Portal:Holy Roman Empire/Article of the month/December

King Frederick V

Frederick V was Elector of the Palatinate from 1610 to 1623 and, as Frederick I, King of Bohemia from 1619 to 1620.

In his attempt to position Electoral Palatinate as the leading Protestant power in the Holy Roman Empire, he became entangled in the political turmoil caused by religious opponents on the eve of the Thirty Years' War. He accepted the crown of Bohemia and thus opposed the Emperor and the Empire. Imperial propaganda gave him the nickname, the "winter king", in anticipation of an extremely short reign, a name which stuck when his rule as King of Bohemia only lasted a year. He is thus one of the few historical personalities in history who is remembered by a name of ridicule.

His political actions had far-reaching and devastating effects on the Empire and the whole of Europe, and was one of the triggers of the Thirty Years' War. After his defeat in the Battle of the White Mountain against imperial troops, he lost not only the Kingdom of Bohemia, but also his lordship of the Palatinate and his electoral status.

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