by David Elias
The Hortus Palatinus, the elaborate gardens and grounds Elizabeth undertook to construct at Heidelberg Castle in honour of her brother Henry, was never completed. Much of it subsequently fell into neglect, as did portions of the castle, which has taken on a romantic allure and become a major tourist attraction. The English Wing where Elizabeth lived is presently undergoing reconstruction.
After Frederick and Elizabeth’s brief reign in Prague, St. Vitus Cathedral was restored to its former state as the seat of the Archbishop. Caspar Bechterle was commissioned to carve a large wooden relief that depicts the disgraced couple’s flight from the palace. It can be viewed along a low wall not far from the altar.
Amalia von Solms, chosen by Elizabeth to succeed Anne Dudley, continued to serve as her lady-in-waiting after they settled in The Hague. She eventually married into royalty herself and started up a royal court of her own, as well as amassing an impressive collection of art and jewellery.
The Great Comet of 1618 was known as “the Angry Star.” It boasted a long, ominous tail and appeared red in the sky. It was visible to the naked eye for almost two months and could be seen even in broad daylight. Elizabeth’s father, King James, penned a poem about it, imploring people not to read too much into it.
The cordial concocted by Sir Walter Raleigh while he was a prisoner in the Tower of London continued to be used as a medicine for over a century and became known as “the Great Cordial.” Today a liqueur based on the original and named after its creator is available for purchase. It contains over thirty ingredients, but the exact recipe remains a closely guarded secret.
Dr. Theodore de Turquet de Mayerne received part of his early medical education at Heidelberg University, across the Neckar River from the castle. In addition to his duties as physician, Elizabeth’s father sent him on a number of diplomatic missions whose secret purpose was to spy for the King.
The failed attempt to blow up the British Parliament in 1605 and install young Elizabeth Stuart as child queen became known as the Gunpowder Plot. Its overthrow is commemorated every November 5th and has become known as Guy Fawkes Night, with celebrations that often include large bonfires and fireworks.
The Charterhouse in London remains an almshouse to this day. Brothers are selected from a variety of professions, including music, art, and literature. In January of 2017 the doors were opened to the general public for the first time since 1348, the year in which it was founded.
The epigraph at the beginning of the book is taken from the writings of Elizabeth Benger (1775–1827), an English poet, novelist, and biographer. She was a child prodigy and composed a remarkable poem at the age of thirteen entitled The Female Geniad, which celebrates women’s achievements throughout history.
Present-day employees at the Tower of London include a Yeoman Warder known as the Ravenmaster, whose job is to see to the well-being of the ravens that populate the place just as they did in the time of Elizabeth. Custom dictates that should the ravens disappear, the White Tower will collapse into ruin and misfortune must follow soon after.
The compelling anatomical drawings Elizabeth examined in her brother’s study are those of Leonardo Da Vinci. The copious notes that accompany them were written backwards for reasons that are not altogether clear. It may be that Da Vinci wanted to obscure them from discovery by the church, or perhaps it was a way of keeping others from stealing his ideas.
King James I abhorred tobacco to the point where he wrote an entire treatise, A Counterblaste to Tobacco, against its use. Interestingly, it was Sir Walter Raleigh who brought it back with him from the New World, having been sent there by Queen Elizabeth I. Tobias Hume held quite a different view on the matter and composed a musical tribute entitled Tobacco, which sang its praises.
Elizabeth was mother to thirteen children:
Henry Frederick, Hereditary Prince of the Palatinate (1614–29)
Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine (1617–80)
Elisabeth of the Palatinate (1618–80)
Rupert, Duke of Cumberland (1619–82)
Maurice of the Palatinate (1620–52)
Louise Hollandine of the Palatinate (1622–1709)
Louis (August 21–December 24, 1624)
Edward, Count Palatine of Simmern (1625–63)
Henriette Marie of the Palatinate (1626–51)
John Philip Frederick of the Palatinate (1627–50)
Charlotte of the Palatinate (1628–31)
Sophia, Electress of Hanover (1630–1714)
Gustavus Adolphus of the Palatinate (1632–41)
An obscure tomb at Westminster Abbey can be found along the south aisle of the Henry VII Lady Chapel. In the small gap between the monuments to Mary Queen of Scots and the Duchess of Richmond, hidden under a dusty fire blanket, lies a modest stone tablet set into the floor. The shallow inscription engraved upon it reveals that it is the burial place of Elizabeth, as well as her brother Henry and her cousin Arabella.
Acknowledgements
With gratitude and appreciation to all those who had a hand in the development of this novel — for their inspiration, expertise, and support — in particular, the following:
Jack David, David Caron, Rachel Ironstone, Tania Blokhuis, and everyone at ECW Press — for making it possible to tell Elizabeth’s story.
Emily Schultz — for making ways to tell it better.
Harold Neufeld, Kimmy Beach, Edna Froese, Marjorie Anderson, and Chris Dirks — for making time to spend in Elizabeth’s world.
The Access Copyright Foundation and the Manitoba Arts Council — for making Elizabeth accessible.
Graham Matthews at Charterhouse, London; Wilfried Klein at Heidelberg Castle; the staff of the Rare Books and Music Reading Room at the British Library; the staff at Prague Castle, Westminster Abbey, and the Tower of London — for making it real.
And finally, thanks to my wife, Brenda Sciberras — for making it all special.
About the Author
David Elias is a novelist based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. His work has been nominated for several awards, and he has travelled extensively in the footsteps of Elizabeth of Bohemia to examine rare historical documents and artifacts in places such as the British Library, Heidelberg Castle, and St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague.
Copyright
Copyright © David Elias, 2019
Published by ECW Press
665 Gerrard Street East
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4M 1Y2
416-694-3348 / [email protected]
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any process — electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise — without the prior written permission of the copyright owners and ECW Press. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
Cover design: Michel Vrana
Maps: © Chris Brackley/As the Crow Flies Cartography/www.atcfc.ca
Cover image: “Princess Elizabeth (1596–1662), Later Queen of Bohemia” by Robert Peake the elder (c. 1606), from the Metropolitan Museum of Art: Gift of Kate T. Davison, in memory of her husband, Henry Pomeroy Davison 1951
Author photo: © Anthony Mark Photography
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Elias, David H., 1949–, author
Elizabeth of Bohemia : a novel about Elizabeth Stuart, the Winter Queen / David Elias.
Issued in print and
electronic formats.
ISBN 978-1-77041-463-1 (softcover)
ISBN 978-1-77305-327-1 (pdf)
ISBN 978-1-77305-326-4 (epub)
1. Elizabeth, Queen, consort of Frederick I, King of Bohemia, 1596-1662—Fiction. I. Title.
PS8559.L525E45 2019 C813’.54 C2018-905339-9 C2018-905340-2
The publication of Elizabeth of Bohemia has been generously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts which last year invested $153 million to bring the arts to Canadians throughout the country and is funded in part by the Government of Canada. Nous remercions le Conseil des arts du Canada de son soutien. L’an dernier, le Conseil a investi 153 millions de dollars pour mettre de l’art dans la vie des Canadiennes et des Canadiens de tout le pays. Ce livre est financé en partie par le gouvernement du Canada. We acknowledge the support of the Ontario Arts Council (OAC), an agency of the Government of Ontario, which last year funded 1,737 individual artists and 1,095 organizations in 223 communities across Ontario for a total of $52.1 million. We also acknowledge the contribution of the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Book Publishing Tax Credit, and through Ontario Creates for the marketing of this book.
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