Editing Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor

{{Short description|Holy Roman Emperor from 1355 to 1378}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name            = Charles IV
| image           = Charles_IV-John_Ocko_votive_picture-fragment.jpg
| caption         = Charles IV in the [[Votive Panel of Jan Očko of Vlašim]]
| succession     = [[Holy Roman Emperor]]<br>[[King of Italy]]
| reign          = 1355 – 29 November 1378
| predecessor    = [[Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Louis IV]]
| successor      = [[Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor|Sigismund]]
| coronation     = {{Plainlist|
* 6 January 1355, [[Milan]] (Italian)
* 5 April 1355, [[Rome]] (Imperial)}}
| succession1     = [[King of the Romans]]<br>[[King of Germany]]
| reign1          = 11 July 1346 – 29 November 1378
| predecessor1    = [[Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Louis IV]]
| successor1      = [[Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia|Wenceslaus]]
| coronation1     = 26 November 1346, [[Bonn]]
| succession2      = [[King of Bohemia]]
| reign2           = 26 August 1346 – 29 November 1378
| predecessor2     = [[John of Bohemia|John]]
| successor2       = [[Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia|Wenceslaus IV]]
| coronation2      = 2 September 1347, [[Prague]]
| spouses         = {{Plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Blanche of Valois]]|1329|1348|end=d}}
* {{marriage|[[Anne of Bavaria]]|1349|1353|end=d}}
* {{marriage|[[Anna von Schweidnitz]]|1353|1362|end=d}}
* {{marriage|[[Elizabeth of Pomerania]]<br />|1363}}
}}
| issue           = {{Plainlist|
* [[Margaret of Bohemia, Queen of Hungary|Margaret, Queen of Hungary]]
* [[Catherine of Bohemia|Catherine, Duchess of Austria and Bavaria]]
* [[Elisabeth of Bohemia (1358–1373)|Elisabeth, Duchess of Austria]]
* [[Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia|Wenceslas, King of Bohemia and Germany]]
* [[Anne of Bohemia|Anne, Queen of England]]
* [[Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor]]
* [[John of Görlitz|John, Duke of Görlitz]]
* [[Margaret of Bohemia, Burgravine of Nuremberg|Margaret, Burgravine of Nuremberg]]
}}
| house           = [[House of Luxembourg|Luxembourg]]
| father          = [[John of Bohemia]]
| mother          = [[Elisabeth of Bohemia (1292–1330)|Elisabeth of Bohemia]]
| birth_date      = 14 May 1316
| birth_place     = [[Prague]], [[Kingdom of Bohemia]]
| death_date      = {{death date and age|29 November 1378|14 May 1316|df=yes}}
| death_place     = Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia
| place of burial = [[St. Vitus Cathedral]], Prague
}}

[[File:Coat of arms of the House of Luxembourg-Bohemia.svg|thumb|upright=0.5|right|Coat of arms of the House of Luxembourg–Bohemia]]
[[File:Arms of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor.svg|thumb|upright=0.5|right|Arms of Charles IV as Holy Roman Emperor]]
'''Charles IV''' ({{langx|de|Karl IV.}}; {{langx|cs|Karel IV.}}; {{langx|la|Carolus IV}}; 14 May 1316 – 29 November 1378<ref name="Herzfeld">''Karl IV''. In: {{Interlanguage link|Hans Herzfeld|de|vertical-align=sup}} (1960): ''Geschichte in Gestalten'' (''History in figures''), vol. 2: ''F–K''. {{Interlanguage link|Das Fischer Lexikon|de|vertical-align=sup}} 38, Frankfurt 1963, p. 294</ref>), also known as '''Charles of Luxembourg''', born '''Wenceslaus''' ({{Langx|de|Wenzel}}, {{Langx|cs|Václav}}),<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kavka |first=František |title=Bohemia in History |date=1998 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=0-521-43155-7 |editor-last=Teich |editor-first=Mikuláš |editor-link=Mikuláš Teich |page=60 |chapter=Chapter 3: Politics and culture under Charles IV}}</ref> was [[Holy Roman Emperor]] from 1355 until his death in 1378. He was elected [[King of Germany]] ([[King of the Romans]]) in 1346 and became [[King of Bohemia]] (as ''' Charles I''') that same year. He was a member of the [[House of Luxembourg]] from his father's side and the Bohemian [[House of Přemyslid]] from his mother's side; he emphasized the latter due to his lifelong affinity for the Bohemian side of his inheritance, and also because his direct ancestors in the Přemyslid line included two saints.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mahoney |first=William |title=The history of the Czech Republic and Slovakia |publisher=Greenwood |year=2011 |isbn=978-0313363054 |pages=50}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Agnew |first=Hugh |url=https://archive.org/details/czechslandsofboh00agne/page/32 |title=The Czechs and the lands of the Bohemian crown |publisher=Hoover Institution Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-0817944926 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/czechslandsofboh00agne/page/32 32] |url-access=registration}}</ref>

He was the eldest son and heir of [[John of Bohemia]], King of [[Bohemia]] and [[Count of Luxembourg]], who died at the [[Battle of Crécy]] on 26&nbsp;August 1346. His mother, [[Elizabeth of Bohemia (1292–1330)|Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia]], was the sister of [[Wenceslaus III of Bohemia|Wenceslaus III]], King of Bohemia and Poland, the last of the male [[Přemysl dynasty|Přemyslid rulers of Bohemia]]. Charles inherited the [[Count of Luxembourg|County of Luxembourg]] from his father and was elected king of the [[King of Bohemia|Kingdom of Bohemia]]. On 2&nbsp;September 1347, Charles was crowned King of Bohemia.

