Landgravine Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt

Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt
Electress Palatine
Elisabeth Amalie, probably with her eldest daughter Eleonore, around 1655
Spouse	Philip William, Elector Palatine
Detail Issue
Eleonor Magdalene, Holy Roman Empress John William, Elector Palatine Charles III Philip, Elector Palatine Alexander Sigismund, Bishop of Augsburg Francis Louis, Archbishop of Trier Maria Sophia, Queen of Portugal Maria Anna, Queen of Spain Philip William August of Neuburg Dorothea Sophie, Duchess of Parma Hedwig Elisabeth, Princess Sobieski
Full name
German: Elisabeth Amalie Magdalene van Hessen-Darmstadt English: Elisabeth Amalie Magdalene of Hesse-Darmstadt
Father	George II, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
Mother	Sophia Eleonore of Saxony
Born	20 March 1635(1635-03-20) New Palace, Gießen, Germany
Died	4 August 1709(1709-08-04) (aged 74) Neuburg Palace, Neuburg, Germany
Burial	Neuburg an der Donau, Germany
Religion	Lutheranism then Roman Catholicism

Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt (Elisabeth Amalie Magdalene; 20 March 1635 – 4 August 1709) was a princess of Hesse-Darmstadt and wife of the Prince-elector of the Palatinate.

Biography

Born at the New Palace in Gießen, she was a daughter of George II, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Sophia Eleonore of Saxony. Her siblings included Louis of Hesse-Darmstadt, future Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Anna Sophia, Abbess of Quedlinburg.

Elisabeth Amalie was brought up strictly by her mother who was a Lutheran. She had an attractive appearance with striking blond hair, a trait she kept until her old age and which was inherited by her daughters Eleonor Magdalene and Dorothea Sophie, the latter being known in particular for her blonde hair.

On 3 September 1653 she was married at Langenschwalbach to Count palatine Philip William of Neuburg, who later became Prince-elector of the Palatinate. Her husband was some twenty years older than she and was the heir to the Electoral Palatinate which was a one of the most important states within the Holy Roman Empire.

She converted to Catholicism on 1 November 1653 in the presence of the elector and archbishop of Cologne, Maximilian Henry of Bavaria.

The 37-year long marriage was regarded as extremely happy and over its course, produced 17 children, many of which have descendants today. In the early years of their marriage, the couple lived in Düsseldorf, where they founded churches and monasteries. Later they moved to Neuburg, where she died after outliving her husband by almost 20 years.

The writer William Nakatenus dedicated his work The Heavenly Palm little garden to her.

Issue

Issue

Name Portrait Lifespan Notes Eleonor Magdalene Holy Roman Empress 6 January 1655- 19 January 1720 Married in 1676 Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor and had issue; Maria Adelheid Anna 6 January 1656- 22 December 1656 Died in infancy Sophia Elisabeth 25 May 1657- 7 February 1658 Died in infancy Johann Wilhelm Elector Palatine 19 April 1658- 8 June 1716 Married first Archduchess Maria Anna Josepha of Austria and had issue; married second Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici and had no issue Wolfgang George Frederik Weihbischof in Köln 5 June 1659- 4 June 1683 Died unmarried Ludwig Anton Bishop of Worms 9 June 1660- 4 May 1694 Died unmarried Charles III Philip Elector Palatine 4 November 1661- 31 December 1742 Married first Ludwika Karolina Radziwiłł and had issue; married second Teresa Lubomirska and had issue; married thrird Violante Theresia of Thurn and Taxis, no issue Alexander Sigismund Bishop of Augsburg 16 April 1663- 24 January 1737 Died unmarried Francis Louis Count Palatine Archbishop of Wrocław 18 July 1664- 6 April 1732 Died unmarried Frederik Wilhelm 20 July 1665- 23 July 1689 Died unmarried Maria Sofia Queen of Portugal 6 August 1666- 4 August 1699 Married in 1687 Peter II of Portugal and had issue Maria Anna Queen of Spain 28 October 1667- 16 July 1740 Married in 1690 Charles II of Spain, no issue; Philip William August 19 November 1668- 5 April 1693 Married in 1690 Anna Maria Franziska of Saxe-Lauenburg and had issue Dorothea Sophie Duchess of Parma 5 July 1670- 15 September 1748 Married in 1690 Odoardo Farnese and had issue; Hedwig Elisabeth Princess Sobieski 18 July 1673- 10 August 1722 Married in 1691 James Louis Sobieski and had issue; Johann 1 February 1675- 2 February 1675 Died in infancy Leopoldine Eleonora Josepha 27 May 1679 - 8 March 1693 Died unmarried

Ancestry

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

• 20 March 1635 – 3 September 1653 Her Serene Highness Landgravine Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt
• 3 September 1653 – 26 May 1685 Her Serene Highness the Electoral Princess of the Palatinate
• 26 May 1685 – 2 September 1690 Her Serene Highness the Electress Palatine
• 2 September 1690 – 4 August 1709 Her Serene Highness the Dowager Electress Palatine

Succession

Preceded by Wilhelmina Ernestine of Denmark

Electress Palatine 1685–1690

Succeeded by Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici