the prince and his father, which terminated only with the mysterious death of the former in 1568. After Elizabeth's death, Philip married another princess who had been betrothed to his son, the Archduchess Ann of Austria.—F. M. W.
ELIZABETH ALEXIEONA, Empress of Russia, and daughter of the grand duke of Baden, was born January 24, 1779. In 1793 she was sent for by Catherine, grandmother of Alexander, to St. Petersburg. Having entered the Greek church, she changed her name of Louisa Maria Augusta to that of Elizabeth Alexieona, and was married to Alexander in October of the same year. Amiable and benevolent, she gave away all her income to the poor, except ten thousand roubles. She had two daughters who died young. She founded an institution for the education of orphans. Graceful in person, at the same time she possessed much firmness, which she displayed during the French invasion of Russia in 1812. Having been advised by her physicians to try a warmer climate, she went to Taganrog in the south of Russia. She felt herself dying; but wishing to see once more her mother-in-law, she set out to meet her, and expired on the road at the village of Beleff, May 4-16, 1826.—T. J.
ELIZABETH-CHRISTINA of Brunswick-Bevern, Queen of Prussia, daughter of Ferdinand-Albert, duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, and wife of Frederick the Great, was born in 1715. She was married to Frederick in 1732, while he was crown-prince; but as the alliance was forced upon Frederick by his father, he ultimately lived separate from her. Though she was not possessed of either beauty or talent in a great degree, her amiable and benevolent character secured for her the esteem and affection of her people, and Frederick always professed to entertain the greatest respect for her virtues. He visited her regularly once a year, and at his death he ordered that she should receive annually fifty thousand crowns, half of which she is said to have devoted to charitable purposes. She died in 1797.—D. M.
ELIZABETH FARNESE, born in 1692, daughter of the then reigning duke of Parma, became the wife of Philip V. of Spain, shortly after the death of his first queen, Maria Louisa, in 1714. The marriage was brought about by the influence of Cardinal Alberoni, and of the Princess Orsini, the governess of the king's children. Elizabeth immediately found means to rid herself of the latter, perhaps with the willing consent of the king, over whose weak mind she gained a complete ascendancy, seldom leaving him for more than a few minutes in the day. The great objects of this ambitious woman seem to have been to obtain the reversion of the French crown, which Philip had solemnly renounced, and to gain for her son an independent sovereignty in Italy. In the countless intrigues undertaken with this object, she found an able coadjutor in Alberoni; whom, however, she abandoned to his fate when he incurred the king's displeasure. Elizabeth shared her husband's seclusion at San Ildefonso, when in 1724 he abdicated in favour of his son Louis. When, on the death of the latter, eight months afterwards, Philip resumed his authority, the queen became virtually regent of the kingdom during the long illnesses of the king. At his death in 1746 she retired into obscurity, being unwilling to repair to the court of her son, the king of the Two Sicilies.—F. M. W.
