Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine

Charles Louis, (German: Karl I Ludwig), Elector Palatine (22 December 1617 - 28 August 1680) was the second son of Frederick V, the Winter King, and his wife, Elizabeth Stuart, daughter of King James I of England.

Related Topics:
German - 22 December - 1617 - 28 August - 1680 - Frederick V - Elizabeth Stuart - James I of England

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After the death of his older brother in 1629, and of his father in 1632, Charles Louis inherited his exiled father's pretensions to the Palatinate. Along with his younger brother Rupert, he spent much of the 1630s at the court of his uncle in England, hoping to enlist English support for his cause. The young Elector Palatine was largely unsuccessful in this, and became gradually estranged from the King, who feared that Charles Louis might become a focus for opposition forces in England. Indeed, in the English crisis leading up to the outbreak of the English Civil War, Charles Louis had considerable sympathy for the parliamentary leaders, especially the Earl of Essex, feeling them more likely to come to the aid of the Palatinate on the continent. The Prince Palatine supported the execution of Strafford. Although Charles Louis was involved in the early stages of the Civil War with his uncle, he was distrusted for his parliamentary sympathies, and soon returned to his mother in The Hague. There he distanced himself from the royalist cause in the Civil War, fearing that Charles would sell him out for Spanish support.

Related Topics:
1629 - 1632 - Palatinate - Rupert - Uncle - English Civil War - Earl of Essex - Strafford - The Hague

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In 1644, Charles Louis returned to England at the invitation of Parliament. He took up in the Palace of Whitehall and took the Solemn League and Covenant. This was in spite of the fact that his brothers, Rupert and Maurice, were Royalist generals. This perceived betrayal led to considerable enmity between uncle and nephew, and when a captive Charles I met his nephew once again in 1647, the elder Charles accused the Prince of angling after the English throne. Charles Louis was still in England in October 1648 when the Peace of Westphalia restored the Lower Palatinate to him (the Upper Palatinate, to his eternal dismay, remained under the Elector of Bavaria). He remained in England long enough to see the execution of his uncle Charles I in January 1649, which appears to have come as a shock (nevertheless, the two had not reconciled prior to the King's death - Charles refused to see his nephew before his execution).

Related Topics:
1644 - Palace of Whitehall - Solemn League and Covenant - Maurice - 1647 - 1648 - Peace of Westphalia

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After this unhappy dénouement to Charles Louis's dubious participation in English politics, he at last returned to the now devastated Palatinate in the autumn of 1649. Over the more than thirty years of his reign there, he strove with some success to rebuild his shattered territory. In foreign affairs, he pursued a pro-French course, marrying his daughter Elizabeth Charlotte to Monsieur, Louis XIV's brother, in 1671. After his restoration, his relations with his relations continued to deteriorate - his English relations never forgave him for his equivocal course in the Civil War, while his mother and siblings resented his parsimony.

Related Topics:
Palatinate - Elizabeth Charlotte - Monsieur - 1671

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The most notable facet of his reign was probably his unilateral divorce of his wife, Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel, and subsequent bigamous marriage to Marie Luise von Degenfeld. This second wife was given the unique title of Raugräfin ("Waste Countess"), and their children were known as the Raugraves.

Related Topics:
Hesse-Kassel - Marie Luise von Degenfeld

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Family 1 Unknown

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Children 1. Ludwig von Seitz, b. 1660

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Family 2 Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel, b. November 20 1627, Kassel

Related Topics:
Hesse-Kassel - November 20 - 1627 - Kassel

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Married February 221650 Kassel

Related Topics:
February 22 - 1650 - Kassel

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Children

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1. Charles II, Elector_Palatine, b. March 31 1651

Related Topics:
Charles II, Elector_Palatine - March 31 - 1651

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2. Elisabeth Charlotte von der Pfalz, b. May 27 1652, Heidelberg

Related Topics:
May 27 - 1652 - Heidelberg

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3. Friedrich von der Pfalz, b. 1653

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Family 3 Marie Louise von Degenfeld, b. November 1634, Strasbourg

Related Topics:
November - 1634 - Strasbourg

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Married January 6 1658 Schwetzingen

Related Topics:
January 6 - 1658 - Schwetzingen

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Children

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1. Karl Ludwig von der Pfalz, b. October 15 1658

Related Topics:
October 15 - 1658

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2. Karoline von der Pfalz, b. November 19 1659

Related Topics:
November 19 - 1659

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3. Luise von der Pfalz, b. January 25 1661

Related Topics:
January 25 - 1661

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4. Ludwig von der Pfalz, b. 1662

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5. Amalie Elisabeth von der Pfalz, b. April 1 1663

Related Topics:
April 1 - 1663

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6. George Ludwig von der Pfalz, b. March 30 1664

Related Topics:
March 30 - 1664

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7. Frederike von der Pfalz, b. July 7 1665

Related Topics:
July 7 - 1665

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8. Friedrich Wilhelm von der Pfalz, b. November 25 1666

Related Topics:
November 25 - 1666

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9. Karl Eduard von der Pfalz, b. May 19 1668

Related Topics:
May 19 - 1668

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10. Sophie von der Pfalz, b. 1669

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11. Karl Moritz von der Pfalz, b. January 9 1671

Related Topics:
January 9 - 1671

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12. Karl August von der Pfalz, b. October 19 1672

Related Topics:
October 19 - 1672

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13. Karl Kasimir von der Pfalz, b. May 1 1675

Related Topics:
May 1 - 1675

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Family 4 Elisabeth Hollander von Bernau, b. 1659, Schaffhausen

Related Topics:
1659 - Schaffhausen

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Married December 11 1679

Related Topics:
December 11 - 1679

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Children 1. Charles Louis von der Pfalz, b. April 17 1681, Schaffhausen

Related Topics:
April 17 - 1681 - Schaffhausen

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