Elisabeth of Bavaria (1876-1965)
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- For the daughter of Philippe and Mathilde, see Princess Elisabeth of Belgium
- For the Empress Elisabeth of Austria, born Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria, see Elisabeth of Bavaria
- For other people called Elisabeth von Wittelsbach, see Elisabeth von Wittelsbach (disambiguation)
| Elisabeth, Duchess in Bavaria | ||
|---|---|---|
| Queen of Belgium | ||
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| Titles | HM The Queen Dowager of the Belgians (1934–1965) HM The Queen of Belgium (1909–1934) HRH Princess Albert of Belgium (1900–1909) HRH Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria (1876–1900) |
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| Born | July 25, 1876 | |
| Possenhofen, Bavaria | ||
| Died | November 23, 1965 | |
| Consort | 17 December 1909 – 17 February 1934 | |
| Consort to | Albert I | |
| Issue | Léopold, Charles, Marie-José | |
| Royal House | House of Wittelsbach | |
| Father | Karl-Theodor, Duke in Bavaria | |
| Mother | Maria Josepha of Portugal | |
Elisabeth, Queen of Belgium (born Elisabeth Gabriele Valérie Marie, Duchess in Bavaria) (July 25, 1876 – November 23, 1965), was the queen consort of Albert I of Belgium and was the mother of Leopold III of Belgium.
She was a daughter of Karl-Theodor, Duke in Bavaria, and his wife, the Infanta Maria Josepha of Portugal. Her maternal grandparents were Miguel of Portugal and Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg. She was born at Possenhofen, Bavaria, German Empire on July 25, 1876. She was a niece and namesake of Empress Elisabeth of Austria.
In 1900, she married Prince Albert, second-in-line to the throne of Belgium (after his father Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders). Upon her husband's accession to the Belgian throne in 1909, Elizabeth became Queen. During the First World War, she and the King resided in De Panne. The Queen made herself beloved by visiting the frontlines and by sponsoring a nursing unit. Despite her German background, she was a popular queen and she eagerly supported her adoptive country. In 1934, Albert I died in a climbing accident at Marche-les-Dames, in the Ardennes region of Belgium, near Namur.
In her later years she became a patron of the arts and was known for her friendship with notable scientists like Albert Einstein. During the German occupation of Belgium from 1940 to 1944, she used her German connections and influence to assist in the rescue of hundreds of Jewish children from deportation by the Nazis. After the war she was awarded the title Righteous Among the Nations by the Israeli government. During the 1950s, the Queen aggravated the Americans by visiting Russia, China and Poland, trips that led her to being known as the "Red Queen."
Queen Elisabeth died at the age of 89 on November 23, 1965. She is interred in the Royal vault at the Church of Our Lady, Laeken Cemetery, Brussels.
[edit] Children
- Léopold Philippe Charles Albert Meinrad Hubertus Marie Miguel, Duke of Brabant, Prince of Belgium, who became later the fourth king of the Belgians (as Leopold III), born November 3, 1901, and died at Woluwe-Saint-Lambert on September 25, 1983.
- Charles-Théodore Henri Antoine Meinrad, Count of Flanders, Prince of Belgium, Regent of Belgium, born Brussels October 10, 1903, and died at Ostend on June 1, 1983.
- Marie-José Charlotte Sophie Amélie Henriette Gabrielle, Princess of Belgium, born Ostend August 4, 1906. She was married at Rome, Italy on January 8, 1930 to Prince Umberto Nicola Tomasso Giovanni Maria, Prince of Piemonte, born on September 15, 1904, and died on March 18, 1983 at Geneva, Switzerland. He became King Umberto II of Italy on May 9, 1946. Marie-José died January 27, 2001.
[edit] See also
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