ELIZABETH CHARLOTTE (LISELOTTE), DOWAGER DUCHESS OF ORLEANS

ST URBAIN, Ferdinand de: Lorraine, ca.1730, Bronze, 56 mm
Obv: Bust of Liselotte (l)     ELIZ. CAR. PALAT. RHENI. D. AVREL. MATER. FELICIT. PVBLICAE
Rev: Female standing     FECUNDITAS. CONSERVATRIX. GALLIAE.
Signed:  S.V.
Ref: Forrer V, p. 310, #11

This medal is similar to medal # BW634 except the reverse is  inverted.

Elizabeth Charlotte von der Pfalz (Elizabeth Charlotte of Bavaria) (Liselotte) (1652––1722), Duchess of Orleans, was a German princess, called the Princess Palatine. The Palatinate, an historically important area in central Europe that includes land surrounding the Rhine, has been fought over for centuries. It is governed by an Elector Palatine. 
Elizabeth Charlotte was the second wife of Louis XIV’s brother, Philip I, Duke of Orleans (his first wife, Henrietta, sister of Charles II of England, ended with her death by poison in 1670, presumably on order of her husband Philip), the mother of Philip II d’Orléans, regent to King Louis XV, and the sister of Charles, the Elector Palatine of the Rhine. As Charles had died without heirs in 1685, he had been succeeded as Elector Palatine by the head of the Zweibrucken line, Philip William of Neuberg, the father-in-law of the Holy Roman Emperor, Leopold I, with whom Louis was at war. As this strengthened his adversary’s position, Louis decided to claim that some part of the Palatine succession ought to have gone to Charles’ sister, and Louis’ sister-in-law, Liselotte. Though the duchess herself did not insist on her rights to this land, Louis decided to enforce the claim.  In 1688, Louis issued a manifesto setting forth the French demands, and shortly thereafter, a French army under the command of the dauphin (Louis XIV’s eldest son) advanced into and devastated the Palatinate. This contributed to the onset of the War of the Grand Alliance, which pitted an alliance of England, Holland and the Holy Roman Empire against France. This war lasted from 1689 to 1697 and, with no clear victor, ended with the Treaty of Ryswick.

Liselotte wrote many frank and vigorous letters which provide a valuable insight into the social history of her time.  

LINK to Letters of Elizabeth Charlotte (from Arcamax.com)

LINK to War of the Grand Alliance (from Infoplease)

Link to War of the Grand Alliance (from KMLA)

LINK to Treaty of Ryswick (from Wikipedia)

HOME PAGE