The acts of any historical person can be interpreted in different ways. This also applies to Charles IV, king of the Czech Republic. The “golden age” of this country, which he loved above all else, is associated with this monarch. However, even if many people today call him “the greatest of Czechs,” the brilliant poet of the Italian Renaissance, Francesco Petrarch, devoted lines to him that bitterly reproach Karl for acting like “King of Bohemia”, although he should have understood that is the "emperor of the Romans." Biographies of this historical figure are dedicated to this article.
Parents
Charles IV of Luxembourg was born in 1346 in Prague.
Initially, the child was given the name Wenceslas in honor of his maternal grandfather, King of the Czech Republic and Poland, Wenceslas II. He became the firstborn in the family of Jan Luxemburg, whom a few years earlier the Czech gentry had elected to the royal throne. The boy's father mainly spoke French and German. He was a brave warrior and adventurer, thoughtlessly draining the treasury, and he was absolutely not concerned about the welfare of the country.
In contrast to Jan, his wife Elsa (Elishka), who came from the Przemysłowicz dynasty, loved her homeland and often quarreled with her husband because of his rash actions that threatened the security and welfare of the state. Over time, the couple ceased to live together and even became somewhat political opponents.
Imprisonment
Already as the mother of three children, Elishka was gathering an army against the powerful nobleman Jindřich from Lipa. The latter became close with her husband, King Jan, and convinced him that his wife was going to overthrow him in order to transfer the crown to her son Wenceslas.
Then the king besieged Loket castle, where Elishka was, and took her children from her.
Suspicious Yang ordered the imprisonment of an innocent infant son. The poor boy had to spend several years in semi-prison conditions. This influenced the formation of the character of King Charles IV, who until the end of his life remained closed and preferred to spend time in cramped dark rooms.
In France
Later, Yang made peace with his son. He always had a Western European orientation and decided that it would be better to educate the heir if the teenager lived in Paris at the court of the French king Charles, who was the wife of his sister.
In France, Vaclav learned to speak and write in 5 languages, including Italian and Latin.
During the rite of confirmation, the boy, on the advice of educators, chose the name Carl, thereby showing respect for his French uncle king.
Homecoming
In 1331, King Jan called his son from Paris and invited him to take part in a campaign in Italy. During this campaign, the 15-year-old prince was able to gain diplomatic and military experience, which greatly helped him in the future. In addition, he got the opportunity to talk with representatives of the Renaissance, which contributed to the formation of the future emperor of humanistic views.
At the end of the campaign, the future Charles IV was appointed ruler of the Margrave of Moravia. Later, in the absence of his father, who, due to his restless nature, never sat at home, the young man became the de facto manager of all Czech lands. Although the young man at that time was only 20 years old, he showed himself to be a wise and talented ruler. However, he did not have a normal relationship with the eccentric father, who by that time had begun to lose his sight.
Although the prince did everything to help King Jan, he was even more annoyed against Carl and even thought about choosing another heir to the throne.
Accession to the throne
In 1346, King Jan of Luxembourg, who entered the Hundred Years War with England as an ally of France, died on the battlefield at the Battle of Crescy.
Charles IV entered the throne. He immediately decided that he would conduct a completely different policy than his father. His goal was "the joy is not about the external brilliance, but about the essence of the matter."
The proclamation of Charles as the “Roman King” took place on July 26, 1346. This title meant that the German electors who had the right to elect the head of the Holy Roman Empire voted for him. This public entity at that time united most of the territories of Central Europe, as well as the northern regions of Italy.
However, the election of the emperor was not entirely smooth. Some electors preferred to see Ludwig from the Bavarian dynasty on the throne. They were opposed by adherents of the pope who wanted this title to go to the devout Karl.
As often happens, His Majesty's case intervened. Karl’s opponent died of a heart attack, and he was left without competitors.
The ceremonial coronation took place in Aachen - the capital of the empire of Charlemagne. Later, the rite was held a second time in Rome.
Acts
The Czech Republic during the reign of Charles IV was in its heyday. Although this monarch was also the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, he focused on beloved Bohemia, as the Czech Republic was then called. In 1348, the king made 2 important decisions regarding Prague. In particular, he laid the first university in Central Europe, which bears his name today, and founded Nove Mesto, thereby greatly expanding the borders of the Czech capital.
Thanks to the wise domestic policies of the King of the Czech Republic, Charles IV, other cities of the country quickly grew and developed. He encouraged artisans and merchants by providing them with tax incentives, which contributed to the flourishing of the economy.
Under Charles IV, the Czech Republic became the center of a vast empire and one of the most prosperous states in Europe.
