The Palatine Wedding of 1613: Protestant Alliance and Court Festival

by Sara Smart (Editor), Mara R. Wade (Editor)

The wedding in 1613 of Elizabeth Stuart and Elector Palatine Friedrich V was an event of immense diplomatic, confessional, and cultural significance. This volume, the first interdisciplinary treatment of this celebration of Protestant union, is unique in the scope of its approach to the magnificent spectacles, beginning in London and ending in Heidelberg, that were staged to mark the occasion. The study situates the wedding in its broadest context, exploring the pan-Protestant hopes it inspired and the rich cultural exchange it triggered. The editors have assembled a team of international contributors whose wide-ranging expertise integrates the pan-European aspects of the topic in a way that no single monograph could accomplish. The twenty-three contributions introduce new archival and printed source materials, offering a wealth of fresh insights. Among the aspects addressed here are Elizabeth's childhood, the diverse literary expression that accompanied the marriage, and the issue of court ceremonial, in this case with an added gender aspect in that the bride claimed precedence over her husband. Analysis of diplomatic correspondence and city records reveals external views on the alliance. A particular strength of the volume is its polycentric view, showing the connections linking Scotland, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the Palatinate. The detailed scholarship is animated by illustrations, many of them little known.

662 pages, Hardcover

First published January 10, 2013