Charles IV. Monument in Prague.
Charles I (1316-1378) - Czech king from 1346; he is the German king and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV. The "golden age" is associated with his name. Czech Republic. He knew the Czech language well, took care of the development of cities and paid much attention to agriculture, brought vines from Burgundy and plum trees from Lorraine to the Czech Republic, arranged ponds for breeding fish: this is how the famous Czech carps appeared. He remained in history as the author of the first secular autobiography in Medieval Europe and the initiator of compiling a new historical chronicle...
Quoted from: Lev Gumilyov. Encyclopedia. / Ch. ed. E.B. Sadykov, comp. T.K. Shanbai, - M., 2013, p. 308.
Charles IV - the famous Czech king and emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was born on May 14, 1316. From 1333 he ruled the Czech Republic as the Margrave of Moravia. After the death of his father John (Johann) of Luxembourg in the battle of Crecy on August 23, 1346, he took the Czech throne (under the name of Charles I), in 1355 he was crowned as emperor of the "Holy Roman Empire" (under the name of Charles IV, with whom he entered in Czech history). Under Charles IV, medieval Bohemia reached its peak. Prague became the actual center of the empire. In 1348, the Prague (Charles) University was founded, the Charles Bridge was built in Prague, and the construction of the Cathedral of St. Vita. The emperor built Karlstejn Castle and the city of Karlovy Vary (German: Karlsbad), which later became famous for its thermal springs. Charles IV strengthened the royal power in the Czech Republic, making the clergy and cities his support. The Prague bishopric was transformed into the Prague Archbishopric and gained independence. Charles IV took care of the development of the Czech economy and trade. In the empire, he actually consolidated feudal fragmentation with the Golden Bull (1356). With the help of dynastic combinations, he expanded the territory of the lands of the Czech crown. He died on November 29, 13/8 in Prague. Buried in the Cathedral of St. Vita.
Used materials of the book: Russian-Slavic calendar for 2005. Authors-compilers: M.Yu. Dostal, V.D. Malyugin, I.V. Churkin. M., 2005.
Charles IV on the banknote of 100 Czech crowns.
Charles IV (1316-1378) King of Bohemia, King of Germany and Emperor of the "Holy Roman Empire" from the Luxembourg dynasty, who ruled from 1346-1378.
Wives: 1) from 1329 Blanca, daughter of Charles, Duke of Valois (born 1317 + 1348); 2) from 1349 Anna, daughter of Rudolph II, Elector of the Palatinate (born 1329 + 1353); 3) from 1353 Anna. daughter of the Duke of Schweiden Henry II (b. 1339 F 1362); 4) from 1363 Elizabeth, daughter of the Duke of Pomeranian Bogislaw IV (born 1345 + 1392).
In baptism, Charles was named Wenceslas, but when anointed with holy chrism, his former name was replaced by the name of Charles. His father, the Czech king John, was very fond of France. From the age of six, Charles was brought up in Paris and as a child he was betrothed to a French princess. The father early began to teach his son to engage in public affairs and, returning in 1331 from Italy, left him there as his governor when he was fifteen years old. Two years later, in a stubborn battle at San Felice, the young man showed courage and the ability to be a good commander. The following year, seeing the impossibility of keeping his conquests in Italy, John recalled his son to Bohemia, gave him the margraviate of Moravia and appointed him governor in Bohemia. John himself rarely visited the Czech Republic, moreover, he was very careless. His kingdom was in constant turmoil. Charles later recalled in his biography: “When I arrived in Bohemia, I found this kingdom in such ruin that there was not a single royal castle, not a single crown estate that would not have been mortgaged. Most of the nobles became tyrants because they did not know the fear of the king, whose power and estates they divided among themselves. The young ruler, who sincerely loved his homeland, tried to improve its position. Good financial management enabled him to buy many cities and lands out of pledge; he also somewhat weakened the zhupans, distributing fiefs to other, less powerful nobles. He called masons, architects and other craftsmen from Italy; with their help, he decorated Prague with beautiful buildings and enlarged it by a whole block, trying to build it up according to the model he had seen in Paris and in Italy. In 1348, Charles founded the University of Prague and provided him with very significant income from some lands and villages. True, the Germans enjoyed advantages over the Czechs at the university, but its role in the development of national culture was still enormous. Charles himself spoke five languages, wrote legal and historical works, patronized artists, poets and scientists, showed great respect to Petrarch, Boccaccio and stimulated the activity of Czech historians.
The flourishing state and wealth of the Czech Republic gave its king great weight in imperial affairs. In 1346 the enemies Louis IV proclaimed Charles emperor. On 26 November he was crowned in Bonn. Both opponents were preparing for war, but civil strife was stopped by the sudden death of Louis in October 1347. After that, Charles's chances of taking the throne increased significantly, but even now he got the crown only after a stubborn struggle with other applicants.
Having consolidated the German throne. Charles in 1355 was crowned in Rome with the imperial crown. Returning, he took up the organization of the affairs of the Czech Republic and Germany. In October 1356, at the Congress in Nuremberg, the so-called Golden Bull was adopted, which established the procedure for the selection and coronation of the German king and gave the electors many new privileges at the expense of the cities. This law is considered perhaps the most important imperial act of Charles. In general, he paid little attention to the empire and Germany, concentrating entirely on increasing the power of his dynasty. Here his work was very successful.
In 1368, Charles made another trip to Rome at the request of the pope Urbana V. On the way back, he had a hard battle with the Sienese, who defeated the German detachment and besieged the emperor in his palace for a whole week.
