Queen of Bohemia

Abstract Elizabeth Stuart was crowned Queen of Bohemia in Prague on 7 November 1619, three days after she had watched her husband Frederick V become the country’s king. Frederick spent his time collecting oaths of allegiance from across the region, leaving Elizabeth alone in Prague for at least half of their reign. The chapter then details the events that led to their coronation, including the Defenestration of Prague and the Bohemian rebellion. The death of the incumbent King of Bohemia, and Holy Roman Emperor, Matthias, precipitated a diplomatic crisis within the Empire as Frederick, asserting his power and obligation as Elector Palatine and Imperial Vicar, sought to ensure that Matthias’s successor as King of Bohemia, Ferdinand, was not automatically installed as Emperor. A combination of Ferdinand’s behaviour and Frederick’s refusal to sanction the turning of the Imperial throne into a de facto hereditary monarchy, even though he accepted that Ferdinand would be elected Emperor, had unexpected consequences. The Bohemians de-selected Ferdinand and asked Frederick to be their King. He accepted, much against the advice and wishes of Elizabeth’s father, James, and without the urging of Elizabeth, as is so often assumed. Though their accession was broadly popular, owing to the sense that they were at last fulfilling their destiny as the saviours of European Protestantism, it was not without its problems – not least the fact that in accepting the crown, Frederick had turned a localised, Bohemian rebellion into an Imperial affair. They were now at war with the Emperor.