Elisabeth was born in
Munich, the daughter of King
Maximilian I of Bavaria and his Queen
Friederike Karoline Wilhelmine Margravine of Baden. She was the twin sister of
Queen Amalie of Saxony, consort of
King John I of Saxony, and sister of
Archduchess Sophie of Austria, mother of
Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria-Hungary; as well as
Ludovika, Duchess in Bavaria, mother of Franz Josef's consort,
Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary (
Sisi).
On
November 29, 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. In
1830, Elisabeth converted to
Protestantism.
Becoming Queen consort of Prussia in
1840, she was never without influence in Prussian politics, where she was active in preserving the close friendship between Prussia and the
Austrian Empire.
To Frederick William IV, she was an exemplary wife and, during his long illness, a dedicated nurse. After his death on
January 2, 1861, Elisabeth lived quietly at her seats at
Sanssouci, Charlottenburg, and
Stolzenfels and dedicated herself to charity work in memory of her late husband . Her brother-in-law, Emperor
Wilhelm I of Germany, held her in high regard as a true friend.
During a visit to her sister, Queen Amalie of Saxony, Elisabeth died in 1873 in
Dresden. She was buried next to her husband on
December 21 at the
Friedenskirche in
Potsdam.
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