Individual Details
Karl IV Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire
(14 May 1316 - 29 Nov 1378)
Karl was born in Prague on 14 May 1316, the son of Johann 'the Blind', king of Bohemia and Elisabeth of Bohemia, heiress of Bohemia, daughter of Wenceslas II, king of Bohemia and Poland, and sister of Wenceslaus III, king of Hungary, Bohemia and Poland, of the Premyslid dynasty. He was christened Wenceslas after his maternal grandfather, but later chose the name Karl at his confirmation after he went to France, at the court of his uncle, Charles IV of France, where he remained for seven years.
In May 1329 Karl married Blanche de Valois, and they had two daughters, neither of whom had progeny.
From 1333 Karl started to administer his father's crown lands due to the king's frequent absence, and in 1334 he became margrave of Moravia. He inherited Luxembourg and the kingdom of Bohemia when his father was killed at the Battle of Crécy on 26 August 1346. In that year Karl handed Ferrara to the pope and promised never to enter upon lands belonging to the Church without the pope's permission. This effectively meant the separation of Germany and Italy. Karl was crowned King of Bohemia on 2 September 1347, as Karl I. He was elected as a rival King of the Romans to Emperor Ludwig IV.
Blanche de Valois died in 1348, and on 4 March 1349 Karl married Anna of Bavaria, by whom he had a son Wenceslas who died in infancy, followed by his mother in May 1353. On 27 May 1353 Karl married Anna von Schweidnitz, heiress of Schweidnitz, and they had two children, Elisabeth and Wenceslas, neither of whom would have progeny. Wenceslas ruled as Wenceslas IV, king of Bohemia, from 1373 to 1400, and was elected King of the Romans (Emperor-Elect).
In 1355 he travelled to Rome to be crowned emperor. On his return to Germany he called for a meeting of the Reichstag to discuss his proposals for constitutional reforms. These proposals were designed to reduce the papal influence; unable to object, the pope had to accept the reforms. During Karl's reign imperial policy refocused on the dynastic sphere and abandoned the ideal of the Holy Roman Empire as a universal monarchy. In 1353 Luxembourg had been granted to his younger brother Wenzel.
Karl IV concentrated his energies chiefly on the economic and intellectual development of Bohemia, founding the Charles University of Prague in 1348 and encouraging the early humanists - he is known to have corresponded with Petrarch, whom he invited to visit his residence in Prague. Petrarch, however hoped (to no avail) to make Karl move his residence to Rome, to take up the tradition of the ancient Roman Empire. As Karl became fond of Prague, art and architecture flourished in his capital, owing to his activity as a builder and patron. Construction of the Charles Bridge and of the Hradcany castle, and completion of Saint Vitus Cathedral by Peter Parler, are among the best examples. From the reign of Karl IV dates the first flowering of manuscript painting in Prague. In 1356 he issued the Golden Bull, which codified the procedures for imperial elections but had the disastrous effect of causing minor princes who were left out of the electoral process to lose allegiance to the empire. In 1373 he inherited the Margravate of Brandenburg.
Karl's wife Anna von Schweidnitz died in 1362, and in May 1363 Karl married Elisabeth von Pommern, daughter of Bogislaw V, duke of Pommern-Wolgast and Elzbieta of Poland, daughter of Kazimierz III 'the Great', king of Poland. Karl and Elisabeth had five children, of whom three would have progeny: Sigismund (the future emperor), Johann and Margarete.
Karl was literate and fluent in five languages - Latin, Czech, German, French and Italian. However, his French education left a lasting mark on him. His father Johann 'the Blind' was an ardent Francophile and patron of the composer and poet Guillaume de Machaut - he died at Crécy while fighting on the French side. Karl's sister Bona married the eldest son of Philippe VI of France, the future Jean II 'the Good' of France, in 1335. Thus Emperor Karl IV was the maternal uncle of King Charles V of France, who solicited his relative's advice at Metz in 1356 during the Parisian Revolt. This family connection was celebrated publicly when Karl IV made a solemn visit to his nephew in 1378, just months before his death. A detailed account of the occasion, enriched by many splendid miniatures, can be found in Charles V's copy of the _Grandes Chroniques de France._
Karl died on 29 November 1378 in Prague. He was succeeded by his son Wenceslas from his first marriage.
