Who was the Protestant 'Winter King' of Bohemia?

Frederick V was the Protestant ‘Winter King’ of Bohemia. A Calvinist prince and Elector Palatine, he accepted the Bohemian crown in 1619 after the Protestant estates rebelled against the Habsburgs.

Frederick’s reign was extremely brief. He was crowned in Prague on 4 November 1619, but his forces were defeated by the imperial and Catholic League armies at the Battle of White Mountain on 8 November 1620. He fled Bohemia soon afterward, and the shortness of his rule inspired the mocking nickname ‘Winter King.’

The title was political propaganda as well as a description of his rapid downfall. Frederick was married to Elizabeth Stuart, daughter of James VI and I, who became known as the ‘Winter Queen.’ Although Frederick was a Protestant leader, he was not the commander of every Protestant army in the war; figures such as Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden played major military roles later.