On [[1346 Imperial election|11 July 1346]], the [[prince-electors]] chose him as [[King of the Romans]] (''rex Romanorum'') in opposition to [[Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor]]. Charles was crowned on 26&nbsp;November 1346 in [[Bonn]]. After his opponent died, he was re-elected in 1349 and crowned King of the Romans. In 1355, he was crowned [[King of Italy]] and Holy Roman Emperor. With his coronation as [[King of Burgundy]] in 1365, he became the personal ruler of all the kingdoms of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. Having played a key part in the political and cultural history of the [[Kingdom of Bohemia]], he remains a popular historical figure in the [[Czech Republic]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=veronika.souckova |date=2024-03-13 |title=Charles IV — the greatest Bohemian |url=https://prague.eu/en/2024/03/13/charles-iv-the-greatest-czech/ |access-date=2025-03-25 |website=Prague City Tourism |language=en-GB}}</ref>

The [[Golden Bull of 1356]] marked a structural change in the politics of the Holy Roman Empire. Several aspects of [[Cultural depictions of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor|his legacy]] remain a contentious matter though. The image of Charles as a wise, pious, peace-loving king (partly constructed by Charles himself) has proved influential until this day, supported by several artistic or scholarly projects produced during Charles's reign or afterwards.

== Life ==

=== Birth and childhood ===

Charles was born to [[John of Bohemia]] of the Luxembourg dynasty and [[Elisabeth of Bohemia (1292–1330)|Queen Elizabeth of Bohemia]] of the Bohemian [[Přemyslid dynasty]] in [[Prague]].{{sfn|Boehm|Fajt|2005|p=xvi}} His maternal grandfather was the Bohemian King [[Wenceslaus II of Bohemia|Wenceslaus II]]. He chose the name Charles at his [[confirmation]] in honor of his uncle, King [[Charles IV of France]], at whose court he was resident for seven years.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Charles IV – the greatest Czech |url=https://www.prague.eu/en/articles/charles-iv-the-greatest-czech-12036 |publisher=Prague City Tourism Prague City Tourism |access-date=19 April 2020 |archive-date=9 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309021701/https://www.prague.eu/en/articles/charles-iv-the-greatest-czech-12036 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Charles received French education and was literate and fluent in five languages: [[Latin language|Latin]], [[Czech language|Czech]], [[German language|German]], [[French language|French]], and [[Italian language|Italian]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Leyser |first1=Conrad |last2=Smith |first2=Lesley |title=Motherhood, Religion, and Society in Medieval Europe, 400–1400 |date=2016 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=9781317093978 |page=138}}</ref>

=== Italy and Moravia ===

In 1331, he gained some experience of warfare in Italy with his father. At the beginning of 1333, Charles went to [[Lucca]] ([[Tuscany]]) to consolidate his rule there. In an effort to defend the city, Charles founded the nearby fortress and the town of [[Montecarlo, Tuscany|Montecarlo]] (Charles' Mountain).<ref>[http://www.contadolucchese.it/ingl.montecarlo.htm Montecarlo]</ref>

From 1333, he administered the [[lands of the Bohemian Crown]] due to his father's frequent absence and deteriorating eyesight. In 1334, Charles was named [[Margrave of Moravia]], the traditional title for heirs to the throne. Two years later, he assumed the government of [[Tyrol (state)|Tyrol]] on behalf of his brother, [[John Henry, Margrave of Moravia|John Henry]], and was soon actively involved in a struggle for the possession of this county.<ref name=EB1911/>

=== King of the Romans ===

On 11 July 1346, in consequence of an alliance between his father and [[Pope Clement VI]], relentless enemy of the emperor [[Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Louis IV]], Charles [[1346 Imperial election|was elected]] as Roman [[Anti-king|king in opposition]] to Louis by some of the [[prince-electors]] at [[Rhens]]. As he had previously promised to be subservient to Clement, he made extensive concessions to the pope in 1347. Confirming the papacy in the possession of vast territories, he promised to annul the acts of Louis against Clement, to take no part in Italian affairs, and to defend and protect the church.<ref name=EB1911/>

[[File:Karte Böhmen unter Karl IV.png|thumb|left|[[Lands of the Bohemian Crown]] ruled by Charles IV]]

Charles IV was in a very weak position in Germany. Owing to the terms of his election, he was derisively referred to as a "Priests' King" (''Pfaffenkönig''). Many bishops and nearly all of the [[Imperial State|Imperial cities]] remained loyal to Louis the Bavarian. Worse still, Charles backed the wrong side in the [[Hundred Years' War]], losing his father and many of his best knights at the [[Battle of Crécy]] in August 1346, with Charles himself escaping from the field wounded.