All the monarchs of the world. Western Europe. Konstantin Ryzhov. Moscow, 1999.
Charles IV (14.V.1316 - 29.XI.1378) - emperor of the "Holy Roman Empire" and German king since 1347, Czech king (Charles I, Carel I) since 1346, from the Luxembourg dynasty. The son of the Czech king John of Luxembourg and Eliska (sister of the Czech king Wenceslas III Přemyslid). Even during the life of his father, he received land in Northern Italy (1331-1333), where, however, the attempt of the Luxembourg to gain a foothold was unsuccessful. Having become margrave of Moravia and governor of the Czech Republic (1333), he tried to take vigorous measures to strengthen royal power, but this time the feudal magnates, having found support in King Jan, thwarted these attempts. Having become the Czech king, he came up with an extensive program of measures aimed at strengthening royal power. In 1346, with the support of the Pope, he was elected by part of the electors as the German king - in opposition to Louis of Bavaria, but was established on the throne only after the death of the latter (1347). Charles IV decided to make the Czech Republic the main base of his rule and strengthening of power, which under him took the leading position in the empire (secured by the Golden Bull of Charles IV). The internal policy of Charles IV in the Czech Republic pursued the goals of strengthening the royal domain, enriching the treasury, limiting the rights of Czech magnates, developing crafts, mining, domestic and foreign trade. The importance of Prague especially rose (where, under Charles IV, extensive construction was carried out, in particular, a bridge was built across the Vltava - the so-called Charles Bridge). The founding of the University of Prague (1348, the oldest in Central Europe) contributed to the rise of Czech culture. The formation of the Archbishopric of Prague (1344) helped to strengthen the independence of the Czech Church. In his policy of centralization, Charles IV relied on urban trade and craft circles, the middle and small gentry, and the clergy. However, the large feudal magnates still retained significant power - their opposition to the policy of centralization was clearly manifested at the Czech Diets of 1348 and 1359 and in the rejection of the project of a new Czech lawyer - Majestas Carolina (1355), imbued with the idea of strengthening royal power. In an effort to create a vast hereditary monarchy in Central Europe, Charles IV, through buying, marriages, etc., acquired part of the Upper Palatinate, a number of lands in Thuringia and Saxony, Lower Puddle and in 1373 - Brandenburg (were lost by the Luxembourg after his death), and also carried out a dynastic union with Hungary and Poland (the marriage of the son of Charles IV with the heiress of the Polish-Hungarian king Lajos I the Great). The imperial policy of Charles IV, who legitimized and expanded the privileges of the electors (in the Golden Bull), contributed to the consolidation of the political decentralization of Germany.
For Bohemia, the reign of Charles IV was a time of economic and cultural prosperity. Bourgeois Czech historians called this period the "golden age" of Czech history, the period of "class peace", extremely idealizing the personality of Charles IV, attributing to him all the successes of the Czech development of that time. In fact, the success of the policy of Charles IV was prepared by the entire course of the socio-economic development of the Czech Republic and the created balance of class forces; Behind the brilliant façade of his reign, deep social contradictions were ripening, which manifested themselves in the Hussite revolutionary movement.
G. E. Sanchuk. Moscow.
Soviet historical encyclopedia. In 16 volumes. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1973-1982. Volume 7. KARAKEEV - KOSHAKER. 1965.
Read further:
Historical Persons of Czechoslovakia (biographical guide).
Rulers of Czechoslovakia (index of names).
Czech Republic (chronological table).
Sources:
Fontes rerum Bohemicarum, t. 3, 4, Prague, 1878-82; Archiv cesky, dl. 1, 3, 4, Prague, 1840, 1844-46;
Regesten des Kaiserreichs unter Karl IV, hrsg. und ergänzt von A. Huber, Innsbruck, 1874-77;
Vita Caroli IV..., hrsg. von K. Pfisterer und W. Bulst, Hdlb., 1950 (autobiography written by Charles IV).
Literature:
Marx K., Chronological extracts, in the book: Archive of Marx and Engels, vol. VI, M., 1939, p. 76-78;
Friedjung H., Kaiser Karl IV, W., 1876; Susta J., Karel IV Otec a syn, Praha, 1946;
Friedjung H., Karel IV za cisarskou korunou, Praha, 1948;
Cteni o Karlu IV, a jeho dobe, Praha, 1958.
According to the vast majority of Czechs, Charles IV of the Luxembourg dynasty - the king of the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, the German king and also the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, a man who lived almost 700 years ago - is the greatest of the Czechs.
For tourists who come to Prague for a couple of days, Charles IV also quickly becomes a father, because his name is mentioned endlessly in vain. Such is the seasoned human being. We need to talk about him and us.
This gentleman was born on May 14, 1316. The pope's name was Jan from the Luxembourg family. Mom - Eliska from the Přemyslid family. The Přemyslid family has been passing the scepter and orb to each other for several centuries in a row. However, it so happened that the next king from this glorious family, Wenceslas III, did not die a natural death at the age of seventeen, and in 1310 his sister Eliska had to marry Jan, later nicknamed the Blind.
They had a baby boy. Smart. They named him Vaclav. In honor of grandfather.
