John Philip Frederick of the Palatinate (16 September 1627 – 16 December 1650), was the seventh son of Frederick V, Elector Palatine (of the House of Wittelsbach), the "Winter King" of Bohemia, by his consort, Elizabeth of Bohemia.
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Early years
Prince Philip was born in The Hague, where his parents lived in exile after his father lost the Battle of White Mountain and was driven from the thrones of both Bohemia and the Palatinate. He was their 10th-born child and the sixth son. Philip's father, a Calvinist, died on 29 November 1632, when Philip was five years old.
Through his mother, Elizabeth of Bohemia, Philip was a grand-son of James VI and I, King of Scotland, England, and Ireland, and a nephew of Charles I.
While his elder brother Rupert was heavily involved in British politics and wars, Philip and his older brother Edward were educated at the French court, at the request of their eldest brother, Charles I Louis. Philip and Edward were sent back to The Hague by request of their mother after the French temporarily took Charles Louis prisoner.
Scandal and exile
On the night of June 20, 1646, Prince Philip killed a French exile, Lieutenant Colonel Jacques de l'Epinay, Sieur de Vaux, in a duel or fight. Rumours declared that Prince Philip had been provoked by a boast of the French Don Juan that he had enjoyed the favours not only of Philip's older sister, the Princess Louise, but also of their widowed mother.
In spite of repeated summonses, Prince Philip never appeared to answer the Dutch legal authorities. He became what Elizabeth had sworn that none of her sons should become - a soldier of fortune.
Military career and death
Philip entered the military service of the Duke of Lorraine with the rank of colonel. He was killed at the Battle of Rethel on 16 December 1650, during the Fronde. His remains were returned to Sedan and were buried in the Church of St. Charles Borromeo.