Civil war in Germany was prevented, however, when Louis IV died on 11 October 1347, after suffering a stroke during a bear hunt. In January 1349, partisans from the [[House of Wittelsbach]] attempted to secure the election of [[Günther von Schwarzburg]] as king, but he attracted few supporters and was defeated by Charles at the [[siege of Eltville]] in May. Thereafter, Charles faced no direct threat to his claim to the Imperial throne.

Charles initially worked to secure his power base. [[Bohemia]] had remained untouched by the plague. [[Prague]] became his capital, and he rebuilt the city on the model of Paris, establishing the [[New Town, Prague|New Town]] (''Nové Město''). In 1348, he founded the [[Charles University in Prague]], which was later named after him and was the first university in [[Central Europe]]. This served as a training ground for bureaucrats and lawyers. Soon Prague emerged as the intellectual and cultural center of Central Europe.

[[File:Busta Karel IV.jpg|thumb|[[Bust (sculpture)|Bust]] of Charles IV in [[St. Vitus Cathedral]], 1370s]]

Having made good use of the difficulties of his opponents, Charles was again elected in [[Frankfurt]] on 17 June 1349 and re-crowned at [[Aachen]] on 25 July 1349. He was soon the undisputed ruler of the Empire. Gifts or promises had won the support of the Rhenish and [[Swabia]]n towns; a marriage alliance secured the friendship of the Habsburgs; and an alliance with [[Rudolf II, Duke of Bavaria|Rudolf II of Bavaria]], [[Count Palatine of the Rhine]], was obtained when Charles, who had become a widower in 1348, married Rudolph's daughter [[Anna of Bavaria|Anna]].<ref name=EB1911/>

In 1350, the king was visited at Prague by the Roman tribune [[Cola di Rienzo]], who urged him to go to Italy, where the poet [[Petrarch]] and the citizens of [[Florence]] also implored his presence.<ref name="F.X.1">[[Francesco Petrarca]] ''[[Epistolae familiares]]'' X.1, XII.1, XVIII.1; See also: E.H. Wilkins ''Life of Petrarch'' (Chicago, 1961) 97, 112, 134 resp.</ref> Turning a deaf ear to these entreaties, Charles kept Cola in prison for a year, and then handed him as a prisoner to Clement at [[Avignon]].<ref name=EB1911/>

Outside Prague, Charles attempted to expand the Bohemian crown lands, using his imperial authority to acquire fiefs in [[Silesia]], the [[Upper Palatinate]], and [[Franconia]]. The latter regions comprised "New Bohemia", a string of possessions intended to link Bohemia with the Luxemburg territories in the Rhineland. The Bohemian estates, however, were not willing to support Charles in these ventures. When Charles sought to codify Bohemian law in the [[Maiestas Carolina]] of 1355, he met with sharp resistance. After that point, Charles found it expedient to scale back his efforts at centralization.

=== Holy Roman Emperor ===

[[File:Goldene-bulle 1c-480x475.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Golden Bull of 1356]]]]

In 1354, Charles crossed the [[Alps]] without an army, received the [[Iron Crown of Lombardy|Lombard crown]] in [[Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio|St. Ambrose Basilica]], [[Milan]], on 6&nbsp;January&nbsp;1355, and was crowned emperor at [[Rome]] by a [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|cardinal]] on April 5 of the same year.<ref name="Palacky">[[František Palacký]]. ''Dějiny národu českého v Čechách i v Moravě'', books VIII and IX</ref><ref name=EB1911/> His sole object appears to have been to obtain the Imperial crown in peace, in accordance with a promise previously made to Pope Clement. He only remained in the city for a few hours, in spite of the expressed wishes of the Roman people. Having virtually abandoned all the Imperial rights in Italy, the emperor re-crossed the Alps, pursued by the scornful words of Petrarch, but laden with considerable wealth.<ref name="F.XIX.12">[[Francesco Petrarca]], ''[[Epistolae familiares]]'' XIX.12; see also E. H. Wilkins, ''Life of Petrarch'' (Chicago, 1961), p. 147</ref><ref name=EB1911/> On his return, Charles was occupied with the administration of the Empire, then just recovering from the [[Black Death]], and in 1356, he promulgated the famous [[Golden Bull of 1356|Golden Bull]] to regulate the election of the king.<ref name=EB1911/>

[[File:Golden Bull of 1356.png|thumb|left|Charles's possessions at the signing of the Golden Bull of 1356]]

