Elizabeth of Bohemia (1292–1330)

For other people named Elisabeth of Bohemia, see Elisabeth of Bohemia (disambiguation).

Queen consort of Bohemia

Elizabeth of Bohemia

Queen consort of Bohemia
Tenure| 1310–1330
Coronation| 7 February 1311

Born| 20 January 1292
Died| 28 September 1330(1330-09-28) (aged 38)
Bohemia
Spouse| John of Luxembourg
Issue| Margaret, Duchess of Bavaria
Bonne, Duchess of Normandy
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
John Henry, Margrave of Moravia
Anna, Duchess of Austria
House| Přemyslovci
Father| Wenceslaus II of Bohemia
Mother| Judith of Habsburg

Elizabeth of Bohemia (Czech: Eliška Přemyslovna) (20 January 1292 – 28 September 1330[1]) was a princess of the Bohemian Přemyslid dynasty[2] who became Queen of Bohemia as the first wife of King John the Blind.[3] She was the mother of Emperor Charles IV, King of Bohemia, and a daughter of Judith of Habsburg, member of the House of Habsburg.[4]

## Childhood

[edit]

Elizabeth was the daughter of Wenceslaus II of Bohemia and Judith of Habsburg.[5] Her mother died when she was five years old, and of her ten children only four of them lived to adulthood: Wenceslaus, Anne, Elizabeth and Margaret.[6] Elizabeth and her siblings also had a half-sister called Agnes. Six years after the death of her mother, her father remarried, to a Polish princess called Elizabeth Richeza, from the Piast dynasty. Elizabeth's father then gained the Crown of Poland.

Many notable events occurred during Elizabeth's youth, including a devastating fire at Prague Castle in 1303,[7] the death of her father,[8] and the assassination of her brother Wenceslaus.[9] Elizabeth was orphaned by the age of thirteen and lived with her sister, Anne. Her other sister, Margaret was married at the age of seven to Bolesław III the Generous, after he had come to the court of Bohemia with his mother, Elisabeth of Greater Poland.

Elizabeth went to live with her aunt Kunigunde in a nunnery near Prague Castle. Without a mother, Elizabeth was strongly influenced by her aunt. Her sister-in-law, Viola of Teschen and her stepmother, Elizabeth Richeza, came to live with Anne and Elizabeth until the relationship between the sisters deteriorated.

## The fight for the throne

[edit]

In 1306, after the murder of Elizabeth's brother Wenceslaus, Elizabeth's brother-in-law Henry became King of Bohemia. Elizabeth was now the only unmarried princess in the family, and at fourteen she was considered a good age to marry, and as a result played an important role in the power struggle for the Kingdom of Bohemia.

The quarrels of the Bohemian throne between Henry of Bohemia and Rudolph of Habsburg resulted in Rudolph taking Bohemia and marrying Queen Elizabeth Richeza. Elizabeth went to live in Prague Castle with her brother's widow, Viola Elisabeth of Cieszyn. However, on Rudolph's death in 1307 the crown returned to her brother-in-law and sister, who wanted Elizabeth to marry the Lord of Bergova (Otto of Löbdaburg) for political reasons. Elizabeth refused to marry Otto and so Elizabeth and Anne fell out with each other.

An opposition group was formed against Henry and Anne, with Elizabeth as the figurehead.

## Marriage to John of Luxembourg

[edit]

Wedding of John of Luxembourg and Elizabeth in Speyer in 1310 Elisabeth (centre) with her mother-in-law Margaret (left) and daughter-in-law Anna (right)

Elizabeth married John of Luxembourg, the son of Holy Roman Emperor Henry VII, shortly after his 14th birthday.[5] The wedding took place on 1 September 1310, after John was forced to invade Bohemia.[10] Henry and Anne fled to Carinthia, where Anne died in 1313. The coronation of John and Elizabeth took place on 7 February 1311.[10][11]

The marriage was initially a disaster, as Elizabeth needed to give birth to a son to prevent the inheritance of the descendants of her sisters, Margaret and Agnes, but did not have a son until six years into the marriage, when she gave birth to Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor.

