Elisabeth of Bohemia (1292–1330)

:"For other people with the same name, see Elisabeth of Bohemia":"Elisabeth I redirects here. For the Queen of England, see Elizabeth I of England."

Elisabeth I of Bohemia ( _cs. Eliška Přemyslovna) (20 January 1292 – 28 September 1330) was Queen of Bohemia and mother of King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV.

Childhood

She was the daughter of Wenceslaus II of Bohemia and Judith of Habsburg. When Elisabeth was five years old, her mother died. Of the ten children only four of them lived to adulthood Wenceslaus ,Anna, Elisabeth and Margaret, Elisabeth and her siblings also had a half-sister called Agnes. Six years after the death of her mother, her father Wenceslaus re-married. He chose to marry a Polish princess called Elisabeth Richeza of Poland from the genus Piast dynasty. Elisabeth's father then gained the Crown of Poland.

Elisabeth's youth noted a lot of things, a devastating fire at Prague Castle in 1303, the death of her father and the assassination of her brother Wenceslaus.

The fight for the throne

In 1306, after the murder of Elisabeth's brother Wenceslaus her sister Anna became Queen of Bohemia. Elisabeth was now the only single princess in the family, she was fourteen years of age so was a good age to marry and she became one of the key players on the seizure of power disputes on the Kingdom of Bohemia.

From the quarrels of the Czech throne between Henry I of Bohemia, husband of Anna and Rudolf of Habsburg resulted in Rudolph taking Bohemia and marrying Elisabeth Richeza of Poland (Elisabeth's stepmother). Elisabeth went to live in Prague Castle. But in 1307 the throne returned to her brother-in-law and sister. They wanted Elisabeth to marry lord of Bergova (Otto of Löbdaburgu) for political reasons. Elisabeth refused to marry Otto and so Elisabeth and Anna fell out with eachother.

An oppasition group was made against Henry and Anna, with Elisabeth as the figure head.

Marriage to John of Luxembourg

Elisabeth married the son of Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor, John of Luxembourg.

The wedding took place in September 1310, after John was forced to invade the Czech Republic. Henry I of Bohemia and Anna I of Bohemia fled to Korután were Anna died in 1313 (She was still not speaking to Elisabeth at the time of her death). The coronation of John and Elisabeth took place on 7 February 1311.

The marriage also produced seven children (see at bottom). After a while Elisabeth grew jealous of John who had listened to her but had diffrent political opinions than her. Then in 1319 a plot was uncovered which had planned to despose of Elisabeth and John and replace them with their eldest son Charles. John had the culprits punished but Elisabeth locked herself away at the Castle Melnik and took her children with her.

John decided to prevent his wife of interferring in the education of their children.

Later years

Elisabeth was in total isolation and abandoned by all, she left Bohemia and lived in exile in Bavaria. Some of the proceedings considered an act of open hostility towards John, and his noble likes. It was in exile Elisabeth gave birth to her last children; twin daughters Anna and Elizabeth. John sent Elisabeth funding during her exile. Elisabeth returned to Czech Republic in 1325, when she returned John found Elisabeth to be ill but she still lived for another five years. She eventually died of Tuberculosis in 1330 aged thirty eight still very much abandoned.

Children

Elisabeth 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.
# Bonne (21 May 1315–11 September 1349, Maubuisson), married in Melun 6 August 1332 to King John II of France.
# Charles IV (14 May 1316–29 November 1378), King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor.
# Ottokar ("Otto") (22 November 1318–20 April 1320), Prince of Bohemia.
# John Henry (Jan Jindrich) (12 February 1322, Mělník–12 November 1375), Margrave of Moravia.
# Anna (1323–3 September 1338), twin of Elizabeth, married 16 February 1335 to Duke Otto of Austria.
# Elizabeth (1323–1324), twin of Anna

3gen
SLF=Elisabeth
FAT=Wenceslaus II of Bohemia
FAF=Ottokar II of Bohemia
FFF=Wenceslaus I of Bohemia
FFM=Kunigunde of Hohenstaufen
FAM=Kunigunda of Slavonia
FMF=Rostislav of Slavonia
FMM=Anna of Hungary
MOT=Judith of Habsburg
MOF=Rudolph I of Germany
MFF=Albert IV, Count of Habsburg
MFM=Hedwig of Kyburg
MOM=Gertrude of Hohenberg
MMF=Buchard III of Hohenberg
MMM=Mechtild of Tübingen

External links

* [http://genealogics.org/pedigree.php?personID=I00004091&tree=LEO&parentset=0&display=standard&generations=5 Ancestry in Genealogics]