ELIZABETH PETROWNA, Empress of Russia, was born 5th September, 1709. She was the daughter of Peter the Great and Catherine I. Their successor was Peter II., and on his death the crown was conferred upon Anne, duchess of Courland and niece of Peter the Great, though her eldest sister was still alive. Anne died in 1740, and by her will Ivan the son of her niece Anne, duchess of Brunswick, succeeded to the throne. Biron, the favourite of the late empress, was appointed guardian of the young czar, who was only two years old; but on his arrest and banishment Anne caused herself to be proclaimed regent during the minority of her son. Her administration, however, and that of her husband was extremely unpopular amongst the Russians, and was distasteful to the other powers of Europe. Meanwhile the Princess Elizabeth was living at court, apparently without taking any interest in public affairs. A negotiation for her marriage with Louis XV. of France had taken place during the lifetime of her father, and after his death her hand was sought by Charles Augustus, duke of Schleswig-Holstein, and by the margrave of Anspach, but their offers were not accepted. Her physician and favourite, a German named Lestocq, urged her to assert her claim to the throne, but she was deterred, partly by superstition, partly by her fears, until the suspicions of the regent were aroused, and Lestocq induced Elizabeth to believe that her choice lay between a crown and the scaffold. The marquis de la Chetardie, the French ambassador, favoured the intrigue, and furnished the money necessary to gain over the royal guards. Elizabeth was at length induced to make the long meditated attempt, and on the night of the 6th of December, 1741, attended by Lestocq and Woronzoff, the only Russian of distinction who favoured her claims, she entered the barracks of the Preobrajenski guards, made them a rousing address, and promised, if they would give her their support, that she would expel the foreigners who now usurped the highest and most lucrative posts. Only a single company declared in her favour; but, having received their oaths of fidelity, she immediately proceeded to the palace, and made prisoners of the regent, her husband, and their son. This unhappy family was banished to an island at the mouth of the Dvina, in the White Sea, where the princess Anne died of childbed in 1747. Her husband survived till 1755, and at last ended his miserable career in prison. The new empress, having thus quietly obtained possession of her father's throne, occupied herself with annulling the measures adopted during the regency, and re-establishing the institutions which the Czar Peter had originated. She brought to trial the Counts Osterman, Munnich, and other distinguished foreigners, confiscated their possessions, and banished them to Siberia. She carried on for some time a war with Sweden, which was terminated by the peace of Abo. She was induced by the persuasion of her favourites, combined with her indignation at some sarcastic remarks of Frederick the Great of Prussia respecting her personal appearance, to take part in the war against that monarch, which was virtually brought to a close by her death, and thus saved him from imminent peril. Elizabeth was indolent, extremely licentious, and at the same time superstitious. She was for the most part governed by her favourites; but she was, notwithstanding, beloved by her subjects, who gave her the name of the Clement. She founded the university of Moscow, and the academy of fine arts at St. Petersburg. She died in 1761, and was succeeded by her nephew, Peter III.—J. T.
ELIZABETH STEWART, Princess palatine and Queen of Bohemia, was the eldest daughter of James I. of England, and was born in 1596. She was married in 1613 to Frederick, then elector palatine. In 1619 the states of Bohemia, having taken up arms in defence of the protestant religion, made an offer of their crown to Frederick, who unfortunately for himself hastily accepted the offer (counting probably upon the assistance of his father-in-law), without considering his inability to resist the united power of the emperor and of the Roman catholics in Bohemia. This rash step was taken by the urgent advice of his princess, who is said to have declared that she would rather live on bread at the table of a king, than enjoy the greatest luxury at that of an elector. Frederick accordingly hastened with his family to Prague, and was crowned on the 4th of November, 1619. His possession of the crown, however, was of very short duration. He was defeated by the imperialists and the Spaniards in the decisive battle of Prague, 8th November, 1620, and was deprived, not only of Bohemia, but of his hereditary possessions. He fled first to Breslau, and afterwards took refuge in Holland. Elizabeth accompanied him in all his wanderings, and shared in his poverty and privations. The unfortunate elector died in 1632. At the peace of Westphalia his son, Charles Louis, was restored to a part of his hereditary dominions; and Elizabeth once more took up her residence in the palatinate. At the Restoration in 1660 she accompanied her nephew, Charles II., to England, where she died in 1662, and was buried in Westminster abbey. From her beauty and fascinating manners Elizabeth was styled the Queen of Hearts. Her sons, the princes Rupert and Maurice, took a prominent part in the great civil war between Charles I. and the parliament. Sophia, one of her daughters, was married to Ernest Augustus, elector of Hanover, and was the mother of George I., so that the descendant of Elizabeth now sits on the throne of Great Britain.—J. T.
ELIZABETH WOODVILLE, Queen of England, as consort of Edward IV., was the daughter of Jacquetta of Luxembourg, duchess-dowager of Bedford, by her second husband, Sir Richard Woodville, who was, after his daughter's marriage with the king, created Earl Rivers. At an early age Elizabeth became the wife of Sir John Gray, who fell fighting on the side of the Lancastrians, at one of the numerous battles in the war of the Roses. During her widowhood she was seen incidentally by Edward IV., who was hunting in the forest of Grafton, near
