Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria
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Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria (November 13, 1801- December 14, 1873) was a Princess of Bavaria and later Queen consort of Prussia.
[edit] Biography
Elisabeth was born in Munich, the daughter of King Maximilian I of Bavaria and his Queen Friederike Karoline Wilhelmine Margravine of Baden. She was the twin sister of Queen Amalie of Saxony, consort of King John I of Saxony, and of Archduchess Sophie of Austria, mother of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria-Hungary; as well as Ludovika, Duchess in Bavaria, mother of Franz Josef's consort, Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary (Sisi).
On November 29, 1823, she married the future King Frederick William IV of Prussia and supported his intellectual interests, namely his attempts at artwork, which he held dear to his heart. In 1830, Elisabeth converted to Protestantism.
Becoming Queen consort of Prussia in 1840, she was never without influence in Prussian politics, where she was active in preserving the close friendship between Prussia and the Austrian Empire.
To Frederick William IV, she was an exemplary wife and, during his long illness, a dedicated nurse. After his death on January 2, 1861, Elisabeth lived quietly at her seats at Sanssouci, Charlottenburg, and Stolzenfels and dedicated herself to charity work in memory of her late husband . Her brother-in-law, Emperor Wilhelm I of Germany, held her in high regard as a true friend.
During a visit to her sister, Queen Amalie of Saxony, Elisabeth died in 1873 in Dresden. She was buried next to her husband on December 21 at the Friedenskirche in Potsdam.
[edit] References
- The information in this article is based on that in its German equivalent.
- Moritz Freiherr von Bisssing: Elisabeth Königin von Preußen, Berlin 1974.
- Ludovika Hesekiel: Elisabeth Luise, Königin von Preußen (Berlin 1881).
- Dorothea Minkels: "Porträts der preußischen Königin Elisabeth in der Sammlung des Stadtmuseums Berlin." in: Jahrbuch 2004/5 Stadtmuseum Berlin, pg. 278-304.
- Alfred v. Reumont: Elisabeth, Königin von Preußen (Berlin 1874)
