Frederick IV, Elector Palatine of the Rhine (; 5 March 1574 – 19 September 1610), only surviving son of Louis VI, Elector Palatine and Elisabeth of Hesse, called "Frederick the Righteous" (; French: ''Frédéric IV le juste'').

Life

Born in

Amberg Amberg () is a Town#Germany, town in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in the Upper Palatinate about halfway between Regensburg and Bayreuth. History The town was first mentioned in 1034 with the name Ammenberg. It became an important trading c ...

, his father died in October 1583 and Frederick came under the guardianship of his uncle, John Casimir, an ardent

Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...

, who ruled as regent until his death. The

mathematician and astronomer Bartholemaeus Pitiscus served as Frederick's tutor and later became court preacher. In January 1592, John Casimir died and the 17 year old Frederick assumed control of the government of the

Electorate of the Palatinate The Electoral Palatinate was a Imperial State, constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire until it was annexed by the Electorate of Baden in 1803. From the end of the 13th century, its ruler was one of the Prince-electors who elected the Holy ...

. Frederick continued John Casimir's anti-

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

measures and in 1608 became the head of the

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

military alliance known as the

Protestant Union The Protestant Union (), also known as the Evangelical Union, Union of Auhausen, German Union or the Protestant Action Party, was a coalition of Protestant German states. It was formed on 14 May 1608 by Frederick IV, Elector Palatine in order t ...

. Thus, he supported Protestant interests in the War of the Julich Succession. He soon fell prey to

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

, leaving state matters largely to his chief minister Christian of Anhalt. Frederick IV died in 1610 in

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

Family and children

In 1593, Frederick married Louise Juliana of Nassau, the daughter of William I of Orange and Charlotte de Bourbon-Monpensier. They had eight children: * Luise Juliane of the Palatinate (

, 16 July 1594 - Meisenheim, 28 April 1640), married in 1612 to Pfalzgraf John II, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken. * Katharina Sofie of the Palatinate (Heidelberg, 10 June 1595 - Köln an der Spree, 28 June 1626). * Frederick V, Elector Palatine (Jagdschloß Deinschwang, 16 August 1596 - Mainz, 29 November 1632); married in 1613 Princess Elizabeth of Scotland and England (later Queen of Bohemia). * Elisabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate (Neumarkt, 19 November 1597 - Crossen an der Oder, 26 April 1660); married in 1616 to Elector George William of Brandenburg * Anna Eleonore of the Palatinate (Heidelberg, 4 January 1599 - Heidelberg, 10 October 1600). * Louis William of the Palatinate (Heidelberg, 5 August 1600 - Heidelberg, 10 October 1600). * Maurice Christian of the Palatinate (Heidelberg, 18 September 1601 - Heidelberg, 28 March 1605). *

Louis Philip, Count Palatine of Simmern-Kaiserslautern Louis Philip (German: Ludwig Philipp) (23 November 1602 – 6 January 1655) was the Count Palatine of Simmern-Kaiserslautern from 1610 until 1655. Philip acted as Administrator of the Electoral Palatinate between 1632 and 1648. Philip was bo ...

(Heidelberg, 23 November 1602 - Krossen, 6 January 1655).

Ancestors

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Frederick 04, Elector Palatine 1574 births 1610 deaths 16th-century Prince-electors of the Palatinate 17th-century Prince-electors of the Palatinate People from Amberg Frederick House of Wittelsbach Child monarchs from Europe German Calvinist and Reformed Christians Burials at the Church of the Holy Spirit, Heidelberg