Papa Jan had nothing in common with the Czech Republic before, and when he became king, he somehow did not like it. During his almost twenty-year reign in this camp, he spent a total of less than a year. If this happened today, the Czech police for foreigners would quickly revoke his visa ... However, times were different then, and there was no police at all. In addition, he was a king and he had someone's opinion in this matter. « up to the bulb » . All his life, King Yang did his favorite thing. He fought everywhere. And he came to the Czech Republic mainly for money for the next campaign. His relationship with his wife did not really work out. Once, in his absence, she began to gather an army to punish some recalcitrant vassal. And take this vassal and get close at this moment somewhere in a foreign land with King Yang. He whispered to the king that, they say, Elishka was gathering an army against him, the king. Then Jan, without hesitation, laid siege to Loket Castle, where his dear wife and children settled. And after holding a week under siege for warning, he sent his rather bored wife to an eternal settlement in the Melnik castle. The eldest son Vaclav also got hit hard. He had to spend a long time, being punished, in Loket Castle. Later, dad and son reconciled and Wenceslas went to France. Living at the court of French relatives, the young man studied in all sorts of ways and was preparing one day to become king. The boy grew up and studied well. He learned 5 languages, was able to read and write fluently without errors. Which, by the way, was a rarity even for kings in those days. During the confirmation procedure, Vaclav took the name Karl. Arriving at the beginning of the thirties of the XIV century to Pope Jan, Charles participated with him in the campaign against Italy, took part in several battles and acquired for himself the first skills in diplomacy. Their last joint battle with their father happened in 1346. In the legendary battle of the beginning of the Hundred Years War between the British and the French near Crécy. John of Luxembourg, who by that time was already blind, in this battle bravely rushed into battle, tying himself to a horse and two of his squires. This, as you might expect, was his last fight. And Karl, recovering from shell shock, became king.
Being a smart and far-sighted man, subsequently Charles IV fought a little, but still achieved everything. Mostly advantageous marriages, diplomacy and cunning detours were used.
In the Czech Republic, which he loved, a lot was built during his reign. In Prague, where he lived, this was especially evident. Charles University, Charles Bridge, St. Vita, New Town, Hungry Wall, Karlštejn Castle (near Prague)... This is what is heard the most.
Skillfully maneuvering between the interests of various influential groups and without entering into head-on conflicts with anyone, he always managed to achieve his goal. An amazing illustration of this is provided by the "Golden Bull", adopted in 1356. It was a very important and very complex document affecting the interests of many countries and clans throughout Europe. I will not dwell on this in detail. For those who are interested, take a look. The provision on the election of the emperor illustrates the essence of this document quite well.
If the princes-electors cannot reach an agreement within thirty days, it was said in it, then they should be locked up on bread and water from all together until they fulfill their duty ...
The degree of seriousness of this document and the measure of its significance, at least, was that the "Golden Bull" existed as a legal document right up to 1806! That is, until the moment when the Holy Roman Empire ceased to exist altogether.
Charles IV was married four times. On the Frenchwoman Blanca of Valois, the German Anna of Palatinate, the Pole Anna Swidnitskaya and again the Pole Elishka Pomorzhanska. The latter is known for bending horseshoes. The grandmother was healthy!
Each time, Charles IV, through his marriages, solved important political problems and expanded the state. Subtly building his relations with the Roman Catholic Church, he went down in history as one of the few statesmen who never came into conflict with it. Moreover, he derived from this no small financial and political benefits.
Funds received by the treasury did not disappear into someone's pockets, but were used to build castles and cities. At the same time, the king himself, of course, did not beg. It is known that Charles IV was a passionate collector of Christian artifacts. Despite the fact that such instances cost a very significant amount of money.
Toward the end of his life, King Charles suffered from gout and asthma attacks. He died on November 29, 1378 at the age of 62.
Speaking the last words over the body of the emperor in the Cathedral of St. James, the theologian and philosopher Vojtech Ranek called Charles IV the Father of the Fatherland. “Everyone regrets his death and weeps over it. It is even harder for us in the Kingdom of Bohemia to endure it, because our ship can be plunged by enemies into stormy waters, deprived of such a glorious helmsman.
Two of the sons of a wise ruler – Wenzel and Sigismund inherited their father's empire. Nature rested on children. Because of their short-sightedness and negligence, the Czech Republic was soon in serious trouble.
With the death of Charles IV, the time of stability and prosperity ended.
Such periods rarely occur in history. No wonder the reign of the "Greatest Czech" is called the "Golden Age".
In fact, Charles IV was only half Czech and was not originally Charles. He was born in 1316 and was named Wenceslas, after his maternal grandfather, King Wenceslas II. The little prince was the eldest son of John of Luxembourg, a few years earlier elected by the Czech gentry to the royal throne. Jan, a Western European who spoke mainly French and German, was a warrior and adventurer. He spent a lot of time on campaigns, carelessly depleted the treasury of the kingdom and did not really care about the welfare of the country. His wife, Elsa (in Czech Eliska) from the Przemyslov dynasty, who ruled in Bohemia until 1306, often quarreled with her husband because of this. Their marriage began to quickly fall apart.
The Czech historian Jiří Spevaček, biographer of John of Luxembourg, writes: “Elishka made a political mistake: she began to gather an army against the powerful nobleman Jindřich from Lipa, whom she hated. Jindrich, however, became close to King Jan and whispered to him that his wife allegedly wanted to overthrow him and pass the crown to their eldest son Wenceslas. Then Jan attacked Elishka, who was in the castle of Loket, and took away all three of her children. The father's suspicions of his little son remained so strong that Jan even kept Wenceslas in captivity for several years. This left an imprint on the character of the future Charles IV - he was prone to solitude all his life and preferred to live in small, dark rooms.
