Johanna of Bavaria, Queen of Bohemia
Encyclopedia
Joanna of Bavaria was the second child of Albert I, Duke of Bavaria
, by his first wife Margaret of Brieg
. Her siblings included William VI, Count of Holland, Johanna Sophia of Bavaria
and Margaret of Bavaria
. Her paternal grandparents were Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV
and Margaret II, Countess of Hainault.
, son of Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV
by his second wife, Anna of Swidnica. At the time of the wedding, Johanna was eight years' old, and Wenceslaus was nine.
Joanna was not the first choice of a bride for Wenceslaus; Charles IV had planned for him to marry Elisabeth of Nuremberg
, but the marriage never happened, since Elisabeth married Rupert of Germany
instead.
On Charles's death in 1378, Wenceslaus inherited the kingdom of Bohemia. In the cathedral of Monza
there is preserved a series of reliefs depicting the coronations of the kings of Italy with the Iron Crown of Lombardy. The seventh of these depicts Wenceslaus being crowned in the presence of six electors, he himself being the seventh. The depiction is probably not accurate and was likely made solely to reinforce the claims of the cathedral concerning the custody of the Iron Crown. With Wenceslaus' accession, Joanna became Queen of Bohemia
, Germany
, Rome
and she also became Electress of Brandenburg, succeeding Wenceslaus' half-sister Katharine of Bohemia
.
Wenceslaus gave Johanna a magnificent funeral, which took place at Žebrák
castle. According to custom, Joanna's body was exposed for a few days in Prague
churches and was later buried in Prague Castle
.
Wenceslaus later married Joanna's cousin, Sofia of Bavaria
, but this marriage also bore no issue. Wenceslaus was deposed from the throne of Germany and was succeeded by Elisabeth of Nuremberg's husband, Rupert.
Albert I, Duke of Bavaria
Duke Albert I or Albrecht KG was a feudal ruler of the counties of Holland, Hainaut, and Zeeland in the Low Countries...
, by his first wife Margaret of Brieg
Margaret of Brieg
Margaret of Brieg was a daughter of Ludwik I the Fair and his wife, Agnes of Sagan. She was Duchess consort of Bavaria by her marriage to Albert I, Duke of Bavaria.- Family :...
. Her siblings included William VI, Count of Holland, Johanna Sophia of Bavaria
Johanna Sophia of Bavaria
Joanna Sophia of Bavaria was the youngest daughter of Albert I, Duke of Bavaria and his first wife Margaret of Brieg. She was a member of the House of Wittelsbach....
and Margaret of Bavaria
Margaret of Bavaria
Margaret of Bavaria, , was the fifth child of Albert, Duke of Bavaria-Straubing, Count of Hainault, Holland, and Zeeland and Lord of Friesia, and Margaret of Brieg. She was the regent of the Burgundian Low countries during the absence of her spouse in 1404–1419 and the regent in French Burgundy...
. Her paternal grandparents were Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV
Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Louis IV , called the Bavarian, of the house of Wittelsbach, was the King of Germany from 1314, the King of Italy from 1327 and the Holy Roman Emperor from 1328....
and Margaret II, Countess of Hainault.
Marriage
Joanna married on 29 September 1370 to Wenceslaus, King of the RomansWenceslaus, King of the Romans
Wenceslaus ) was, by election, German King from 1376 and, by inheritance, King of Bohemia from 1378. He was the third Bohemian and second German monarch of the Luxembourg dynasty...
, son of Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
by his second wife, Anna of Swidnica. At the time of the wedding, Johanna was eight years' old, and Wenceslaus was nine.
Joanna was not the first choice of a bride for Wenceslaus; Charles IV had planned for him to marry Elisabeth of Nuremberg
Elisabeth of Nuremberg
-Source:*...
, but the marriage never happened, since Elisabeth married Rupert of Germany
Rupert of Germany
Rupert of Germany from the House of Wittelsbach was Elector Palatine from 1398 and German King from 1400 until his death...
instead.
On Charles's death in 1378, Wenceslaus inherited the kingdom of Bohemia. In the cathedral of Monza
Monza
Monza is a city and comune on the river Lambro, a tributary of the Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy some 15 km north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the Province of Monza and Brianza. It is best known for its Grand Prix motor racing circuit, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.On June...
there is preserved a series of reliefs depicting the coronations of the kings of Italy with the Iron Crown of Lombardy. The seventh of these depicts Wenceslaus being crowned in the presence of six electors, he himself being the seventh. The depiction is probably not accurate and was likely made solely to reinforce the claims of the cathedral concerning the custody of the Iron Crown. With Wenceslaus' accession, Joanna became Queen of Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and she also became Electress of Brandenburg, succeeding Wenceslaus' half-sister Katharine of Bohemia
Katharine of Bohemia
Catherine of Bohemia was an Electress of Brandenburg, the second daughter of Emperor Charles IV and Blanche of Valois.-Childhood and family:...
.
Death
The marriage lasted for sixteen years, however the couple had no children and Joanna died in 1386, at the age of twenty-three or twenty-four. It is said that Wenceslaus was infertile.Wenceslaus gave Johanna a magnificent funeral, which took place at Žebrák
Žebrák
Žebrák or Żebrak may refer to:* Žebrák, a town in Beroun District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic...
castle. According to custom, Joanna's body was exposed for a few days in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
churches and was later buried in Prague Castle
Prague Castle
Prague Castle is a castle in Prague where the Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices. The Czech Crown Jewels are kept here...
.
Wenceslaus later married Joanna's cousin, Sofia of Bavaria
Sofia of Bavaria
Sophia of Bavaria was a Queen of Bohemia and the spouse of Wenceslaus, King of Bohemia and King of the Romans. She was briefly regent of Bohemia after the death of Wenceslaus.- Family and early life:...
, but this marriage also bore no issue. Wenceslaus was deposed from the throne of Germany and was succeeded by Elisabeth of Nuremberg's husband, Rupert.