Charles IV
Charles IV (Karel) was king of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor.
Contents
History
Charles IV was raised and educated in the court of Charles IV, king of France.
In 1333, Charles IV began to administer the crown lands on behalf of his father, John. He was granted the margraviate of Moravia the year after.
In 1336, Charles IV became regent for his brother John.
Reign
Bohemia
John died on August 26, 1346.
Charles IV sought to connect the Bohemian crown lands. John had obtained lands in Upper Lusatia and vassalized Silesia. Charles IV invaded and purchased the margraviate of Brandenburg and obtained lands across Lower Lusatia, the Upper Palatinate, and Franconia.
Charles IV gifted Moravia to his brother John. He also raised Luxembourg to a duchy and gifted it to his other brother Wenceslaus I.
Holy Roman Empire
In July 1346, Pope Clement VI deposed Louis IV as Holy Roman Emperor. In November, Charles IV was elected to replace him.
Charles IV initially had little authority in Germany, and owed the title purely to the pope's favor; he was referred to as Pfaffenkonig ("priest's king"). The free cities of Cologne and Aachen did not recognize the election.
Louis IV died on October 11, 1347. Opponents of Charles IV now backed Gunther XXI as emperor, but he was forced to renounce the claim on May 26, 1349 after defeat in the Battle of Eltville. Charles IV was re-elected in June 1349 and finally crowned in Aachen on July 25, 1349.
Charles IV established Prague as the imperial capital.
Legacy
The reign of Charles IV is considered the height of Bohemian (and Czech) power.