Having given [[Moravia]] to one brother, [[John Henry of Bohemia|John Henry]], and erected the [[county of Luxembourg]] into a duchy for another, [[Wenceslaus I, Duke of Luxembourg|Wenceslaus]], he was unremitting in his efforts to secure other territories as compensation and to strengthen the Bohemian monarchy. To this end he purchased part of the [[Upper Palatinate]] in&nbsp;1353, and in 1367 annexed [[Lower Lusatia]] to Bohemia and bought numerous estates in various parts of Germany. On the death of [[Meinhard III of Gorizia-Tyrol|Meinhard, Duke of Upper Bavaria]] and [[Count of Tyrol]], in 1363, [[Upper Bavaria]] was claimed by the sons of the emperor Louis&nbsp;IV, and [[Tyrol (state)|Tyrol]] by [[Rudolf&nbsp;IV, Duke of Austria]]. Both claims were admitted by Charles on the understanding that if these families died out both territories should pass to the [[House of Luxembourg]]. At about the same time, he was promised the succession to the [[Margravate of Brandenburg]], which he actually obtained for his son Wenceslaus in&nbsp;1373.<ref name=EB1911/>

[[File:Interview of King Charles V with the Emperor Charles IV in Paris in 1378 Fac simile of a Miniature in the Description of this Interview Manuscript of the Fifteenth Century in the Library of the Arsenal of Paris.png|thumb|Meeting with [[Charles&nbsp;V of France]] in [[Paris]] in 1378, from a fifteenth-century manuscript in the [[Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal]]]]

On 4 June 1365, Charles IV was the last emperor to be crowned king at Arles. [[Amadeus VI of Savoy]] was appointed Imperial vicar of Arelat by Charles in 1365. That attempt to revive the imperial hold on the [[Kingdom of Arles]] (Arelat)  did not succeed, however, and Charles IV ceded his rights to the crown of Arles to [[Louis I of Anjou]] the following year after transferring the County of Savoy to the Kingdom of Germany. 

[[Casimir III the Great|Casimir III of Poland]] and [[Louis I of Hungary]] entered a conspiracy against Charles and managed to persuade [[Otto V, Duke of Bavaria|Otto V of Bavaria]] to join. After the repeal of the estate contract by margrave Otto, in early July 1371, Charles IV declared hostilities and invaded [[Margraviate of Brandenburg]]; after two years of conflict, in 1373 Brandenburg became part of the [[Kingdom of Bohemia|Czech lands]]. This was when he gave the order to measure his new territory, its villages, people, and income. This was recorded in the [[:de:Landbuch Karls IV.|Landbuch of Charles IV]], which was finished in 1375. Many villages were mentioned for the first time in this book, so it can provide information on how old they are. He also gained a considerable portion of [[Silesia]]n territory, partly by inheritance through his third wife, [[Anna von Schweidnitz]], daughter of [[Henry II, Duke of Świdnica]] and [[Catherine of Hungary (d. 1355)|Catherine of Hungary]]. In 1365, Charles visited [[Pope Urban&nbsp;V]] at [[Avignon]] and undertook to escort him to Rome; on the same occasion he was crowned King of [[Lower Burgundy|Burgundy]] at [[Arles]].<ref name=EB1911/>

His second journey to Italy took place in 1368 when he had a meeting with Pope Urban&nbsp;V at [[Viterbo]], was besieged in his palace at [[Siena]], and left the country before the end of 1369. During his later years, the emperor took little part in German affairs beyond securing the election of his son Wenceslaus as king of the Romans in&nbsp;1376, and negotiating a peace between the [[Swabian League of Cities]] and some nobles in&nbsp;1378. After dividing his lands between his three sons and his nephews,<ref name=Herzfeld /> he died in November 1378 at [[Prague]], where he was buried, and where a statue was erected to his memory in&nbsp;1848.<ref name=EB1911>{{EB1911 |wstitle=Charles IV. (Roman Emperor) |volume=5 |pages=898–899|inline=1}}</ref>

Charles IV suffered from [[gout]] (metabolic arthritis), a painful disease quite common in that time.

== Legacy ==
{{Main|Cultural depictions of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor}}

=== Evaluation ===

The reign of Charles IV was characterized by a transformation in the nature of the Empire and is remembered as the [[Golden Age]] of Bohemia. He promulgated the [[Golden Bull of 1356]] whereby the succession to the imperial title was laid down, which held for the next four centuries.

He also organized the states of the empire into peace-keeping [[confederations]]. In these, the Imperial cities figured prominently. The Swabian Landfriede confederation of 1370 was made up almost entirely of [[Free imperial city|Imperial Cities]]. At the same time, the leagues were organized and led by the crown and its agents. As with the electors, the cities that served in these leagues were given privileges to aid in their efforts to keep the peace.

He assured his dominance over the eastern borders of the Empire through succession treaties with the [[Habsburg]]s and the purchase of Brandenburg. He also claimed imperial lordship over the [[Crusades|crusader]] states of [[Prussia]] and [[Livonia]].

In 2005 Charles IV ranked the first in the TV show ''[[Největší Čech]]'', the Czech [[Greatest Britons spin-offs|spin-off of the BBC ''Greatest Britons'' show]].

