Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria (13 November 1801 – 14 December 1873) was queen of Prussia as the wife of King Frederick William IV. By birth, she was a Bavarian princess from the House of Wittelsbach; she was related to the ruling houses of Austria and Saxony through the marriages of her sisters. She supported her husband's interests in art and made charitable donations.
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Biography
Early life
Elisabeth was born in Munich, the daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and his wife, Caroline of Baden. She was the identical twin sister of Queen Amalie of Saxony, consort of King John of Saxony, and sister of Archduchess Sophie of Austria, mother of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria and Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico; as well as Ludovika, Duchess in Bavaria, mother of Franz Josef's consort, Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi), who was Elisabeth Ludovika's godchild and namesake. She was known within her family as Elise.
Crown Princess
On 29 November 1823, she married the future King Frederick William IV of Prussia and supported his intellectual interests, namely his attempts at artwork, which he held dear to his heart. She refused to become a Protestant as a condition of her marriage, to ascend the throne of Prussia next to the future king, insisting that she would only convert if she was convinced on the merits of the reformed faith after studying it for herself. It was on 5 May 1830, seven years after her marriage, that Elisabeth formally converted to Protestantism. Her union was reportedly happy, but remained childless: after a single miscarriage in 1828, Elisabeth was unable to have any offspring.