Source: Leo van de Pas
In May 1329 Karl married Blanche de Valois, and they had two daughters, neither of whom had progeny.
From 1333 Karl started to administer his father's crown lands due to the king's frequent absence, and in 1334 he became margrave of Moravia. He inherited Luxembourg and the kingdom of Bohemia when his father was killed at the Battle of Crécy on 26 August 1346. In that year Karl handed Ferrara to the pope and promised never to enter upon lands belonging to the Church without the pope's permission. This effectively meant the separation of Germany and Italy. Karl was crowned King of Bohemia on 2 September 1347, as Karl I. He was elected as a rival King of the Romans to Emperor Ludwig IV.
Blanche de Valois died in 1348, and on 4 March 1349 Karl married Anna of Bavaria, by whom he had a son Wenceslas who died in infancy, followed by his mother in May 1353. On 27 May 1353 Karl married Anna von Schweidnitz, heiress of Schweidnitz, and they had two children, Elisabeth and Wenceslas, neither of whom would have progeny. Wenceslas ruled as Wenceslas IV, king of Bohemia, from 1373 to 1400, and was elected King of the Romans (Emperor-Elect).
In 1355 he travelled to Rome to be crowned emperor. On his return to Germany he called for a meeting of the Reichstag to discuss his proposals for constitutional reforms. These proposals were designed to reduce the papal influence; unable to object, the pope had to accept the reforms. During Karl's reign imperial policy refocused on the dynastic sphere and abandoned the ideal of the Holy Roman Empire as a universal monarchy. In 1353 Luxembourg had been granted to his younger brother Wenzel.
Karl IV concentrated his energies chiefly on the economic and intellectual development of Bohemia, founding the Charles University of Prague in 1348 and encouraging the early humanists - he is known to have corresponded with Petrarch, whom he invited to visit his residence in Prague. Petrarch, however hoped (to no avail) to make Karl move his residence to Rome, to take up the tradition of the ancient Roman Empire. As Karl became fond of Prague, art and architecture flourished in his capital, owing to his activity as a builder and patron. Construction of the Charles Bridge and of the Hradcany castle, and completion of Saint Vitus Cathedral by Peter Parler, are among the best examples. From the reign of Karl IV dates the first flowering of manuscript painting in Prague. In 1356 he issued the Golden Bull, which codified the procedures for imperial elections but had the disastrous effect of causing minor princes who were left out of the electoral process to lose allegiance to the empire. In 1373 he inherited the Margravate of Brandenburg.
Karl's wife Anna von Schweidnitz died in 1362, and in May 1363 Karl married Elisabeth von Pommern, daughter of Bogislaw V, duke of Pommern-Wolgast and Elzbieta of Poland, daughter of Kazimierz III 'the Great', king of Poland. Karl and Elisabeth had five children, of whom three would have progeny: Sigismund (the future emperor), Johann and Margarete.
Karl was literate and fluent in five languages - Latin, Czech, German, French and Italian. However, his French education left a lasting mark on him. His father Johann 'the Blind' was an ardent Francophile and patron of the composer and poet Guillaume de Machaut - he died at Crécy while fighting on the French side. Karl's sister Bona married the eldest son of Philippe VI of France, the future Jean II 'the Good' of France, in 1335. Thus Emperor Karl IV was the maternal uncle of King Charles V of France, who solicited his relative's advice at Metz in 1356 during the Parisian Revolt. This family connection was celebrated publicly when Karl IV made a solemn visit to his nephew in 1378, just months before his death. A detailed account of the occasion, enriched by many splendid miniatures, can be found in Charles V's copy of the _Grandes Chroniques de France._
Karl died on 29 November 1378 in Prague. He was succeeded by his son Wenceslas from his first marriage.
Source: Leo van de Pas
Events
| Birth | 14 May 1316 | Prague | |||
| Marriage | May 1363 | Krakow - Elisabeth von Pommern | |||
| Death | 29 Nov 1378 | Prague | |||
| Burial | St. Vitus Cathedral |
Families
| Spouse | Elisabeth von Pommern (1347 - 1393) |
| Child | Sigmund Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire King of Bohemia and Hungary (1368 - 1437) |
| Father | Johann "The Blind" King of Bohemia (1296 - 1346) |
| Mother | Elisabeth of Bohemia (1292 - 1330) |
| Sibling | Judith of Bohemia (1315 - 1349) |