=== Patronage of culture and the arts ===

[[File:Karl IV HRR.jpg|thumb|upright|Statue of Charles IV near [[Charles Bridge]] (1848), Prague, by [[Ernst Julius Hähnel]]]]

[[Prague]] became the capital of the Holy Roman Empire during the reign of Charles IV. The name of the royal founder and patron remains on many monuments and institutions, for example [[Charles University]], [[Charles Bridge]], [[Charles Square]]. [[Czech Gothic architecture|High Gothic]] [[Prague Castle]] and part of the [[Saint Vitus Cathedral|cathedral of Saint Vitus]] by [[Peter Parler]] were also built under his patronage.  Finally, the first flowering of manuscript painting in Prague dates from Charles's reign. In the present [[Czech Republic]], he is still regarded as ''[[Pater Patriae]]'' ([[Father of the Nation|father of the country]] or ''otec vlasti''), a title first coined by [[Adalbertus Ranconis de Ericinio]] at his funeral.

Charles also had strong ties to [[Nuremberg]], staying within its city walls 52 times and thereby strengthening its reputation amongst German cities.  Charles was the patron of the [[Nuremberg Frauenkirche]], built between 1352 and 1362 (the architect was likely [[Peter Parler]]), where the imperial court worshipped during its stays in Nuremberg.

Charles's imperial policy was focused on the dynastic sphere and abandoned the lofty ideal of the Empire as a universal monarchy of [[Christendom]]. In 1353, he granted the [[Duchy of Luxembourg]] to his half-brother, [[Wenceslaus I, Duke of Luxembourg|Wenceslaus]]. He concentrated his energies chiefly on the economic and intellectual development of Bohemia, where he founded the university in 1348 and encouraged the [[Renaissance humanism|early humanists]]. He corresponded with [[Petrarch]] and invited him to visit the royal residence in Prague, whilst the Italian hoped – to no avail – to see Charles move his residence to Rome and reawaken tradition of the [[Roman Empire]].

Charles's sister [[Bonne of Bohemia|Bona]] married the eldest son of [[Philip&nbsp;VI of France]], the future [[John&nbsp;II of France]], in 1335. Thus, Charles was the maternal uncle of [[Charles&nbsp;V of France]], who solicited his relative's advice at [[Metz]] in 1356 during the [[Parisian Revolt]]. This family connection was celebrated publicly when Charles 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]]''.

=== Castles ===

Castles built or established by Charles IV:<ref>[http://www.minulost.org/archiv/48/karel-iv-cesky-kral Karel IV. – český král]</ref>

* [[Karlštejn]], 1348–1355 in [[Central Bohemian Region]] for safekeeping the [[Imperial Regalia]], especially the [[Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire]] (later the [[Czech Crown Jewels]] were also kept there)
* [[Kašperk Castle|Kašperk]] (Karlsberg), 1356 in [[Kašperské Hory]] in [[Plzeň Region]]
* [[Lauf Castle|Lauf]] (Wenzelsburg) – built on the way connecting [[Prague]] and [[Nuremberg]] in [[Bohemian Palatinate]], inside survived 112 coats of arms of the Bohemian Kingdom
* [[Montecarlo, Tuscany|Montecarlo]] in Italy
* [[Radyně Castle|Radyně]] (Karlskrone) – around 1360 in Plzeň Region
* [[Hrádek u Purkarce]] (Karlshaus) – around 1357
* [[Tepenec Castle|Tepenec]] (Twingenberg, Karlsburg) in [[Jívová]] in [[Olomouc Region]]
* [[Karlsfried]]

=== Places named after Charles IV ===

; Czech Republic
* [[Karlovy Vary]], a spa city
* [[Karlštejn (Beroun District)|Karlštejn]], a town beyond the eponymous castle
* [[Charles Bridge]] (''Karlův most''), Prague
* [[Charles University]] (''Univerzita Karlova''), Prague
* Multiple squares – [[Charles Square]] (''Karlovo náměstí'') in Prague and others, for example in [[Brno]], [[Kolín]], [[Mělník]] etc.
* Multiple streets

; Italy
* [[Montecarlo, Tuscany|Montecarlo]] (Charles's Mountain), a municipality

=== Other ===

[[File:100CZK obverse.jpg|thumb|100-CZK banknote]]

* The 100-[[Czech koruna]] banknote
* [[16951 Carolus Quartus]], an asteroid

{{clear}}

== Family ==

=== Genealogy ===
==== Fictive genealogy ====

Imperial genealogists [[pseudohistory | invented]] early [[House of Luxembourg]] forefathers for Charles IV, extending back to [[Noah]] via [[Jupiter (god) | Jupiter]] and [[Saturn (mythology) | Saturn]].<ref>
{{cite book
 |last1                = Silver
 |first1               = Larry
 |year                 = 2008
 |title                = Marketing Maximilian: The Visual Ideology of a Holy Roman Emperor
 |url                  = https://books.google.com/books?id=4o3rAAAAMAAJ
 |publication-place    = Princeton, New Jersey
 |publisher            = Princeton University Press
 |page                 = 58
 |isbn                 = 9780691130194
 |access-date          = 30 October 2024
 |quote                = Beginning with Noah and his son Ham, the seventh and eighth ancestors of Charles IV are named as Saturn and Jupiter, respectively! 
}} 
</ref>

