Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria, Queen of Prussia

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria, Queen of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria was the wife of King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia. She was born in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria., now in the German state of Bavaria, on November 13, 1801, the daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and his second wife Princess Caroline of Baden, and had six siblings:

Elisabeth Ludovika also had five older half-siblings from her father’s first marriage to Princess Auguste Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt:

Raised at the Bavarian court, Elisabeth Ludovika received an extensive education, much more than was typically given to princesses at that time. She remained close to her tutor, Friedrich Thiersch, an archeologist and former theologian, for the rest of his life. Having a large family, she was also very close to her siblings particularly her sister Ludovika Wilhelmine and her twin sister Amalie. Ludovika Wilhelmine’s daughter, later Empress Elisabeth (Sisi) of Austria, was her goddaughter and namesake.

King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

In Berlin on November 29, 1823, Elisabeth Ludovika married Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia, after four years of negotiations regarding religion. The Crown Prince was required to be Lutheran, while Elisabeth Ludovika was Catholic. Eventually, it was agreed that she could retain her religion with the expectation that she would eventually convert. She did convert, but not until 1830. Other than a stillborn child born early in their marriage, the couple had no children.

The couple lived at the Berlin Palace and in 1825, they were given a parcel of land bordering Sanssouci Park in Potsdam. There they had the Charlottenhof Palace built, which became their summer residence, and remained one of Elisabeth Ludovika’s homes until her death. Ten years later, in 1835, they were permitted to move into Sanssouci Palace. The palace had been built as a summer residence by King Friedrich II and had remained largely unused since his death. Elisabeth Ludovika and Friedrich Wilhelm took up residence in the west wing, formerly the guest quarters while using the east wing, formerly the private rooms of Friedrich II, for official duties. After they became King and Queen of Prussia, the east wing was incorporated into their private quarters as well, and official duties were conducted elsewhere.

Two additional residences were Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin and Stolzenfels Palace on the Rhine. Elisabeth Ludovika and Friedrich Wilhelm took up residence at Charlottenburg after their accession. Stolzenfels Castle, one of Friedrich Wilhelm’s reconstruction projects, quickly became one of their favorite homes.

After becoming Queen of Prussia in 1840, Elisabeth Ludovika welcomed her role and became greatly involved in charity work throughout Prussia. She also wandered into the political realm, working to strengthen the relationship between Prussia and Austria. Wholly devoted to Friedrich Wilhelm, and he to her, Elisabeth Ludovika spent the last few years of her time as Queen serving instead as nurse and caretaker for her husband after his first series of strokes in 1857.

Charlottenhof Palace. photo: By Momay – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16489837

Elisabeth Ludovika was widowed on January 2, 1861. She spent the remainder of her life at her homes at her various homes, including Sanssouci and Charlottenhof Palace in Potsdam, Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin, and Stolzenfels Castle on the Rhine. She continued her charity work, in honor of her late husband, and enjoyed a close relationship with her brother-in-law, King Wilhelm I of Prussia. She was also close to Victoria, Princess Royal, the wife of her nephew, the future Friedrich III of Prussia. Victoria had been a great comfort to Elisabeth Ludovika after the death of her husband. Because of that closeness, Elisabeth Ludovika bequeathed her jewels to Victoria instead of following tradition and leaving them to the new Queen. This act of kindness ended up causing a rift between Victoria and her mother-in-law, which would last until her death.

Dowager Queen Elisabeth Ludovika of Prussia died on December 14, 1873, in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany while visiting her twin sister Queen Amalie of Saxony. A week later, she was buried beside her husband in the crypt of the Friedenskirche (Church of Peace) in Sanssouci Park in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany.

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