Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine

Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine (May 27, 1652 in Heidelberg - October 9 or December 8 1722 at the Château of Saint-Cloud near Paris), known in French as la princesse Palatine and in German as Liselotte von der Pfalz, was a princess of the electoral family of the Rhenish Palatinate who became Duchess of Orléans by her marriage to Philip I, Duke of Orléans, younger brother of Louis XIV of France. The Princess Palatine, one of the most colorful characters at the court of Louis XIV, left an abundant correspondence which offers an invaluable glance into the daily life of the court.

Related Topics:
May 27 - 1652 - Heidelberg - October 9 - December 8 - 1722 - Saint-Cloud - Paris - French - German - Rhenish Palatinate - Philip I, Duke of Orléans - Louis XIV of France

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Born to Charles Louis, Elector Palatine and to Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel, she married (against her will) Philip I, Duke of Orléans on 21 November 1671. The marriage proved unhappy, largely due to her husband's homosexual tendencies.

Related Topics:
Charles Louis, Elector Palatine - Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel - Philip I, Duke of Orléans - 21 November - 1671 - Homosexual

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When the Wittelsbach branch of Pfalz-Simmern (Palatinate-Simmern) became extinct in the male line with the death of her brother Karl II, Elector Palatine in 1685, her brother-in-law Louis XIV claimed the Palatinate and started the War of the Palatinian Succession (1688 - 1697). After the deaths of her husband in 1701 and of Louis XIV in 1715, her son - Philip II, Duke of Orléans - became Regent of France (1715 - 1723), acting for the underage king Louis XV of France.

Related Topics:
Wittelsbach - Pfalz-Simmern - Karl II, Elector Palatine - 1685 - Louis XIV - War of the Palatinian Succession - Philip II, Duke of Orléans - Louis XV of France

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The descendants of the Princess Palatine and Philip of Orléans form the House of Orléans, which came to the French throne in the person of Louis-Philippe in 1830.

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Louis-Philippe - 1830

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The Princess Palatine's letters — mostly written to her father's sister, Sophia, Electress of Hanover (who had brought her up after her father's divorce), and to her half-sister, Countess Luise zu Pfalz (1661 - 1733) — about the costumes and morals at the French court survive. She also corresponded with Gottfried Leibniz, although they never met in person.

Related Topics:
Sophia, Electress of Hanover - Gottfried Leibniz

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