for kids
-
Princess Elizabeth in 1649
See also
In Spanish: Isabel Estuardo (1635-1650) para niños