The marriage improved for a while as the succession was safely secured, but after a while, Elizabeth grew jealous of John, who had listened to her but whose political opinions differed to hers. In 1319 an alleged plot was uncovered, to depose John and replace him with their eldest son Charles. John had the culprits punished.

John decided to prevent his wife from interfering in the education of their children, and took the three eldest children: Margaret, Bonne, and Charles, from Elizabeth's custody. Queen Elizabeth then lived at Mělník Castle and young Charles was imprisoned by his own father, before being sent to France in 1323, when he was 7 years old. He never saw his mother again.

## Later years

[edit]

In total isolation and abandoned by all, Elizabeth left Bohemia and went to live in exile in Bavaria. Her actions were considered an act of open hostility towards John and his nobles. In exile, Elizabeth gave birth to her last children, twin daughters Anne and Elizabeth. John did not support Elizabeth during her exile. Elizabeth returned to Bohemia in 1325, with her daughter Anne, Elizabeth having died a few months before. When she returned she was ill, but she lived for another five years. Her final years were affected by her lack of finances, which made her unable to maintain a court. She eventually died of tuberculosis in 1330, at the age of thirty-eight.

## Children

[edit]

Elizabeth and John were parents to seven children

* Margaret (8 July 1313 – 11 July 1341, Prague), married in Straubing 12 August 1328 to Henry XIV, Duke of Bavaria[12]
* Bonne (21 May 1315 – 11 September 1349, Maubuisson Abbey, Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône), married in Melun 6 August 1332 to King John II of France[12]
* Charles IV (14 May 1316 – 29 November 1378), King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor[12]
* Přemysl Otakar ("Otto") (22 November 1318 – 20 April 1320), Prince of Bohemia[13]
* John Henry (12 February 1322, Mělník – 12 November 1375), Margrave of Moravia[13]
* Anna (1323 – 3 September 1338), twin of Elisabeth, married 16 February 1335 to Duke Otto of Austria[13]
* Elizabeth (1323-1324)[13]

## Ancestry

[edit]

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

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Ancestors of Elizabeth of Bohemia (1292–1330)

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 8\. Wenceslaus I of Bohemia

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

| 4\. Ottokar II of Bohemia|

|  |  |
| 9\. Kunigunde of Hohenstaufen

| 2\. Wenceslaus II of Bohemia|

|  |  |  |  |
| 10\. Rostislav Mikhailovich

| 5\. Kunigunda of Slavonia|

|  |  |
| 11\. Anna of Hungary

| 1\.  Elisabeth of Bohemia |
|  |  |  |  |  |  |
| 12\. Albert IV, Count of Habsburg