In addition, a new state formation was formed under this monarch, known as the Land of the Crown of St. Wenceslas, which included Moravia, Bohemia and Silesia, and for some time Brandenburg.
Karl’s success also included the use of the Church as a political force, on which he relied in the fight against the ever-discontented gentry.
Coronation Rules
Shortly before his coronation, Carl ordered a new crown to be made. It has survived to the present day and is known as the crown of St. Wenceslas. In addition, he later instituted a new coronation ceremony. It was supposed to start in Vysehrad. Then the procession of the nobles moved across the Charles Bridge to Prague Castle. There, with a large gathering of people, a religious rite of coronation of the Czech monarch took place.
Succession Act
One of the main merits of King Charles was the strengthening of monarchy in Bohemia. In 1348, he issued a law on a new succession order. According to this act, the throne should always be inherited by the eldest son of the king. Women can become the head of state only if there are no men in the family. If there were no representatives of the clan alive, the king was elected by the Sejm. Thus, attempts to occupy the throne as a result of political games were suppressed by law.
Golden Bull
Charles IV created the document, which became the main one in the Holy Roman Empire until the end of its existence in 1806. First of all, he determined the procedure for electing the emperor. The city of Frankfurt was chosen as the venue for this ceremony. Moreover, punishment was even provided for the electors if they could not for a long time come to an agreement on the election of the king. In particular, if they did not elect an emperor within 30 days, they should be isolated and given only bread and water until a permanent or temporary lord was elected. The Golden Bull was published by Charles IV in 1356. It got its name, as it was certified by the imperial gold seal.
Campaigns in Italy
The emperor was different from his namesake Charles IV, king of Spain, who in 1803 got involved in a difficult war with France. He tried to refrain from conducting wars. However, he still had to make trips to Italy twice. Moreover, the second time the campaign was committed in the interests of the pope, the goal was to fight the Milan Visconti clan.
King Charles IV Family
The emperor was not such a womanizer as his father. However, he was married 4 times. The first wife of Charles was the French princess Blanca of the Valois dynasty. Their marriage was concluded by the parents when both “spouses” were 7 years old.
Blanca died at the age of 25. However, she managed to give birth to Charles IV of three children - a son who died in infancy, as well as daughters Margarita (future Queen of Hungary) and Catherine (future Duchess of Bavaria).
Karl did not remain a widower for long. A year later, Anna Pfaltskaya became his wife. This marriage was even more fleeting than the first, and, again, ended in the death of his wife.
Karl's third wife was Anna Svidnitskaya. It was she who bore him an heir - the future king Wenceslas IV, as well as daughter Elizabeth, who in the future became the duchess of Austria. Anna died in childbirth in 1362.
Elizaveta Pomeranskaya
By 1663, the family of Charles IV was already quite large. Of the children, three were still alive. At the same time, one of the daughters was already married. However, the emperor was not going to stay long without a wife. His last wife was Elizabeth Pomeranskaya, with whom he lived for 15 years, until his death. The girl was 30 years younger than her husband. She was distinguished by great physical strength and amazed contemporaries with the ability to bend keys with her bare hands. In this marriage, Carl had six more children, including Sigismund, nicknamed the Red Fox. It was this prince in the future who began to wear the crowns of the Czech and Hungarian king, as well as the German emperor.
Death
Carl's health was gradually deteriorating. The emperor suffered from gout and severe asthma attacks. Death occurred on November 29, 1378, when Karl was 62 years old. The most respected Czech theologian of that time, Vojtech Raneck, spoke at the funeral, calling the emperor “the father of the fatherland”. He predicted disasters to a state "deprived of such a glorious helmsman."
When dying, Karl bequeathed to divide personal possessions between the three sons as follows: the Czech Republic and Silesia went to the elder Wenceslas, he assigned Brandenburg to Sigismund, and ordered the Luzhitsky lands to be transferred to the administration of John.
Heir
Vaclav IV, the son of Charles IV, occupied the throne of the Holy Roman Empire during his father's life, in 1376. 5 people voted for him. Moreover, two votes belonged to Karl and Wenceslas himself.
2 days before his coronation, 14 Swabian cities created the Swabian League, which became an independent subject of the empire.
After the death of his father, Vaclav also became king of the Czech Republic.
In 1394, he was captured by the rebellious nobility, who sent the king to captivity in Austria. He was freed by his brother Sigismund, in gratitude for this deed proclaimed heir to the Czech throne.
Now you know what acts the most famous Czech king Charles VI committed , who glorified his name for centuries and left a good memory in the hearts of his subjects.