Elizabeth of Bohemia

"Elias's use of language to re-create the period is striking... A highly readable telling of a royal fall from grace." -- Kirkus Reviews "Lively and engrossing... Rich with historical detail and political intrigue, Elizabeth of Bohemia is a complex portrait of a reluctant yet captivating queen." -- Foreword Reviews October 1612. King James I seeks to expand England's influence in Europe and offers Prince Frederic of the Palatinate his sixteen-year-old daughter Elizabeth's hand. The fierce and intelligent Elizabeth moves to Heidelberg Castle with her new husband, where she turns a daughter's duty into a wife's ambition. When the Hapsburg emperor is weakened, Elizabeth encourages Frederic to take over the royal duties in Prague, and in the process she becomes Queen of Bohemia. But the reign is brief. Within the year, Catholic Europe unites to take back the Hapsburg throne. Frederic, Elizabeth, and the children are forced to flee, and the exiled queen must summon all her strength to keep her family intact through tumultuous seasons of separation and heartache in The Hague. With richly rendered characters and dialogue both penetrating and nuanced, Elizabeth of Bohemia offers a rare and delightful window into the Stuart period. David Elias is an author based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He travelled extensively in the footsteps of Elizabeth of Bohemia to visit historical sites and examine artifacts in places such as the British Library, Heidelberg Castle, and St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague.