170 Charles IV of Luxembourg
withdraw. Other revolts were led by Charles’s own sons,
Louis the Stammerer (846–79) and Charles the Child
(847–66). Despite this, Charles the Bald held the throne
and continued to govern.
On the death of Lothair II in 869, he took possession
of Lotharingia and was crowned king at Metz by Hincmar.
He tried to occupy AACHENbut was scared off by Louis
the German and had to withdraw to Western Lotharingia.
Richard II at the death of Wat Tyler
he took over PROVENCE. Pope John VIII (r. 872–82)
crowned him emperor on December 25, making him
master in ITA LY. When he wanted to take possession of
Eastern Lotharingia on the death of his brother Louis
the German, he was defeated at Andernach. Despite the
opposition of the aristocracy and Bishop Hincmar, Charles
crossed the Alps but was forced to retreat. He died on the
way back at Avrieux on October 6, 877.
Further reading:Margaret T. Gibson and Janet L.
Nelson, eds. Charles the Bald: Court and Kingdom(Alder-
shot: Variorum, 1990); Janet L. Nelson, Charles the Bald
(New York: Longman, 1992).
Charles IV of Luxembourg (Wenzel)(1316–1378)
king of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperor
Born in Prague on May 14, 1316, the well-educated
son of John Luxembourg (r. 1310–46) king of BOHEMIA,
he was regent on behalf of his blind father, whom he
succeeded in 1346. He married Blanche, the sister of
Philip VI (r. 1328–50); the king of France. He was the
leader of the opposition to Emperor Louis IV the Bavar-
ian (r. 1314–47). Charles was elected emperor in 1346
but gained power only after Louis’s death in 1347 and
was crowned in Rome as emperor on April 5, 1355. He
consolidated his power on Bohemia. He founded the Uni-
versity of PRAGUE, annexed Silesia to it, and proclaimed
a new constitution. He tried to restore order and peace
in GERMANYand fought against the powerful family of
WITTELSBACH, the dukes of BAVARIAand marquises of
Brandenburg. His reign encompassed the consequences
of the Black Death in Germany and was not able to
prevent anti-Jewish riots.
Crowned emperor of ROMEin 1355, he profited in
the short term from his journey to ITA LYto sell imperial
titles to local adventurers. His most important achieve-
ment in Germany was the issue in 1356 of the GOLDEN
BULL, which was to function as the empire’s new consti-
tution. It dealt with the procedures for imperial elec-
tions, creating a body of the seven prince-electors,
including the king of Bohemia, the duke of Saxony, the
prince of the Rhine Palatinate, the marquis of Branden-
burg, and the archbishops of Mainz, COLOGNE, and Trier.
The electors were granted many privileges, making them
nearly independent within the empire. His moves against
the independent free cities were unsuccessful, though
some were severely damaged and forcibly annexed to
principalities. He died on November 29, 1378, and was
buried in PRAGUE.
Further reading:Bede Jarrett, The Emperor Charles IV
(London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1935); Iva Rosario, Art
and Propaganda: Charles IV of Bohemia, 1346–1378(Wood-
bridge, England: Boydell Press, 2000); Gerald Groveland
Walsh, The Emperor Charles IV, 1316–1378: A Study in Holy
Roman Imperialism(Oxford: B. Blackwell, 1924).Charles V the Wise(1338–1380)king of France
He was born at Vincennes, January 21, 1338, the son
of King John II (r. 1350–64) the Good and Bonne of
Luxembourg, the daughter of King John of BOHEMIA
(r. 1310–46). At the Battle of POITIERSon September 19,
1356, he was taken prisoner by the English but released.
As the captured king’s lieutenant and agent, he faced the
opposition of the Estates General, agitation led by
Charles the Bad (1332–87) the king of NAVARRE, the
JACQUÉRIE, and the Parisian revolt of Étienne Marcel in- The treaty concluded at Brétigny on May 8, 1360; it
gave EDWARDIII, the king of England, the province of
AQUITAINE and part of the neighboring provinces of
Poitou, Saintonge, Agenais, Limousin, Périgord, Quercy,
Bigorre, Angoumois, as well as Ponthieu, Calais, and the
county of Guines. His father’s ransom was fixed at 3 mil-
lion gold écus or 500,000 pounds sterling. Becoming
king on his recently released father’s death on April 8,
1364, Charles V inherited a shrunken realm that had lost
a third of its lands and been seriously ravaged by unem-
ployed mercenary soldiers.
CONFLICT AND INNOVATION
His first objective was to raise the money necessary toSatan and the lost souls of hell
provinces. A small army of professional soldiers, under
the leadership of the constable, Bertrand du Guesclin
(ca. 1320–80), retook much territory from the English
all the while avoiding battles. By the time of the king’s
death in 1380, the English had been reduced to Calais,
Gascony, and fortresses in BRITTANY. In 1378 he inter-
vened unsuccessfully in Brittany and was distracted by
the Great SCHISMof 1378 in which he supported stub-
bornly one of the candidates.
Charles V’s reign was dominated by the requirements
of warfare. His regime was a decisive step in terms of reg-
ular taxation. These taxes were uneasily accepted as the
only way to defend the country against the marauding
companies and obtain some peace.
Charles V and his counselors strengthened the func-
tioning of the various institutions, especially the PAR-
LEMENTof PARIS.CULTURE
Charles V was supportive of political thinkers, jurists,
and philosophers. He founded the royal library of the