==== Historical genealogy ====

{{Tree chart/start}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | |Henry|y|Margaret| |Judith|y|Wenceslaus
 | Henry=[[Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry VII]]<br/>{{Small|(Henry of Luxembourg)<br/>{{Circa|1273}} – 24 August 1313<br/>King of the Romans<br/>King of Italy<br/>Holy Roman Emperor}}
   | boxstyle_Henry=border:2px black solid
 | Margaret=[[Margaret of Brabant]]<br/>{{Small|4 October 1276 – 14 December 1311}}
 | Judith=[[Judith of Habsburg]]<br/>{{Small|13 March 1271 – 18 June 1297}}
 | Wenceslaus=[[Wenceslaus II of Bohemia|Wenceslaus II]]<br/>{{Small|27 September 1271 – 21 June 1305<br/>King of Bohemia<br/>King of Poland}}
}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | |`|-|.| | | |,|-|^|-|.| 
}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | |John|y|Elisabeth| |Wenceslaus
 | John=[[John of Bohemia|John the Blind]]<br/>{{Small|(John of Luxembourg)<br/>King of Bohemia<br/>10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346}}
 | Elisabeth=[[Elisabeth of Bohemia (1292–1330)|Elisabeth of Bohemia]]<br/>{{Small|20 January 1292 – 28 September 1330}}
 | Wenceslaus=[[Wenceslaus III of Bohemia|Wenceslaus III]]<br/>{{Small|1289–1306<br/>King of Hungary<br/>King of Croatia<br/>King of Bohemia<br/>King of Poland}}
}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | |F|~|~|~|~|~|7| |!| |F|~|~|~|~|~|7| 
}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | |married1|:|married2| | |:| |!| |:| | |married3|:|married4
 |married1=''{{Small|m1. 15 May 1323}}''
   | boxstyle_married1=border:0; vertical-align:bottom
 |married2=''{{Small|m2. March 1349}}''
   | boxstyle_married2=border:0; vertical-align:bottom
 |married3=''{{Small|m3. 27 May 1353}}''
   | boxstyle_married3=border:0; vertical-align:bottom
 |married4=''{{Small|m4. 21 May 1363}}''
   | boxstyle_married4=border:0; vertical-align:bottom
}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | |Blanche|K|AnneB|y|~|A|Charles|A|~|y|AnnaS|E|Elizabeth
 | Blanche=[[Blanche of Valois]]<br/>{{Small|1316 – 1 August 1348}}
 | AnneB=[[Anne of Bavaria]]<br/>{{Small|26 September 1329 – 2 February 1353}}
 | Charles='''Charles IV'''<br/>{{Small|(Wenceslaus/Charles of Luxembourg)<br/>14 May 1316 – 29 November 1378<br/>King of Bohemia<br/>King of the Romans<br/>King of Italy<br/>Holy Roman Emperor}}
   | boxstyle_Charles=border:2px black solid
 | AnnaS=[[Anna von Schweidnitz]]<br/>{{Small|1339 – 11 July 1362}}
 | Elizabeth=[[Elizabeth of Pomerania]]<br/>{{Small|{{Circa|1347}} – 14 February 1393}}
}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| |,|-|-|-|v|-|^|-|.| |`|-|.| | | | | |!| | | |!| | | 
}}

{{Tree chart|border=1|Son1| |Margaret| |Katharine| |Wenceslas| | | | |!| | | |!| | | 
 |Son1=son<br/>{{Small|born 1334}}
 |Margaret=[[Margaret of Bohemia, Queen of Hungary|Margaret of Bohemia]]<br/>{{Small|1335–1349}}
 |Katharine=[[Katharine of Bohemia|Catherine of Bohemia]]<br/>{{Small|1342–1395}}
 |Wenceslas=Wenceslas<br/>{{Small|1350–1351}}
}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | |,|-|-|-|v|-|^|-|.| |!| 
}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | |Elisabeth| |Wenceslaus| |Son2|!| 
 |Elisabeth=[[Elisabeth of Bohemia (1358–1373)|Elisabeth of Bohemia]]<br/>{{Small|1358–1373}}
 |Wenceslaus=[[Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia|Wenceslaus IV]]<br/>{{Small|(Wenceslaus of Luxembourg)<br/>1361–1419<br/>King of Germany<br/>King of Bohemia}}
   | boxstyle_Wenceslaus=border:2px black solid
 |Son2=son<br/>{{Small|1362}}
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{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | |,|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|v|-|^|-|.| 
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{{Tree chart|border=1|Richard|~|Anne| |Sigismund| |John| |Charles| |Margaret| |Henry
 |Richard=[[Richard II of England|Richard II]]<br/>{{Small|1367–1400<br/>King of England}}
 |Anne=[[Anne of Bohemia]]<br/>{{Small|1366–1394}}
 |Sigismund=[[Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor|Sigismund]]<br/>{{Small|(Sigismund of Luxembourg)<br/>1368–1437<br/>King of Bohemia<br/>Holy Roman Emperor<br/>King of Hungary}}
   | boxstyle_Sigismund=border:2px black solid
 |John=[[John of Görlitz]]<br/>{{Small|1370–1396}}
 |Charles=Charles<br/>{{Small|1372–1373}}
 |Margaret=[[Margaret of Bohemia, Burgravine of Nuremberg|Margaret of Bohemia]]<br/>{{Small|1373–1410}}
 |Henry=Henry<br/>{{Small|1377–1378}}
}}

