Henriette Marie of the Palatinate

Henriette Marie, Princess Palatine (17 July 1626 – 18 September 1651) was a daughter of Frederick V of the Palatinate, the "Winter King" of Bohemia, and Scottish princess Elizabeth Stuart. Before her death, she married Sigismund Rákóczi, a member of the House of Rákóczi of the Kingdom of Hungary.

Early years Henriette Marie, Princess Palatine, was the third daughter and ninth child of Frederick V, Elector Palatine and his wife, Elizabeth Stuart. Henriette was born in The Hague, Netherlands. Her paternal grandparents were Frederick IV, Elector Palatine and Louise Juliana of Nassau, and her maternal grandparents were James VI and I of Scotland and Anne of Denmark.

Henriette was born when her parents were in exile; due to this, her parents could hardly feed her. The family had to live off of Elizabeth's family funds and donations from her supporters.

Marriage and death

On 4 April 1651, in Sárospatak, Hungary, Henrietta was married to Sigismund Rákóczi, brother of George Rákóczi II, Prince of Transylvania, by proxy. The couple had never met but he had fallen in love with her portrait. However, Karl I Ludwig, Elector Palatine, her brother, felt that a Transylvanian prince was beneath her as the sister of an elector. The bride herself, didn't have any strong feelings. She died unexpectedly five months later on 18 September 1651. Her husband followed her to the grave a few months later; both were buried in St. Michael's Cathedral in Gyulafehérvár.

Ancestry