William Craven, earl of Craven

William Craven, earl of Craven (born 1606—died April 9, 1697, London, Eng.) was an English courtier known for his long association with the “winter queen” of Bohemia, the English princess Elizabeth, who was the consort of Frederick V, the elector Palatine. A Royalist during the English Civil Wars, Craven provided considerable financial support for both Charles I and Charles II.

The eldest son of Sir William Craven, lord mayor of London (1610), he was educated at Trinity College, Oxford, and at the Middle Temple. In 1632 he went to the European continent to fight for the dispossessed king of Bohemia, Frederick V, in the defense of the Rhenish Palatinate and there began his lifelong devotion to the beautiful Elizabeth, who had been sought in marriage by Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden and Philip III of Spain. Taken prisoner by imperial forces in 1637, he ransomed himself and joined Elizabeth in her exiled court at The Hague. After the Restoration in England, Craven commanded the Coldstream Guards and was created Earl of Craven in 1665. (He had been named Baron Craven in 1627.) The queen of Bohemia, whose husband died in 1632, lived at his house in Drury Lane, London, until her death on Feb. 13, 1662.