Edward, Prince Palatine of the Rhine (''Eduard, Prinz von der Pfalz'') (5 October 1625 – 10 March 1663), was the sixth son of

Frederick V, Elector Palatine Frederick V (german: link=no, Friedrich; 26 August 1596 – 29 November 1632) was the Elector Palatine of the Rhine in the Holy Roman Empire from 1610 to 1623, and reigned as King of Bohemia from 1619 to 1620. He was forced to abdicate bo ...

(of the

House of Wittelsbach The House of Wittelsbach () is a German dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including Bavaria, the Palatinate, Holland and Zeeland, Sweden (with Finland), Denmark, Norway, Hungary (with Romania), Bohemia, the Electorate ...

), the "Winter King" of

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

, by his consort, the Scottish princess Elizabeth Stuart. Edward was born in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...

, where his parents lived in exile after his father lost the

Battle of White Mountain The Battle of White Mountain ( cz, Bitva na Bílé hoře; german: Schlacht am Weißen Berg) was an important battle in the early stages of the Thirty Years' War. It led to the defeat of the Bohemian Revolt and ensured Habsburg control for the n ...

and was driven from the thrones of both Bohemia and the Palatinate. His father, a

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John C ...

, died on 29 November 1632, when Edward was seven years old. On 24 April 1645, in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, Edward married a French princess of Italian extraction,

Anne Gonzaga Anna Gonzaga (Anna Marie; 1616 – 6 July 1684) was an Italian French noblewoman and salonist. The youngest daughter of Charles Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and Montferrat, and Catherine de Mayenne (herself daughter of Charles, Duke of Mayenne), An ...

(1616–1684). Nine years older than Edward, she was a daughter of

Carlo I, Duke of Mantua Charles Gonzaga ( it, Carlo I Gonzaga) (6 May 1580 – 22 September 1637) was Duke of Mantua and Duke of Montferrat from 1627 until his death. He was also Charles III Duke of Nevers and Rethel, as well as Prince of Arche and Charleville. Biogra ...

and Catherine de Lorraine-Guise-Mayenne. She had been raised in France, where her father held the dukedom of Nevers prior to inheriting the Italian duchy. She had raised a scandal by her obsessive pursuit of her second cousin, the fifth Duke of Guise, whom she claimed to have married (which he denied). Edward had no money, and was a Protestant. But Edward's prompt conversion vindicated the couple at the French royal court, despite his mother's threats to disown any of her children who embraced the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

. The couple took up residence in Paris, where they were referred to as the ''Prince and Princess Palatine''. Her inheritance and the king's generosity enabling them to live according to their rank as '' princes étrangers''. Elizabeth soon resumed correspondence with her son. In 1649, he received the

Order of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the Georg ...

from the exiled King

Charles II of England Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest surviving child o ...

. Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh (editor). ''Burke's Guide to the Royal Family'',

Burke's Peerage Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher founded in 1826, when the Irish genealogist John Burke began releasing books devoted to the ancestry and heraldry of the peerage, baronetage, knightage and landed gentry of Great ...

, London, 1973, p. 207. Edward and Anna Gonzaga were parents of three daughters: # Luise Marie (23 July 1647 – 11 March 1679). Married

Charles Theodore, Prince of Salm Charles Theodore Otto, Prince of Salm (; 1645-1710), was Count of Salm-Salm since 1663 and Obersthofmeister at the Austrian Court. Family He was the son of Leopold Philip Charles, Fürst (Prince) of Salm, and his wife, Maria Anna of Bronckhors ...

, had issue. # Anne Henriette (23 July 1648 – 23 February 1723). Married

Henri Jules, Prince of Condé Henri Jules de Bourbon (29 July 1643, in Paris – 1 April 1709, in Paris, also ''Henri III de Bourbon'') was '' prince de Condé'', from 1686 to his death. At the end of his life he suffered from clinical lycanthropy and was considered insane. B ...

, had issue. # Benedicta Henrietta (14 March 1652 – 12 August 1730). Married

John Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg John Frederick (german: Johann Friedrich; 25 April 1625 in Herzberg am Harz – 18 December 1679 in Augsburg) was duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. He ruled over the Principality of Calenberg, a subdivision of the duchy, from 1665 until his death. T ...

, had issue. Prince Edward died in Paris on 13 March 1663, aged 37.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edward, Count Palatine Of Simmern House of Palatinate-Simmern Simmern, Edward, Count Palatine of Knights of the Garter German Roman Catholics Simmern, Edward, Count Palatine of Simmern, Edward, Count Palatine of Simmern, Edward, Count Palatine of Sons of kings