The Baronial Halls, and Ancient Picturesque Edifices of England; Vol. 1 of 2Hall, S. C. (Samuel Carter)
History
The Baronial Halls, and Ancient Picturesque Edifices of England; Vol. 1 of 2
Hall, S. C. (Samuel Carter)
Historic buildings -- England
“You meaner beauties of the night,
That weaklie satisfie our eies,
More by your number than your lighte,
Like common people of the skies,
What are you when the moon doth rise?”
Immediately after her marriage to the Elector, they proceeded to their
palace at Heidelberg, which became the focus of the chivalry of the
period.
This scene of their enjoyment and happiness they quitted when the
Elector became king of Bohemia, and thenceforward evil destiny pursued
their steps. The deposed sovereign died of a broken heart, at the early
age of thirty-six; and after his death the queen remained at the Hague,
living in privacy and poverty, but exerting the energies of her fine
mind to educate her children, of whom she had several. The management
of her affairs she confided entirely to her gallant defender the Earl
of Craven, who had entered the military service of the states to be
near her, and to whom she is understood to have been privately married.
On the Restoration she was invited by her nephew, Charles II., to pass
the remainder of her life in England, a proposal which she gladly
accepted. She arrived in London on the 17th of May, 1661, with Lord
Craven, and took up her residence at his house in Drury Lane, where she
remained till the following February, on the 8th of which month she
removed to Leicester House, and died there on the 13th, only five days
after she had entered it. She was buried in Westminster Abbey, in a
vault made for the interment of her brother Henry, prince of Wales.
That her ambition principally induced the downfall of her husband,
there is little doubt. On this subject we borrow an eloquent passage
from Mrs. Jamieson: “One of the most interesting monuments of
Heidelberg, at least to an English traveller, is the elegant triumphal
arch raised by the Palatine Frederick V., in honour of his bride--this
very Elizabeth Stuart. I well remember with what self-complacency and
enthusiasm our chief walked about in a heavy rain, examining, dwelling
upon every trace of this celebrated and unhappy woman. She had been
educated at his country seat; and one of the avenues of his magnificent
park yet bears her name. On her fell a double portion of the miseries
of her fated family. She had the beauty and the wit, the gay spirits
the elegant tastes, the kindly disposition of her grandmother, Mary of
Scotland; her very virtues as a wife and woman, not less than her pride
and feminine prejudices, ruined herself, her husband, and her people.
When Frederick hesitated to accept the crown of Bohemia, his spirited
wife exclaimed, ‘Let me rather eat dry bread at a king’s table than
feast at the board of an elector.’
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account