{{Tree chart/end}}

=== Marriages and children ===

[[File:Karl IV Blanca Valois.jpg|thumb|right|Charles and his first wife, Blanche]]

Charles was married four times. His first wife was [[Blanche of Valois]] (1316–1348), daughter of [[Charles of Valois|Charles]], [[Count of Valois]], and a half-sister of King [[Philip&nbsp;VI of France]].{{sfn|Boehm|Fajt|2005|p=xvi}} They had three children:

* son (born 1334), died young.
* [[Margaret of Bohemia, Queen of Hungary]] (1335–1349); married King [[Louis&nbsp;I of Hungary]].{{sfn|Dvornik|1962|p=52}}
* [[Catherine of Bohemia]] (1342–1395); married [[Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria]]{{sfn|Jaschke|1997|p=102}} and [[Otto&nbsp;V, Duke of Bavaria]] and Elector of Brandenburg.{{sfn|Fajt|2003|p=517}}

He secondly married [[Anna of Bavaria]], (1329–1353), daughter of [[Rudolf II, Count Palatine of the Rhine]]; they had one son:

* Wenceslaus (1350–1351).

His third wife was [[Anna von Schweidnitz]], (1339–1362),{{sfn|Boehm|Fajt|2005|p=xvi}} daughter of [[Henry&nbsp;II, Duke of Świdnica]] and [[Catherine of Hungary (d. 1355)|Katharina of Anjou]] (daughter of [[Charles I of Hungary|Charles&nbsp;I Robert, King of Hungary]]), by whom he had three children:

* [[Elisabeth of Bohemia (1358–1373)|Elisabeth of Bohemia]] (19 April 1358 – 4 September 1373); married [[Albert&nbsp;III, Duke of Austria]] at the very young age of 8 and died at the age of 15, they had no children.{{sfn|Boehm|Fajt|2005|p=xvi}}
* [[Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia]] (1361–1419);{{sfn|Boehm|Fajt|2005|p=xvi}} later elected King of Germany (formally King of the Romans) and on his father's death, became King of Bohemia (as Wenceslaus&nbsp;IV) and Emperor-elect of the Holy Roman Empire; married firstly to [[Joanna of Bavaria]] in 1370 and secondly to [[Sophia of Bavaria]] in 1389.
* son (born and died 11&nbsp;July 1362).

His fourth wife was [[Elizabeth of Pomerania]], (1345 or 1347 – 1393),{{sfn|Boehm|Fajt|2005|p=xvii}} daughter of [[Bogislaw&nbsp;V, Duke of Pomerania]] and [[Elisabeth of Poland (1326-1361)|Elisabeth of Poland]] who was the daughter of King [[Casimir&nbsp;III of Poland]]. They had six children:

* [[Anne of Bohemia|Anne of Bohemia, Queen of England]] (1366–1394); married King [[Richard II of England]].{{sfn|Boehm|Fajt|2005|p=xvii}}
* [[Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor|Sigismund of Bohemia]] (1368–1437);{{sfn|Boehm|Fajt|2005|p=xvii}} later  became Holy Roman Emperor, was King of Bohemia, [[Margrave of Brandenburg]], and also [[King of Hungary]] through his first marriage to [[Mary, Queen of Hungary]] in 1385. His second marriage was to [[Barbara of Cilli]], the daughter and youngest child of [[Herman II, Count of Celje]], in 1405/1408.
* [[John of Görlitz|John of Bohemia]] (1370–1396); later [[Margrave of Moravia]] and Duke of [[Görlitz]]; married [[Richardis Catherine of Sweden]], the daughter of [[Albert, King of Sweden]].{{sfn|Boehm|Fajt|2005|p=xvii}} His only daughter and heiress [[Elisabeth of Görlitz]] was [[Duchess of Luxembourg]].
* Charles (13 March 1372 – 24 July 1373).
* [[Margaret of Bohemia, Burgravine of Nuremberg]] (1373–1410); married [[John III, Burgrave of Nuremberg]].{{sfn|Boehm|Fajt|2005|p=xvii}}
* Henry (1377–1378).