Later, father and son reconciled, and Jan sent Wenceslas to Paris, to the court of the French king Charles, his sister's husband. In France, Vaclav received a good education. He spoke and wrote in five languages - German, French, Czech, Italian and Latin. During the rite of confirmation, which symbolizes the entry into a conscious age among Catholics, the boy chose the name Charles - in honor of his French uncle, the king. Nevertheless, he did not become a Frenchman, and when in 1331 his father called him home, Charles immediately returned and took part in a campaign in Italy. There, the 15-year-old prince acquired his first military and diplomatic experience.
Returning from Italy, Charles became the ruler of the Margraviate of Moravia, and then the de facto administrator of all Czech lands - in the absence of his father, who still spent more time traveling than at home. The 20-year-old young man showed himself to be a talented ruler, but his relationship with the quick-tempered and eccentric King Yang still did not work out: “The prince tamed the rebellious gentry and tried to put the country's finances in order, upset because of the extravagance of his father. Meanwhile, King Yang fell ill and gradually lost his sight. Karl had to increasingly help him, and sometimes replace him in matters of government. There was no agreement between them: neither the mores that prevailed at the court of Jan, nor the fickle, opportunistic policy of his father did not please Karl, and this did not help strengthen their relationship. It got to the point that the king even thought about depriving his eldest son of the right to inherit, ”says French historian Francis Rapp.
In 1346, John of Luxembourg died at the Battle of Crécy, getting involved on the side of France in the Hundred Years' War with England. Lion Feuchtwanger in the historical novel “The Ugly Duchess” describes the thoughts of 30-year-old Karl over the coffin of his father in this way: “I will not scatter the lands, but I will not try to hold everything with excessive arrogance; I'll start piecing them together, rounding them up. To rejoice about the essence of the matter, and not about external brilliance. Here he lies, King Yang, my father. He lived fruitlessly and died fruitlessly. He mocked the church and the saints, but he did not conquer the world, he did not conquer either heaven or earth. Sleep in peace, father! I will be different than you." Indeed, the reign of the pious but practical, strong but peace-loving, intelligent, but far from excessive good nature, Charles IV was very different from the era of King Yang.
On July 26, 1346, Charles was elected "King of Rome". This title meant that the German elector princes (electors) voted for him, who determined who would be the head of the "Holy Roman Empire" - a loose state formation that united most of the lands of Central Europe and northern Italy. True, there was no unity in the College of Electors. Germany was torn apart by enmity between the supporters of Emperor Ludwig from the Bavarian dynasty and the adherents of the Pope, whose protege was the pious Charles. He was lucky: his rival Ludwig soon died of a heart attack, and Charles IV became sovereign emperor. He was solemnly crowned in Aachen, the capital of Charlemagne's ancient empire. The rite was later repeated in Rome.
Charles divided state concerns between a large, amorphous and unstable empire and his hereditary lands, the core of which was the Kingdom of Bohemia. Already in 1348, he made two important decisions regarding Prague: he founded Nove Mesto (New Town), significantly expanding the boundaries of the Czech capital, and founded a university - the first in Central Europe. He still bears his name - Charles University. Prague and other cities of the Czech Republic grew rapidly under Charles IV, he encouraged merchants and artisans who contributed to the flourishing of the Czech economy.
Under him, the kingdom became not only the center of a vast empire, but also one of the most prosperous countries in Europe. It was in this era that the concept of "Land of the Crown of St. Wenceslas" appeared, i.e. Czech crown. These included Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, for some time also Brandenburg and a number of smaller principalities. Charles managed to cope with the eternally dissatisfied aristocracy by providing its leaders with lucrative court positions. He also skillfully used the church as a political force, relying on it in the fight against the recalcitrant gentry.
Charles IV was a pious man who collected sacred relics, primarily the remains of saints, for which he sometimes paid huge sums. In general, he was a zealous owner and preferred to spend money on building cities and castles. Perhaps the most famous of them is Karlstejn in the vicinity of Prague. There is a legend that Charles forbade women from entering this castle - so as not to distract him and the courtiers from public affairs and prayers. The circumstances under which this rule was violated are described in the comedy Night in Karlštejn by the Czech playwright Jaroslav Vrchlicky, which was based on a popular musical film made in the 1970s.
The king of women himself, however, did not shy away, although he was not such a womanizer as his father. Charles IV was married four times. His first wife was the French princess Blanca de Valois. After her early death, the king married Anna of Bavaria, but she was not destined for a long life either. The third wife of the emperor was the Polish princess Anna Swidnitskaya, who became the mother of the future heir of Charles - Wenceslas IV. After her death, he married again, this time to Elizabeth of Pomerania, the granddaughter of the Polish king Casimir. She was famous for her physical strength, which was not characteristic of women - according to legend, she knew how to “break swords and bend keys” with her bare hands. Elizabeth bore Charles six children. One of them was Sigismund, nicknamed the "Red Fox", who later, like his father, had a chance to wear the crowns of the Czech (as well as the Hungarian) king and the German emperor.
The great merit of Charles IV is the publication in 1356 of the "Golden Bull" (so named because it was attached to the gold imperial seal). This document streamlined the structure of the "Holy Roman Empire". It, in particular, determined the procedure for the election of the emperor, which from now on was to take place in Frankfurt. Moreover, for the lack of consent of the princes-electors, punishment awaited: “If they cannot elect a new emperor and after 30 days, counting from the day they took the oath, then after this period, let them live on the same bread and water, and let it be they are forbidden to leave the aforementioned city until the majority of them elect a permanent or temporary overlord, ”said one of the paragraphs of the Golden Bull. It is characteristic that this document was valid for 450 years - until 1806, when the "Holy Roman Empire" ceased to exist.