| 6\. Rudolf I of Germany|

|  |  |
| 13\. Heilwig of Kiburg

| 3\. Judith of Habsburg|

|  |  |  |  |
| 14\. Burckhard V, Count of Hohenburg

| 7\. Gertrude of Hohenberg|

|  |  |
| 15\. Mechtild of Tübingen

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Sharma, Abhimanyu (2018). "Migration, language policies, and language rights in Luxembourg". Acta Universitatis Sapientiae, European and Regional Studies. 13: 87–104\. doi:10.2478/auseur-2018-0006. S2CID 149807389.87-104&rft.date=2018&rft_id=info:doi/10.2478/auseur-2018-0006&rft_id=https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:149807389#id-name=S2CID&rft.aulast=Sharma&rft.aufirst=Abhimanyu&rft_id=https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=836971&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Elizabeth+of+Bohemia+(1292–1330)" class="Z3988">
2. ^ Mäkeler, Hendrik (2016), Zaoral, Roman (ed.), "A New Perspective on the Imperial Coinage", Money and Finance in Central Europe during the Later Middle Ages, London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, pp. 25–31, doi:10.1057/9781137460233_2, ISBN 978-1-137-46023-3, retrieved 2023-03-0225-31&rft.date=2016&rft_id=info:doi/10.1057/9781137460233_2&rft.isbn=978-1-137-46023-3&rft.aulast=Mäkeler&rft.aufirst=Hendrik&rft_id=https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137460233_2&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Elizabeth+of+Bohemia+(1292–1330)" class="Z3988">
3. ^ Wilkins, Nigel (1983). "A pattern of patronage: Machaut, Froissart and the houses of Luxembourg and Bohemia in the fourteenth century". French Studies. 37 (3): 257–284\. doi:10.1093/fs/XXXVII.3.257.257-284&rft.date=1983&rft_id=info:doi/10.1093/fs/XXXVII.3.257&rft.aulast=Wilkins&rft.aufirst=Nigel&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Elizabeth+of+Bohemia+(1292–1330)" class="Z3988">
4. ^ Hill, Darci (2017-06-23). Reflections on Medieval and Renaissance Thought. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4438-7376-5.
5. ^ a b Antonín 2017, p. 155.
6. ^ Péporté, Pit (2011-01-01). IV. John of Bohemia: Constructing a National Hero. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-21066-0.
7. ^ Opačić 2009, p. 59.
8. ^ Herde 2000, p. 526.
9. ^ Michaud 2000, p. 756.
10. ^ a b Agnew 2004, p. 30.
11. ^ Antonín, Robert (2021-10-27). The Ritual Practice of Power in Bohemia during the 14th Century. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-50011-2.
12. ^ a b c Boehm & Fajt 2005, p. xvi.
13. ^ a b c d Boehm & Fajt 2005, p. xvii.

## Sources

[edit]

* Agnew, Hugh LeCaine (2004). The Czechs and the Lands of the Bohemian Crown. Hoover Institution Press. ISBN 978-0-8179-4492-6.
* Antonín, Robert (2017). The Ideal Ruler in Medieval Bohemia. Brill.
* Boehm, Barbara Drake; Fajt, Jiri, eds. (2005). Prague: The Crown of Bohemia, 1347-1437. Yale University Press.
* Herde, Peter (2000). "The Empire:From Adolf of Nassau to Lewis of Bavaria, 1292-1347". In Jones, Michael (ed.). The New Cambridge Medieval History: Volume 6, C.1300-c.1415. Cambridge University Press.
* Michaud, Claude (2000). "The kingdoms of central Europe in the fourteenth century". In Jones, Michael (ed.). The New Cambridge Medieval History: Volume 6, C.1300-c.1415. Cambridge University Press.
* Opačić, Zoë (2009). Prague and Bohemia: Medieval Art, Architecture and Cultural Exchange in Central Europe. British Archaeological Association.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Elisabeth of Bohemia.

Elizabeth of Bohemia (1292–1330)

Přemyslid dynasty

Born: 20 January 1292 Died: 28 September 1330

Royal titles
Preceded by

Anne of Bohemia

|  Queen consort of Bohemia
1310–1330  | Succeeded by

Beatrice of Bourbon

* v
* t
* e

Royal consorts of Bohemia

Přemyslid|

| c. 870-1198 (Duchesses)|

* Ludmila of Bohemia
* Drahomíra
* Biagota
* Emma of Mělník
* Božena
* Judith of Schweinfurt
* Ida of Wettin
* Adelaide of Hungary
* Świętosława of Poland1
* Wirpirk of Tengling
* Lukarta of Bogen
* Helbirga of Austria
* Richeza of Berg
* Adelaide of Hungary
* Gertrude of Babenberg
* Judith of Thuringia1
* Elizabeth of Hungary
* Elisabeth of Greater Poland
* Hellicha of Wittelsbach

|

1198-1306 (Queens)|

* Adelaide of Meissen
* Constance of Hungary
* Kunigunde of Hohenstaufen
* Margaret of Austria
* Kunigunda of Halych
* Judith of Habsburg
* Elizabeth Richeza of Poland
* Viola of Teschen

