page_title: Elizabeth Stuart (daughter of Charles I)
section_title: Civil war
hierarchical_section_title: Elizabeth Stuart (daughter of Charles I) / Civil war
context_page_description: Elizabeth Stuart was the second daughter of King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland and his wife, Henrietta Maria of France.
  From age six until her death at age 14, Elizabeth was a prisoner of the English Parliament during the English Civil War. Her emotional written account of her final meeting with her father on the eve of his execution and his final words to his children have been published in numerous histories about the Civil War and Charles I.
context_section_description: On the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642, Elizabeth, and her brother the Duke of Gloucester, were placed under the care of Parliament. Over the coming years, Parliament assigned their guardianships to several nobles, among them Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke.
  In 1642, Parliament assigned guardianship of Elizabeth and Henry to the Earl of Northumberland.  That same year, their brother, Prince James, Duke of York, the future James II, came to visit them.  However, Elizabeth supposedly advised him to leave out of concern about their enemies.
  In 1643, the seven-year-old Elizabeth broke her leg.  That same year, she and Henry moved to Chelsea. She was tutored by Bathsua Makin until 1644.  By then, Elizabeth could read and write in Hebrew, Greek, Italian, Latin and French. Other prominent scholars dedicated works to her, and were amazed by her flair for religious reading.
  In 1647, Parliament allowed Elizabeth and her brothers Henry and James to travel to Maidenhead to meet their father Charles I and spent two days with him. After the Parliament moved Charles I to Hampton Court Palace, he visited his children under the care of the Northumberlands at Syon House. These visits ended when he fled to Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight; ten-year-old Elizabeth supposedly helped James to escape once again, dressed as a woman.
  Elizabeth's family called her "Temperance" for her kind nature. When she was eleven, the French ambassador described Elizabeth as a "budding young beauty" who had "grace, dignity, intelligence and sensibility" that enabled her to judge the different people she met and understand different points of view. Elizabeth suffered from poor health. A Victorian-era examination of her remains revealed that she had suffered from rickets, which caused shoulder and back deformities, knock knees and pigeon toes.  These problems would have made it difficult for Elizabeth to walk. The adolescent Elizabeth had a long face with a protruding jaw and reddish-brown hair.
  When Parliament decided to remove Elizabeth's household in 1648, the 12-year-old princess wrote them a letter protesting their decision: "My Lords, I account myself very miserable that I must have my servants taken from me and strangers put to me. You promised me that you would have a care for me; and I hope you will show it in preventing so great a grief as this would be to me. I pray my lords consider of it, and give me cause to thank you, and to rest. Your loving friend, Elizabeth." The Lords were sympathetic to Elizabeth's plight and condemned the Commons for intervening with the Royal Household, and overturned the decision. However, the Commons demanded that the royal children be brought up as strict Protestants; they were also forbidden to join the Court at Oxford, and were held virtual prisoners at St. James's Palace. At one point, Parliament considered making Henry a replacement king, but strictly a constitutional monarch.
caption: Princess Elizabeth's younger brother, Henry, Duke of Gloucester, painted in 1653 by Adriaen Hanneman.
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