Charles IV was not a warlike monarch. Although he happened to participate in military campaigns more than once, he preferred diplomacy to battles. Perhaps that is why his beloved Czech Republic could enjoy long decades of peace and prosperity, the memory of which is still alive. The king's health gradually deteriorated, he suffered from severe gout and asthma attacks. On November 29, 1378, Charles IV died at the age of 62. At his funeral, the then most famous Czech theologian and philosopher, Vojtech Ranek from Yezhov, delivered a eulogy. He called Charles IV "Father of the Fatherland" - a title by which this king is known in Bohemia to this day. There were other words in this speech: “Everyone regrets his death and weeps over it, but it is even harder for us in the Kingdom of Bohemia to endure it, because our ship can be plunged into stormy waters by enemies, deprived of such a glorious helmsman.”
These words turned out to be prophetic: the successors of Charles IV lacked his state talents, intelligence and restraint. Under the weak and unbalanced King Wenceslas IV, the rebellious nobles again raised their heads, and then the stormy and bloody era of the Hussite wars began. The reign of Charles IV remains in the historical memory of the Czech people as the "golden age" - times of greatness and prosperity, which did not happen so often in the history of this country.
Background of the reign of Charles IV
In the 12th century, the Luxembourg dynasty came to power in the Czech Republic - the emperors of the "Holy Roman Empire" in 1308-1437, who occupied the Czech (1310-1437) and Hungarian (1387-1437) thrones.
John of Luxembourg, the first of the dynasty to rule the Czech Republic, did not live in it even a year for almost 20 years, devoting his life to fighting for the French against the British, then for the German knights in Prussia. At the same time, he managed to leave behind his son, who became the greatest king in the history of the Czech Republic - Charles IV.
John of Luxembourg became king of Bohemia in 1310 by marrying the daughter of Wenceslas III, Elizabeth (in Czech, Eliska), and became the ancestor of the Luxembourg dynasty on the Czech throne. For Bohemia, this period was marked by the expansion of the territory - a significant part of modern Silesia became part of the kingdom, but John of Luxembourg himself did little about the internal affairs of the country. The fact is that his accession to the throne was marked by a confrontation with the local nobility, who did not want to give power into the hands of a foreigner. As a result, the newly minted king was forced to sign the so-called Domažlice agreements, which secured power and privileges not for the ruler, but for representatives of the nobility. This fact was the reason that John of Luxembourg stayed in Bohemia for a total of several years out of the 26 years of his reign. In his absence, the affairs of the state were handled by Eliska, who paid more attention to family strife than to government. The matter ended with the fact that the union of royal persons broke up, and John was forced to take on the upbringing of his three children: two older girls, Marketa and Bonn (who later became Queen of France), and the son of Charles, at that time a seven-year-old boy (who later became King of Bohemia and Emperor Holy Roman Empire). The children were brought up in France at the court of their uncle, the French King Charles the Handsome.
The first representative of Luxembourg in Bohemia - John of Luxembourg - went down in history as a knight-monarch, famous for the fact that, already being completely blind, he entered the battlefield and fought on a par with the rest. In this battle, he died, making his name synonymous with senseless heroism. This absurdity was partly smoothed over by his son, Charles IV.
Charles IV was born in 1316 in Prague, but at an early age, at the insistence of the nobility, he was sent to be raised in Paris. As a teenager, at the age of 15, he was appointed governor of the kingdom in northern Italy by his father, but, lacking experience and knowledge, he faced intrigues and resistance from the local nobility. For three years the future great king of the Czech Republic received the experience of mistakes and political defeats, while managing to become the favorite of the Pope, and at the age of 18 he became his father's viceroy in the Czech Republic, opening the "golden age" of the Czech state.
Charles was a more practical and less ambitious ruler than his father, and took a keen interest in all the political affairs of his country. The biography of Charles IV is full of interesting facts. So, for example, few people know that the Czech king had a completely different name: at birth he was named Wenceslas IV, but since he was brought up at the French court, they began to call him Charles there. This fact is the reason why Charles IV is sometimes confused with his son, also named Wenceslas IV.
Charles IV came to the throne, almost a child. He did not know the Czech language at all, and he was immediately surrounded by many evil advisers who wanted to usurp power, formally leaving the young king to rule. However, despite his age, Karl turned out to be a very subtle and intelligent politician. Having unraveled the plans of his treacherous henchmen, he learned the Czech language in a very short time and took the reins of government into his own hands.
Domestic policy of Charles IV
The entire XIV century in the history of the Czech Republic presents a picture of the struggle of the nobility with the cities and royal power.
While still the governor of the Czech Republic, Karl began to restore order in the country. He bought 10 royal castles in Bohemia and Moravia, mortgaged by the pans, and strengthened his power in them. The Czech lords, alarmed by the actions of the young viceroy, secured the release of Charles from his duties. Only the title of Margrave of Moravia was left behind him. But in 1337, King Yang again appointed him to the post of governor, and Charles continued the policy begun earlier. He redeems the royal estates, and soon most of the royal lands were returned to the treasury.
Karl establishes legal proceedings and is present at the trial himself. He patronizes the townspeople and trade.
