Elizabeth of Bohemia – Queen and mother of Prague’s future glory

When people think of medieval Prague, most visitors picture kings, knights and stone towers. Yet behind one of the most important stories in Czech history from that period stands an exceptionally intelligent and charming woman— Elizabeth of Bohemia.

Elizabeth was born the daughter of Wenceslas II, King of Bohemia and Poland from the Přemyslid dynasty. After Wenceslas’s death, his only son, Wenceslas III, became the new ruler of both countries. However, he was treacherously murdered at the tender age of sixteen, and thus the Přemyslid dynasty died out in the male line. With her brother’s death, Princess Elizabeth became the last heir to her illustrious family, and just when it seemed that the Czech state would lose its footing and descend into chaos, she was the one who ensured the continuation of the royal tradition.

After long and complex diplomatic negotiations, she married John of Luxembourg, the only son of Henry VII, King of the Holy Roman Empire, in Speyer at the end of August 1310. Elizabeth was eighteen at the time, and chroniclers of the era describe her as a beautiful, spirited young woman with a swarthy complexion and dark hair. John, on the other hand, was only fourteen years old, and although he had grown up at the French royal court and received a decent education, he was still an immature and, moreover, frail boy.

Immediately after their wedding, the newlyweds returned to Bohemia, which at that time—as so often in history—was occupied by foreign troops. John and Elizabeth, however, managed to take control of Prague and, gradually, the entire country.

At first, their marriage was a happy one and they had two daughters, Margaret (Markéta) and Jitka. As the older and more experienced of the couple, Elizabeth exerted considerable influence over her husband. Through him, she sought to restore the greatness and prestige of the Czech state, but Jan was soon confronted with harsh reality, as the country was ruled by wealthy and self-assured aristocrats following a long period of power struggles. King John, a great admirer of the legendary monarch Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, started setting out on chivalric expeditions throughout Europe with increasing frequency, returning to Bohemia mainly just for money.

In John’s absence from the country, political intrigues intensified and tensions between him and Elizabeth also grew. In 1316, their firstborn son, Wenceslas—the future King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV—was born. Under his wise and prosperous reign, Prague became the capital of the Holy Roman Empire and one of the largest cities in Europe.

But at the time, it was merely a dream of the future. King John, at the head of a force of armed men, raided Loket Castle, where Elizabeth was living in seclusion, and sent her into exile. The tiny Prince Wenceslas, who had just learned to walk, was separated from his mother and imprisoned in several castles, after which he was sent in 1323 to be raised at the French royal court.

The most significant moments of Elizabeth’s life took place in Prague. It was here that she was born, crowned Queen of Bohemia, reigned alongside her husband, fought for influence over the country’s affairs, faced political intrigues and conflicts with her husband, and ultimately died. And it was in Prague that she gave birth to a son who went down in history as the greatest Czech of all time—Emperor and King Charles IV.

Hence, thanks to Elizabeth, Prague became one of the most important cities of medieval Europe. She did not build bridges or cathedrals, but she gave Prague something more important: a ruler who turned it into an imperial metropolis.