Person

Elisabeth of the Palatinate

1618–1680 · 17th century · Also known as Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia

Elisabeth of the Palatinate was a German princess and philosopher, the eldest daughter of Frederick V, the 'Winter King' of Bohemia. Raised in exile in the Netherlands, she carried on a celebrated correspondence with René Descartes from 1643 on the relation of mind and body, and he dedicated his Principles of Philosophy to her. From 1667 until her death she was abbess of Herford, where she sheltered religious dissenters.

Elisabeth of the Palatinate
Image: Gerard van Honthorst · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Imperial Abbey of HerfordLandgraviate of Hesse-Rheinfels

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Elisabeth of the Palatinate. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/elisabeth-of-the-palatinate
MLA
“Elisabeth of the Palatinate.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/elisabeth-of-the-palatinate. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Elisabeth of the Palatinate.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/elisabeth-of-the-palatinate.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Elisabeth of the Palatinate’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/elisabeth-of-the-palatinate (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