After his election as Holy Roman Emperor, he confirmed all the charters issued to the Czech Republic by his predecessors and promulgated two new charters. One of them determined the relationship of the Czech Republic to the empire and the order of succession to the throne, and the other recognized Moravia, Silesia and Upper Lusatia as members of the Czech crown. According to Charles' charter, the power of the Czech king was unlimited. Appeals against the king's decisions were not allowed. The royal throne was declared hereditary through the male line in the order of primogeniture. In the absence of male offspring, the throne was inherited through the female line. In the event of the termination of the dynasty, the right to elect a new king belonged to the Sejm. The Czech king became a member of the College of Electors, in which he took first place among the secular princes. In 1356, after the coronation of Charles IV in Rome, he published the Golden Bull, which determined the procedure for electing the emperor. According to the bull, the right to elect belonged to the board of four secular and three spiritual electors. In this collegium, the Czech king took first place. The golden bull confirmed that in the event of the termination of the dynasty in the Czech Republic, the throne is replaced by the choice of the Sejm, while the escheat electors are replaced by the will of the emperor. The golden bull confirmed that in the Czech Republic no one had the right to complain about the decisions of the king, to appeal to the court of the emperor (only the Czech king could appeal to the court of the emperor, but he was at that time the emperor). Foreigners were prohibited from acquiring estates in the Czech Republic, but the Czech king could buy land in the empire. The power of the guardians of the empire did not extend to the Czech Republic in the event of an interregnum. The Czech Republic became part of the Holy Roman Empire as its main member, and the Czech elector's slavish dependence on the emperor was a fiction. The Golden Bull strengthened the Czech kingdom, making it completely independent from the empire.
By the end of the 14th century, the church was the largest feudal lord in the Czech Republic. Most of the arable land (it is estimated that the church owned about a third of the country's total land fund) - the main means of production in the era of feudalism - was in the hands of church feudal lords. Starting from the 13th century, the church introduced celibacy (in particular in the Czech Republic), which prevented the fragmentation of its land holdings. Land grants to church institutions, the seizure and purchase of land, as well as the privileges received by the church, led to the concentration of an increasing amount of land under the authority of churches, monasteries, chapters and bishoprics. The policy of Charles IV, who found in the church the main support for the implementation of his political plans, contributed to the increase in the land holdings of the church; that is why he sought to attract the church with grants and privileges.
In the time of Charles IV, the best and most lucrative ecclesiastical positions in Bohemia were held by foreigners, primarily Germans, gathered around the imperial court, who used his close relationship with the pope to support them.
Foreign policy of the Czech Republic during the reign of Charles IV
The relations of Charles IV with the imperial princes and other countries were complex and tense. They were dissatisfied with the Bavarian Wittelsbachs and the Austrian Habsburgs, who were not included in the number of electors, and the pope, who was removed from participation in the election of the emperor by the Golden Bull. Casimir III, King of Poland, and Louis of Hungary joined the opponents of Charles. Charles managed to upset the planned coalition. He returned Tyrol to Austria, became related to the Polish king, and separated the Bavarian Wittelsbachs from the Brandenburg Wittelsbachs. The latter in 1363 recognized Charles and his descendants as their heirs in Brandenburg. Charles IV redeemed the Lower Lusatia pledged to him by the Elector of Brandenburg from the count of Meissen and in 1373 occupied Brandenburg.
Karl sought to direct foreign policy towards strengthening the position of the Czech Republic in Europe. In 1344, he obtained from Pope Clement VI the establishment of the Archbishopric of Prague, thereby freeing the Czech Republic from subordination to the Archbishop of Mainz. He created a single church administration, subordinating to the Archbishop of Prague the bishopric of Olomouc in Moravia and Litomysl in the Czech Republic, which he had established.
Having considerable funds, Karl bought up lands and attached them to the Czech crown. He owned a significant part of the Upper Palatinate, lands and cities in Thuringia and Saxony. His possessions stretched from the Baltic Sea to Nuremberg. In the sphere of his influence was the whole of northern Germany. But the vast power of Charles IV was not strong. All possessions were connected only by subordination to one sovereign. There were no close economic ties between individual regions and the Czech Republic. Although a common coin, a common supreme court, and a single administration were introduced in all the possessions of Charles IV, this was not enough to unite the lands that were nationally and culturally different from the Czech Republic, with peculiar historical traditions, into one political whole.
Cultural development of the Czech Republic
During the reign of Charles IV (1346-1378), Latin and Czech literature developed intensively in the Czech Republic. New social strata took an active part in this process, mainly masters and students of the Prague University opened in 1348. The general intellectual atmosphere also contributed to the creation of chronicles, a number of which were written at that time. Charles IV sought to subordinate the presentation of history to his dynastic goals, to put the content of the chronicles not only at the service of glorifying the Luxembourg family, but also to make it an ideological and practical support for strengthening the central authority and justifying rights in the territories annexed to the Czech state. Last but not least, the king wanted to establish his name and reign in the memory of people for all time with the help of historical writings. Therefore, he provided official support for historical work - he concentrated educated people at his court, whom he instructed to write chronicles, taking an active part in the creation of these works himself. Chronicle creativity was stimulated not only by the king, but also by the educated, patriotic Bishop Jan of Dražice.
The name of Charles IV is associated with the founding of the Emmaus Monastery in Prague with worship in Church Slavonic. At the Diet of 1348, Charles IV persuaded the estates to establish the University of Prague and granted him with a special letter those rights and privileges that were enjoyed by the oldest European universities, Paris and Bologna.
Charles IV loved his capital and decorated it with magnificent architectural monuments. Across the Vltava River, he built the famous stone bridge, which still exists today. Charles IV built a special fort, where the royal regalia and the archive were kept - Karlstejn.