Charles had one illegitimate son, William, born in 1362 to an unknown woman. He was raised in Brabant and seems to have joined his father at the time of the latter's trip to France in 1377. He was acknowledged by his father, who sought a [[papal dispensation]] for him to marry within the fourth degree. It is unknown if he ever married. He served his Bohemian relatives as a diplomat, but his ultimate fate is unknown.<ref>Ondřej Schmidtm ''John of Moravia between the Czech Lands and the Patriarchate of Aquileia (ca. 1345–1394)'' (Brill, 2019), p. 31.</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
*{{cite book |title=Court Chapels of the High and Late Middle Ages and Their Artistic Decoration |first=Jiří |last=Fajt |publisher=Národní galerie v Praze |year=2003 }}
* {{Cite book |title=Prague: The Crown of Bohemia, 1347–1437 |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2005 |editor-last=Boehm |editor-first=Barbara Drake |editor-last2=Fajt |editor-first2=Jiri |isbn=978-0300111385}}
* {{Cite book |last=Dvornik |first=Francis |url=https://archive.org/details/slavsineuropeanh0000dvor |title=The Slavs in European History and Civilization |publisher=Rutgers University Press |year=1962 |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book |last=Jaschke |first=Karl-Ulrich |title=Queens and Queenship in Medieval Europe |publisher=The Boydell Press |year=1997 |editor-last=Duggan |editor-first=Anne J. |chapter=From Famous Empresses to Unspectacular Queens |isbn=978-0230276468 }}

== Further reading ==

* Charles IV (autobiography), edited by Balázs Nagy, Frank Schaer: ''Autobiography of Emperor Charles IV; And, His Legend of St. Wenceslas: Karoli IV Imperatoris Romanorum Vita Ab Eo Ipso Conscripta; Et, Hystoria Nova de Sancto Wenceslao Martyre'', Published by Central European University Press, 2001, {{ISBN|978-9639116320}}, 259 pages, [https://books.google.com/books?id=ABEtigG0LLkC books.google.com]
* {{Cite book |last=Boehm |first=Barbara Drake |url=http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15324coll10/id/218200 |title=Prague : the Crown of Bohemia, 1347–1437 |publisher=The Metropolitan Museum of Art |year=2005 |isbn=1588391612 |location=New York}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}

{{wikisourcelang|la|Vita Caroli IV}}

* {{German National Library portal|118560085|NAME=Karl IV.}}
* {{DDB|Person|118560085|NAME=Karl IV.}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304201749/http://resikom.adw-goettingen.gwdg.de/artikel.php?ArtikelID=94 Entry in the ''Residenzen-Kommission'']
* [http://regesta-imperii.digitale-sammlungen.de/abteilung/ri08 Regesta Imperii]
* [http://opac.regesta-imperii.de/lang_de/suche.php?tags=118560085 Publications on Charles IV.] in the OPAC of the Regesta Imperii
* [http://telota.bbaw.de/constitutiones/ 'Constitutiones et acta publica imperatorum et regum 1357–1378'] – digital pre-publication of documents by Charles IV by the [[Monumenta Germaniae Historica|MGH]]
* {{Geschichtsquellen Person|118560085|Carolus IV}}
* [https://www.academia.edu/10140593/Karol_IV_Luksemburski_jako_idea%C5%82_w%C5%82adcy_w_Catalogus_abbatum_Saganensium_Ludolfa_z_%C5%BBagania_w_Historie_Ot%C3%A1zky_Probl%C3%A9my_7_2015_z._1_s._76-89._Charles_IV._of_Luxembourg-an_ideal_of_ruler_in_Catalogus_abbatum_Saganensium_by_Ludolf_of_%C5%BBaga%C5%84_ Aleksandra Filipek-Misiak, Karol IV Luksemburski jako ideał władcy w Catalogus abbatum Saganensium Ludolfa z Żagania, In: Historie – Otázky – Problémy, 7 (2015), z. 1, pp. 76–89]
* [http://openn.library.upenn.edu/Data/0023/html/lewis_e_064.html Lewis E 64 Golden Bull of Charles IV at OPenn]

{{s-start}}

{{s-hou | [[House of Luxembourg]] | 14 May| 1316 | 29 November| 1378 }}
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{{s-end}}

{{Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor}}
{{Holy Roman Emperors}}
{{Monarchs of Bohemia}}
{{German monarchs}}
{{Antique Kings of Italy}}
{{Monarchs of Luxembourg}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Charles 04, Holy Roman Emperor}}
[[Category:Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor| ]]
[[Category:1316 births]]
[[Category:1378 deaths]]
[[Category:14th-century Holy Roman Emperors]]
[[Category:14th-century monarchs of Bohemia]]
[[Category:14th-century monarchs of Luxembourg]]
[[Category:Anti-kings]]
[[Category:Kings of medieval Bohemia]]
[[Category:14th-century people from Bohemia]]
[[Category:House of Luxembourg]]
[[Category:Counts of Luxembourg]]
[[Category:Prince-electors of Brandenburg]]
[[Category:Czech people of Luxembourgian descent]]
[[Category:Czech expatriates in France]]
[[Category:Czech people of French descent]]
[[Category:Nobility from Prague]]
[[Category:Burials at St. Vitus Cathedral]]
[[Category:14th-century Luxembourgian people]]
[[Category:Czech Roman Catholics]]