Non-dynastic|

| 1306-1310|

* Anne of Bohemia
* Elizabeth Richeza of Poland

|

Luxembourg|

| 1310-1437|

* Elizabeth of Bohemia
* Beatrice of Bourbon
* Blanche of Valois
* Anne of Bavaria
* Anna von Schweidnitz
* Elizabeth of Pomerania
* Joanna of Bavaria
* Sophia of Bavaria
* Barbara of Cilli

|

Habsburg|

| 1437-1457|

* Elizabeth of Luxembourg

|

Non-dynastic|

| 1457-1471|

* Joanna of Rožmitál

|

Jagiellonian|

| 1471-1526|

* Barbara of Brandenburg
* Beatrice of Naples
* Anne of Foix-Candale
* Mary of Hungary

|

Habsburg|

| 1526-1780|

* Anne of Bohemia and Hungary
* Maria of Austria
* Anna of Tyrol
* Elizabeth Stuart
* Eleonora Gonzaga
* Maria Anna of Spain
* Maria Leopoldine of Austria
* Eleonora Gonzaga
* Margaret Theresa of Spain
* Claudia Felicitas of Austria
* Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg
* Wilhelmine Amalie of Brunswick
* Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
* Maria Amalia

|

Habsburg-Lorraine|

| 1780-1918|

* Maria Luisa of Spain
* Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily
* Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este
* Caroline Augusta of Bavaria
* Maria Anna of Savoy
* Elisabeth of Bavaria
* Zita of Bourbon-Parma

|

* 1 also titled Queen of Bohemia

* v
* t
* e

Consorts of Luxembourg

County of Luxemburg (963–1354)

| Elder House of Luxembourg
(963–1136)|

* Hedwig of Nordgau
* Clementia of Aquitaine
* Mathilde of Northeim
* Ermengarde of Zutphen

|
|

House of Namur
(1136–1189)|

* Laurette of Flanders
* Agnes of Guelders

House of Hohenstaufen
(1196–1197)|

* Margaret, Countess of Blois

House of Namur
(1197–1247)|

* None

House of Limburg
(1247–1354)|

* Margaret of Bar
* Beatrice of Avesnes
* Margaret of Brabant
* Elizabeth of Bohemia
* Beatrice of Bourbon
* Blanche of Valois
* Anne of Bavaria
* Anna von Schweidnitz
* Joanna, Duchess of Brabant

Duchy of Luxemburg (1354–1794)

| House of Limburg
(1354–1443)|

* Joanna, Duchess of Brabant
* Joanna of Bavaria
* Agnes of Opole

|
|

House of Valois-Burgundy
(1443–1482)|

* Isabella of Portugal
* Margaret of York

House of Habsburg
(1482–1700)|

* Joanna of Castile
* Isabella of Portugal
* Mary I of England
* Elisabeth of Valois
* Anna of Austria
* Elisabeth of France
* Mariana of Austria
* Marie Louise d'Orléans
* Maria Anna of Neuburg

House of Bourbon
(1700–1712)|

* Maria Luisa Gabriella of Savoy

House of Wittelsbach
(1712–1713)|

* Theresa Kunegunda Sobieska

House of Habsburg
(1713–1780)|

* Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

House of Habsburg-Lorraine
(1780–1794)|

* Maria Luisa of Spain
* Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily

Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (since 1815)

| House of Orange-Nassau
(1815–1890)|

* Wilhelmine of Prussia
* Anna Pavlovna of Russia
* Sophie of Württemberg
* Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont

|
|

House of Nassau-Weilburg
(1890–present)|

* Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau
* Marie Anne of Portugal
* Felix of Bourbon-Parma
* Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium
* María Teresa Mestre y Batista-Falla

Authority control databases

International|

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*[c.]: circa