Socio-economic development of the Czech Republic
Concerned about improving the material well-being of the Czech Republic, Karl paid special attention to the development of trade and cities. He sought to consolidate the economic advantages of Czech merchants through agreements. Foreign merchants who came to Prague had to exhibit their goods for sale for several days. They did not have the right to trade among themselves without the mediation of Prague merchants. Charles improved the lines of communication and took measures to protect the merchants who came with their goods. Trade, which had declined under Karl's father, revived again. Fairs were held in Prague, which attracted merchants from Italy, Germany, Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1348, so many guests came to the fair in Prague that there was no place for all those who came, and many of them were forced to live in tents outside the city. Charles patronized the cities. He builds in Prague the New Place (new city), a settlement for Czech artisans. It received all the rights of city self-government with the release of the population from taxes and duties for twelve years.
During the reign of Charles IV, Prague became one of the largest trading centers in Europe. In this city, located at the crossroads of trade routes running from north to south and from east to west, over 30 thousand people lived, who lived primarily through trade. In terms of its significance, Prague significantly surpassed the rest of the Czech cities. To some extent, only Kutna Hora could be compared with it, the flourishing of which is explained by the development of mining.
To ensure the correct administration of justice, Charles IV, with the assistance of the Italian lawyer Bartholomew de Saxoferrato, introduced a lawyer known as "Maestas Carolina" to the Sejm. Creating a new lawyer, Karl sought to improve legal proceedings, destroy its outdated forms, reform the judicial process, and replace common law with written law. Rejecting the "Maestas Carolina" as a whole, the Sejm adopted articles that abolished outdated forms of legal proceedings, such as testing by water and iron. The pans had to recognize the right of the zemstvo courts to deal with complaints against the feudal lords, if they violated the agreements concluded with the peasants. In connection with the growth of serf relations, the opposite practice was already established, and this article was not an attempt to limit the power of landowners. It concerned only those peasants who, in the transition to individual land use, entered into agreements with land owners. The adoption of this article had no practical significance, since the owners paid little attention to the contracts concluded with the peasants and arbitrarily increased their monetary and natural duties.
The economic basis of royal power was strengthened in the articles of the lawyer by the fact that royal property was declared inalienable. The strengthening of royal power was to be comprehended by the liquidation of the right to occupy positions in zemstvo institutions for life and hereditarily, which in previous eras led to the seizure of power by the pan oligarchy. The lawyer ordered all royal officials to know the Czech language.
A number of points of the lawyer concerned gentry property. For example, if a gentry died without direct heirs, his property passed to the king (the right of the dead hand). Without the consent of the king it was impossible to either bequeath or donate property. Also, the division of gentry estates was subject to the supervision of the king. All these and many other points show that the idea of strengthening and centralizing royal power has received a very vivid expression in the lawyer. The Czech lords could not agree with this turn of events. First of all, they did not want to recognize the clause on the inalienability of royal property, as this would deprive them of the opportunity to expand their possessions at the expense of the royal. In addition, the king encroached on feudal legal institutions, which the pans always considered exclusively their own domain. It was also unacceptable for the Czech gentry to prohibit the cruel forms of punishment of "guilty" subjects by the lawyer. The restriction of feudal arbitrariness was regarded by the pans as an interference in their affairs and a violation of the ancient rights that they had enjoyed for more than 150 years.
"Maestas Karolina" was not directed against the gentry as such, but only against its excessive power. But this circumstance also caused the panami to reject the lawyer at the Seimas of 1355. The gentry not only rejected the lawyer, but also demanded that it be officially declared invalid. Charles IV was forced to agree to this, which he proclaimed by letter of October 6, 1356.
Consequences of the reign of Charles IV
The Czech state turned under Charles IV into a powerful feudal-estate monarchy.
An enlightened and peaceful ruler turned Prague into the majestic city as we know it today. Partly due to the fact that Charles IV, in addition to the royal title, also bore the imperial title - the Holy Roman Empire. Under him, Charles University was created, Charles Bridge and St. Vitus Cathedral were built, as well as many churches and monasteries. Prague was then considered the third city of the Christian West after Rome and Constantinople. After the death of Charles IV in 1378, Prague flourished economically and culturally, and by that time its area had doubled.
But Charles himself contributed to the disintegration of his state, dividing it before his death among members of his family.
After the death of Charles IV, his eldest son Wenceslas IV became the owner of the Czech crown. The period of his reign was marked by economic, national and religious conflicts. The prerequisites for these conflicts arose under Charles IV. The fact is that, being a very pious person and, moreover, having influential friends in Vatican circles, Charles actively supported the clergy. At the end of his reign, it had such wealth and privileges that it could not but cause discontent among the population of the country.
Having the means at his disposal, Charles IV at one time forced the pans to bow their heads before him. But the strengthening of royal power was temporary, since Charles IV did not have a social base on which he could rely in the struggle against the feudal lords. The cities of Bohemia were not strong enough to become the support of the king. In the cities that enjoyed privileges, the German patriciate dominated, which did not support royal power. Keeping the feudal lords in subjection, Charles IV left the feudal basis of their power inviolable, and as a result of the general economic upsurge, their economic power increased. The uprising of the pans against Wenceslas IV and his subsequent overthrow was a clear manifestation of their strength.
Born May 14, 1316 into the royal family. His childhood was not easy. His young father, John of Luxembourg, who had recently taken the Czech throne, had to fight both the local gentry and his ambitious wife Eliska Přemyslovna.
