Elisabeth of Bohemia (1618–1680): A Philosopher in her Historical Context

Sabrina Ebbersmeyer is Associate Professor for the history of philosophy at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Working primarily on Renaissance and Early Modern philosophy, her research focusses on debates in moral psychology and philosophy of mind, on humanism and gender in the historiography of philosophy. She has published on numerous Renaissance and Early Modern philosophers, including Isotta Nogarola, Bernardino Telesio, Elisabeth of Bohemia and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. She is author of Homo agens (Berlin, New York: de Gruyter 2010), has edited the volume Emotional Minds (Berlin, New York: de Gruyter 2012) and translated the letter exchange between Elisabeth of Bohemia and René Descartes into German (München: Fink 2015).Sarah Hutton is Honorary Visiting Professor at the University of York. She has pioneered research on the history of women philosophers. Her publications include a monograph, Anne Conway. A Woman Philosopher (CUP), Women Science and Medicine co-edited with Lynette Hunter (Alan Sutton), and a revised edition of Conway Letters (first published by Marjorie Nicolson). She has also published articles on Margaret Cavendish, Damaris Masham, Mary Astell and Émilie du Chatelet.

“The excellent essays in this volume combine the expertise and insight of scholars in philosophy, history, religion, literature, and gender studies to give the best and most comprehensive account of Elisabeth’s thinking and context to date. … Many early modern scholars will find the volume of interest, especially those engaged in the ongoing recovery project concerning women philosophers and scientists. It would also be an excellent source of secondary literature for graduate seminars on Elisabeth.” (Alauren Samantha Forbes, Journal of the History of Philosophy, Vol. 61 (3), July, 2023) "Sabrina Ebbersmeyer and Sarah Hutton have assembled a rich collection of essays on Elisabeth of Bohemia ... . The generally high quality of the contributions and the range of sources they draw from make the volume an invaluable resource for any student or scholar wishing to understand the intellectual context and philosophy of Elisabeth of Bohemia. ... The volume is well edited and thoughtfully organized." (Rebecca Wilkin, Intellectual History Review, December 12, 2022)

• Sabrina Ebbersmeyer and Sarah Hutton Introduction.- I Elisabeth’s intellectual world. Nadine Akkerman Elisabeth of Bohemia’s Aristocratic Upbringing and Education at the Prinsenhof, Rapenburg 4-10, Leiden, c. 1627/8-32.- Mirjam de Baar Elisabeth of Bohemia’s Lifelong Friendship with Anna Maria van Schurman (1607–1678).- Sabrina Ebbersmeyer Elisabeth of Bohemia and the Sciences: The Case of Astronomy.- Sarah Hutton Princess Elisabeth and Anne Conway: the interconnected Circles of Two Philosophical Women.- II Elisabeth’s political thought and its contextCarol Pal Persistent Princess: The Personal Politics of Elisabeth of Bohemia.- Gianni Paganini Elisabeth and Descartes read Machiavelli in the Time of Hobbes.- Lisa Shapiro Princess Elisabeth and the Challenges of Philosophizing.- III Elisabeth’s philosophical thought in exchange with Descartes Lilli Alanen The Soul’s Extension: Elisabeth's Solution to Descartes’s Mind-Body Problem.- Martina Reuter Elisabeth on Free Will, Preordination, and Philosophical Doubt.- Dominik Perler Is Our Happiness Up to Us? Elisabeth of Bohemia on the Limits of Internalism.- Marie-Frédérique Pellegrin The Feminine Body in the Correspondence between Descartes and Elisabeth.- Denis Kambouchner What is Elisabeth’s Cartesianism?