At birth, the future emperor Charles IV received the name Wenceslas: in honor of his outstanding ancestors on his mother's side. Only during his seven-year stay in France, during the chrismation, he was given a new name in honor of his uncle, the French king from the Capet family.
Mother practically was not near Vaclav in childhood. He was brought up in harsh male conditions in fortresses and. At the age of 7, the boy was sent to Paris to be raised by relatives at the French court, where he had his own teacher. There he opened the way to a rich education and significant political and personal connections. Among others, the future Pope Clement VI became his friend. Karl also brought his first wife, Blanca, from Paris.
Video: Charles IV - Czech king and Roman emperor
Preparation for Charles's adult life continued in Luxembourg, in the ancestral county, where the rising heir to the throne was received by the authoritarian Baldwin of Luxembourg, Archbishop of Trevir. There, Charles studied diplomacy and the ability to rule, taught French, Latin, Italian and German, palace etiquette and chivalry.
Finally, Father John called his son to northern Italy, where, in a tense, intriguing atmosphere, he tried to hold on to the Luxembourg throne. Here, the future emperor used his knowledge of military affairs and government in practice.
After many years of absence, in the fall of 1333 Charles finally returned to Bohemia. Since the head of state was in another country, he began to rule the Czech kingdom as a Moravian margrave, in which he achieved notable success. Gradually Karl took up foreign affairs. Fears for their own future and the father's jealousy of his son's success led to tension between Charles and John. Quarrels were fueled by John's new marriage to Beatrice Bourbon and the subsequent birth of a new descendant in the Luxembourg family.
Only when King John of Luxembourg drew up his political testament, and the Bohemian Diet recognized Charles as future emperor in 1341, did the relationship between father and son improve. The result was the general policy and success of the Luxembourg dynasty in Europe compared to other European families.
John of Luxembourg
By 1344, Charles had succeeded in raising the bishopric of Prague to an archbishopric, thereby freeing the Czech state from direct dependence on the archbishopric in Mainz. In 1346, the election of the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire took place, in which Charles, with the help of Pope Clement VI, won. 5 out of 7 electors voted for him. A few months later, his coronation took place in Bonn, but Charles had to wait a few more years to take the imperial throne.
The Czech royal coronation was also an important milestone in the fate of Charles IV. It took place on August 2, 1347. The sovereign ordered to change the St. Wenceslas crown in the spirit of Přemyslid traditions. Together with the wand and scepter, she became a symbol of royal power. After the coronation, a sumptuous feast took place and a new “coronation” church of the Virgin Mary of the Snow was founded.
Coronation Jewels of Charles IV
Now nothing prevented Karl from fulfilling his plans. He chose Prague as the place of his main residence, and from the Czech state he made the center of power of the Luxemburgs. He also put a lot of effort into the development of the imperial cities and their interests. Unlike the usual methods of the time, he did not use expansive military force, but operated through political and marital diplomacy.
Emperor Charles IV entered into 4 marriages in his life. Being a widower, he quickly found a "profitable" bride from a strong family. The second wife of the emperor was Anna of the Palatinate from the rival Wittelsbach family. Charles IV entered into a third marriage with Anna Swidnitskaya, who gave birth to his first heir, Wenceslas IV. The last, fourth wife of the emperor, Elizabeth of Pomerania, became the main support for Charles and the mother of other heirs to the throne, the most successful of which was Sigismund of Luxembourg.
Marriage of Charles IV
In April 1355, the imperial coronation of Charles IV in Rome took place, after which he formally became the secular head of Christianity and assumed new duties. During his reign, he strengthened not only the empire, but also the Lands of the Bohemian Crown, to which he added new territories. Charles also strengthened the position of Moravia, at the head of which he put his brother Jan Jindrich.
Charles IV found the main support in the realization of his interests in church circles. He was a deeply religious person and believed that only among church dignitaries should he look for educated advisers.
On April 7, 1348, Charles IV founded a university in Prague, thereby strengthening the position of the church and the capital. With the opportunity to receive education, the emperor completed the acquisition of sovereignty by the Czech state.
The ideas of the king did not always find understanding among the society. For example, the draft collection of laws Maiestas Carolina, which limited the possibilities of the gentry in the Czech kingdom, was rejected. But in the Holy Roman Empire, the emperor managed to issue in 1355-56. The Golden Bull, which became the new constitution of the Empire. Among other things, the document also regulated the position of the Czech kingdom.
Golden bull at an exhibition in Prague
A powerful rival, a realistic politician - this is how you can characterize a person who has ruled Europe for more than 30 years. Playing by the strict rules of big politics, Karl repeatedly deceived and let his opponents down. Perhaps because of the awareness of his sins, he sometimes showed incredible piety, collecting the remains of saints.
Today, Charles IV is considered, first of all, a talented founder and builder, whose efforts were manifested in many cities. He paid special attention to the construction of churches and monasteries, their artistic decoration. But the most significant act of the emperor was the construction and founding of the New City () in Prague in 1348, with the help of which he wanted to make a new Jerusalem out of Prague. The scope, pace and quality of construction can command respect and admiration even at the beginning of the 21st century.
In Prague
The incredibly educated, energetic and purposeful ruler also corresponded to the canons of beauty of his time. He was an attractive man, about 175 cm tall, watched his appearance and guarded his own authority.
Charles IV died at the age of 62 on November 29, 1378. His solemn funeral was a tribute to the political power of one of the brightest European rulers.
